See it at the Movies

HOW TO BE SINGLE

By Joyce and Don Fowler
Posted 2/17/16

* * *

(Funny/serious NYC singles flick)

Fifteen minutes into this funny-but-with-serious-undertones flick, we were both ready to walk out.

We were introduced to a few single New York City …

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See it at the Movies

HOW TO BE SINGLE

Posted

* * *

(Funny/serious NYC singles flick)

Fifteen minutes into this funny-but-with-serious-undertones flick, we were both ready to walk out.

We were introduced to a few single New York City young women, including the foul-mouthed, gross Robin, played in her usual foul-mouthed gross way by Rebel Wilson, not one of our favorite actors. Then we meet Alice, played by Dakota Johnson, starry-eyed star of “Fifty Shades of Gray.”

The music is loud, the language is R-rated, and the emphasis is on promiscuous sex. And then something happens. The story finds a heart. The characters become real, sympathetic, struggling young women looking for both love and independence in a fast-paced NYC lifestyle.

Johnson’s Alice is the main character. After living with her boyfriend in what he thinks is a forever and ever relationship, she decides that she needs “time to discover who I really am.” Her best friend Robin (Wilson) lives in the fast lane, sleeps around and drags her off to dating bars, where she becomes involved in short, unfulfilling relationships with a few guys. It is difficult to accept that these two completely unlikable characters are best friends.

Then there is Lucy (Alison Brie), who has her own problems finding a meaningful relationship. And let’s not forget Meg (Leslie Mann), Alice’s older sister, a doctor who lives for her work and has no interest in marriage or children...until she meets a younger man who adores her.

The characters are all complex and searching for meaning in their lives. The men in their lives are all secondary characters in a story that slowly gets at the heart of the problems faced by young, independent women.

Take Rebel Wilson out of the picture, and we slowly got with the story and could feel empathy for these women. This is a good movie for young adults, who will certainly relate to it. It carries an R rating for its language and sexual content.

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