He's Just Not That Into You

Just a few hours ago, I got back from seeing the movie He's Just Not That Into You, which stars big name celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johannson, Drew Barrymore, and Ben Affleck. If you haven't seen the previews, it's basically a movie about the ensemble's intertwining love lives. One of the main characters, Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), is a bit unlucky in the love department. Some of the guys she goes after are, as you'd guess, just not that into her.

Someone not returning someone else's feelings is always an interesting topic, whether it be in film or in books. In some of my manuscripts, there are guys who are just not that into the main character. For example, in my YA novel A REAL FIRST KISS, one of Lara's crushes flirts with, her hoping to use her for help with math. He readily admits to his friends that he has no interest in her whatsoever. In one of my middle grade works-in-progress, a girl named Farren has a crush on a guy who has fallen for a popular, pretty girl rather than her nerdy self.

I'm starting to notice something: most of the guys who don't reciprocate my main characters' feelings come off as jerks at some point. Maybe I do this subconciously since I like my main characters so much and can't imagine guys they like not liking them unless they have some kind of character defect. I don't want to make it sound as if I have guys just throwing themselves at my main characters, because it's not like that either...I guess it's just, in writing, I usually like to focus on burgeoning relationships rather than dead-end ones. After all, that's when the romance really comes in, and I love me some romance.

Anyway, He's Just Not That Into You was super cute. A great chick flick! Go see it if you're in the mood for some romance, some awws, a couple of laughs, and maybe even a few tears.