Netflix has a whole list of romantic comedies to binge for when you’re looking for some swoon worthy content.
However, a very different kind of romantic comedy has recently been added onto the streaming service.
“He’s Just Not That into You” is a romantic comedy in which not all of the characters get happy endings, instead they are left with realistic endings.
The movie is about multiple characters and the paths their love lives take.
The characters seem to all be connected to one another and we see this as the movie goes on.
The most central character in the movie, Gigi, has been on date after date and they never seem to go past the first date.
Gigi does something that many girls tend to do and makes excuse after excuse for why these guys aren’t calling her.
It takes a bartender and one of her old date’s best friends, Alex, telling her that these guys might just not be that into her for Gigi to realize a guy will make it happen if he actually likes her.
It might sound harsh to say that a person might not be into you and that’s just the reason why they haven’t reached out again.
It is especially hard to hear something like this after going on a date or hanging out with someone and feeling as if you got along and it went great.
But sometimes that’s just it and these realistic ways to look at love and dating can end up saving us a lot of heartache at the end of the day.
The pros of a realistic rom-com
While it is nice to watch a cheesy, sappy rom com every once in a while, there is something to be said for how beneficial watching a realistic romantic comedy can be.
Growing up I watched movies where the girl needed a knight in shining armor to save her and they would ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after.
These movies have taught young girls that they need to find a man to save them and be happy.
These typical romantic movies instill in women from a young age, that finding love is the only to be whole and have a happy ending.
So a movie like “He’s Just Not That into You” is such a refreshing romantic movie.
There are characters in the movie that fall in love and find their happy endings, but there are other characters where this is not the case.
One of the main characters, played by Bradley Cooper, ends up cheating on his wife; and both his wife and mistress end up alone, as does he.
While an ending like this is not something one would expect from a romantic comedy, it is a realistic ending.
Sometimes as much as we want things to work out or to believe that we will get the guy, this is just not the case and it is not a reflection on us or personal at all.
The connection I and many people have felt with “He’s Just Not That into You” is through it’s realistic depictions of love
I interviewed UF sophomore Natalie Hernandez to ask her how accurate she thought this movie is in comparison to other rom coms when it comes to real life love and dating.
“I think that it is more accurate than the typical rom com because it portrays so many different relationships and each of their strengths and flaws,” Hernandez said. “It also shows that there isn’t always a happy ending, which most rom coms don’t do.”
Movies tend to just show the positive side of dating, where you easily find the perfect guy and after only one big fight you both decide you love each other and you live happily ever after.
But real life doesn’t work like that, and it is nice to relate to someone on screen who shows the real struggles, heartaches and frustrations that really accompany dating today.
Is it possible to have a realistic rom-com?
The reason we watch movies, especially romantic comedies, is to escape.
Life is already so difficult and stressful that we all want a distraction.
So, who would want to watch a realistic romantic comedy where the girl doesn’t get the guy and she ends up alone?
As sad or disappointing as a realistic romantic comedy might be, it also allows for a sense of calm.
They induce a feeling that we are not alone, that we are not the reason that it just doesn’t seem to ever work out.
When we are only seeing positive examples of dating and love in the media, it makes us feel like failures when things seem to just never work out.
But it’s normal for love and dating to be messy, funny and yeah, sometimes even disappointing.
I think if we have realistic romantic comedies, it will make us be able to laugh at the disappointing and frustrating moments that come with dating.
Being able to see situations and people on screen that we can relate to will allow us to feel connected and less alone in those moments of loneliness.
After watching “He’s Just Not That into You” again, the ending was surprising.
It was not the perfect rom com ending that we are all used to seeing from movies in this genre.
But still, I immediately thought this was one of my new favorite movies.
It was so real and relatable and made me feel like even though dating and love can be messy and confusing, it can also be very simple.
All these guys that have upset me and made me feel like something was wrong with me shouldn’t have that power over me.
Overthinking things and imagining these happy endings will do nothing at the end of the day.
There is so much more to life than dating.
Not to say you shouldn’t be hopeful about love, instead this movie taught me to just be myself and live my life.
Because when things don’t work out, it doesn’t have to weigh so heavily on me, it could just be as simple as he just wasn’t that into me and that is OK.