He's Just Not That Into You

He's Just Not That Into You examines different types of relationships, including that of Beth and Neil, as well as the relationship between Gigi and Alex.

The relationship between Beth and Neil is probably the best example of what marriage should be. In class, we discussed how marriage is often idealized, because people are more concerned with the extravagant wedding ceremony than the actual marriage. Although Beth wants to get married, Neil does not believe in marriage; however, even when they break up, Neil proves that he is a more loyal and caring partner than both Ben, who is cheating on his wife, and all of her sisters' husbands. When Beth is caring for her father, Neil shows up to help purely because he knows she needed him. Through his kindness and dedication, Beth realizes that Neil is not only more of a husband than her sisters' husbands, but also that her life with Neil is already everything she would expect from marriage, just without the official marriage license. In the end, Neil proposes to Beth because he cares for her and her happiness. However, even without this added plot point, their relationship remains a good example of a healthy relationship.

Gigi is portrayed as an clingy girl who is overly concerned with finding a relationship to the point that she obsessively overanalyzes her dates and incessantly calls when the guy doesn't call her. She tries to find signals through words and actions. Contrarily, Alex is seemingly the typical guy that Gigi dates—he doesn't feel the need to call a girl if he is uninterested. Through Alex's brutally honest advice, Gigi learns that she is not "the exception." However, when Alex eventually falls for her, he tells her that she is his "exception," and in doing so, he contradicts all of his other advice. While it's a lovely sentiment that Gigi is able to find a relationship because there's someone for everyone, I personally didn't like this relationship because she didn't really have enough time on her own to develop healthy dating habits.