Not Alice (Dakota Johnson; Fifty Shades of Grey). Alice needed to "find herself" and learn how to be alone after college so she told her boyfriend Josh (Nicholas Braun; The Perks of Being a Wallflower) she wanted to take a break. That's when she met her coworker, Robin (Rebel Wilson; Pitch Perfect) who had to teach Alice how to be single. Robin takes Alice out partying and teaches her how to flirt, get free drinks, and have casual sex with strangers.
Lucy (Alison Brie; Community) is so desperate to have a boyfriend she is on ten different dating websites and uses computer algorithms to find her perfect matches. Using the free wifi from the bar she lives over, she gets dating advice from bar owner, and perpetual "playa", Tom (Anders Holm; The Interview).
Finally, we have Alice's older sister, Meg (Leslie Mann; Vacatio, a successful Obstetrician who can't give up control enough to date and finally decides to have a baby on her own. Once impregnated, she meets a much younger male receptionist, Ken (Jake Lacy; The Office), who desperately wants to be with her.
Confused yet? Or, worse, bored? I don't blame you. All of these people intertwine and mingle in Warner Bros. How to Be Single, the new 20 something feature film in theaters just in time for Valentine's Day.
I guess the studio was hoping groups of single women would flock to the theater in solidarity this holiday weekend and make How to Be Single a huge hit. Unfortunately, the movie isn't good enough and will have stiff competition from the latest Nicholas Sparks' Romance, The Choice. Neither film is worth shelling out $9 for, but I guess if you don't have a date on the most romantic weekend of the year, heading to the theater beats the alternative of sitting at home alone in your sweats devouring a pint of ice cream.
If you do decide to see How to Be Single, don't expect much. It isn't very funny. Johnson plays almost the same character as she did in Fifty Shades of Grey while Wilson is "Fat Amy", only in a different setting. Frankly, Fat Amy was great in Pitch Perfect and still fun in the sequel, but now the character is becoming downright annoying. Wilson better find a new role fast or she will become yesterday's news.
The men in this film are inconsequential and Lucy is that crazy stalker girl turned meme everyone talks about on Facebook. The only one I even remotely liked was Mann, and even she played a character we have seen from her before.
The story is nothing new, except it is adapted for a new era with internet dating and In Vitro fertilization, and probably even more casual sex that occurred in the 1980s. Otherwise, I've seen this done before, and done better, so do yourself a favor and forget How To Be Single. You're better off in the sweats with the ice cream renting Singles or Reality Bites on Netflix
Grade: D
