In the interest of getting “hard” copies of my work under one roof, I plan to spend the next few weeks posting the entire archive of my film journalism here on ScullyVision. With due respect to the many publications I’ve written for, the internet remains quite temporary, and I’d hate to see any of my work disappear for digital reasons. As such, this gargantuan project must begin! I don’t want to do it. I hate doing it. But it needs to be done. Please note that my opinions, like everyone’s, have changed a LOT since I started, so many of these reviews will only represent a snapshot in time. Objectivity has absolutely no place in film criticism, at least not how I do it.
The New York of How to Be Single is a magical place. Luxurious apartments are affordable for all, paralegals can work when they please, oftentimes destroying their office in the process, and the only beverages available at any time are Stella Artois and Silk Almond Milk. No, nothing about this world seems real, yet somehow this energetic subversion of typical rom-coms manages to be more relatable and entertaining than it has any right to be. Based on Liz Tuccillo’s novel of the same name, How to Be Single is an ensemble tale about a diverse group of characters each on a mission to “find themselves.” The roster is crowded. There’s Robin (Rebel Wilson), a proud party girl who is well versed in the social currency of her femininity; Meg (Leslie Mann), a workaholic forty-something who is just starting to notice the ticking of her internal clock; Tom (Anders Holm), a bartender who rejects any notion of commitment; Lucy (Alison Brie), an online dating enthusiast who craves a relationship; David (Damon Wayans Jr.), a single father coming to terms with the death of his wife. There are too many more to mention, but as stuffed as it is, there is a surprising amount of soul amongst them. Of course, at the center of it all is Alice (Dakota Johnson), a “good girl” who, for the first time in her adult life is not romantically attached. The single life is foreign to her, so now she must learn HOW TO BE SINGLE, which is the title of the movie. Your mind is blown, right?
The bonds between each character are tenuous at best, which is presumably an effect of the source material. A novel can balance this many intersecting stories rather easily, but when it comes to film, sometimes you’ve got to kill your darlings. Regardless of the overflow, the focal point here is Alice, Her story is sweetly relatable, and quite charming. This is largely due to Dakota Johnson. She’s the real deal. After her star-making role in the under appreciated Fifty Shades of Grey (yeah, I said it), and her scene-stealing turn in Black Mass, it’s far from surprising that Johnson has such a gift for comedy. What is surprising is that even when she’s playing straight against Rebel Wilson’s wacky antics, Johnson is the one who gets the laughs (no love lost to Wilson, who is an absolute blast).
I won’t get into it, but Wayans made me cry. So there’s that.
It’s clear who the intended audience is, and it’s an audience who is constantly being told by popular culture that self-worth and relationship status go hand in hand. How to Be Single boldly puts forth the notion that true value – true emotional worth – comes from within, and only then can one find love. This Valentine’s Day hordes of young women will laugh their comfy-pants off while having a shamefully underrepresented concept celebrated on the big screen, and that’s a beautiful thing. Be right back, gotta go refill my almond milk.
How to Be Single opens today in Philly area theaters.
