Lousy modern romcom with one of the messiest screenplays of the year. There's way too much going on and way too little pay-off. The film seems to go on forever. Worst of all, it's just never funny. Dakota Johnson stars as a young woman who decides to "take a break" from her boyfriend. After a very short time, she wants to get back together but, too late, he's moved on. Now she's single in New York City and has no idea how to handle it. She befriends party animal Rebel Wilson, who has no problem with single life. Also, Johnson's older sister, Leslie Mann, is a baby-crazy single obstetrician who decides to go the sperm donor route. Also there's Alison Brie, who is also single and going a little nuts about it. What does she have to do with Johnson and her crew? Nearly nothing! I hate to say this about Alison Brie, but what is she even doing in this movie? They could have cut 20 minutes off their runtime if they just dropped that whole subplot, even if it would mean the film lacking Brie and, eventually, when he shows up, Jason Mantzoukas (who always makes every movie he's in slightly better). There are also men in the picture (Damon Wayans Jr., Anders Holm, Jake Lacy, etc.), obviously, and, to the film's credit, they mostly stand out as characters and not as blank states for the women to project upon. But, like the female characters, none of them are very likable. Wilson is about the only person in the film who gets any laughs at all, and the film is uninsightful about the subject at hand. One of the year's worst.
Review of How to Be Single
