First off, I really did not like many of the characters in the film. I hated that so many female stereotypes were used and that it was the women who had to learn their lesson, not the men, for the most part. In an effort to explain all of these “rules,” each “type” of woman had to be explored the seductress, the serial dater, the unhappy wife, and the woman reaching mid life who is desperate to be married. The only original woman is portrayed by Drew Barrymore. She attempts to find Mr. Right by trolling through cyberspace. She uses MySpace, she texts, and she even videoconferences a date, trying to embrace technology as a tool for finding love, even though she is understandably frustrated by the process. Unfortunately, she only appears in about ten minutes of the entire almost two hour movie.

Ironically, the characters that I enjoyed the most were the ones who blatantly explored the concept of these dating rules. Gigi, played by Ginnifer Goodwin, is the serial dater. She constantly finds herself meeting men who never call her back and she agonizes over each day she does not hear from them, analyzing every detail of their last date. She meets Alex, played by Justin Long, in his bar when she attempts to track down one of these dates. He tells her the truth and pulls no punches. (If a guy wants to date you, he will make it happen. And all of those romantic stories you hear, those are the exceptions, not the rule.) The two of them strike up a quick friendship and she takes to calling him with her every question about the guys she sees. At one point, Gigi calls Alex from a date’s bathroom to find out if this guy is really going to be out of town for a while, interrupting his own date. His response Run. They are fantastic together, and I think I would have been happier if the entire movie focused on the two of them rather than the rotating cast of adulterers and almost lovers.

In fact, I think it would have been a much better movie if the cast was trimmed down a little. By trying to hit every possibly relationship scenario, it really made for a hectic storyline that jumped around a lot. It did help that all of the characters were connected to one another in some way, so storylines were able to cross over. I also think the language played a part in me not enjoying the film as much as I could have. I do not know if it was an effort to appeal to a specific audience or not, but the cursing and vulgarity at some points was a little excessive. It was as though the writers made an attempt to put in every curse word they could without the movie being bumped up to an R rating.

I would have to give the film an average grade, somewhere in the C range if it were a school paper. Parts of it really stand out, and the mock documentary footage cut in with the film gave it an interesting feel. Other parts though, really fall flat. If you decide to see the film, keep in mind that it is likely that only a few of the relationships explored will interest you. Some of them will probably make you angry, and others will bring out the romantic in you. If nothing else, the film will get you talking.