How to Be Single: A Hilarious Rom-Com with a Feminist Twist
This is a feel-good romantic comedy that champions a woman’s right to live life on her own terms.
Alice (Dakota Johnson), tired of the monotony of her relationship, breaks up with her boyfriend and moves in with her older sister, Meg (Leslie Mann). She lands a new job and makes a new friend, Robin (Rebel Wilson), a party animal who tries to pull Alice into her wild lifestyle. Alice, however, prefers the idea of a committed relationship over drunken one-night stands. Meanwhile, Meg decides to have a baby via sperm donation, and Lucy (Alison Brie), who lives near the bar where Alice and Robin hang out, is on a quest to find her soulmate through online dating.
.jpg “Still from “How to Be Single””)
Initially, Drew Barrymore, who also served as a producer, was slated to direct the film.
A Modern Take on “Sex and the City”
The movie revolves around four women navigating love, sex, and life in New York City. Sound familiar? It’s reminiscent of “Sex and the City,” the iconic TV series co-written by Liz Tuccillo. “How to Be Single” is based on Tuccillo’s book of the same name and expands on the themes explored in “Sex and the City” and “He’s Just Not That Into You,” previous works by Tuccillo and “How to Be Single” screenwriters Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein.
.jpg “Still from “How to Be Single””)
After “Sex and the City” ended, Liz Tuccillo created the series “Related,” which also centered on four women in New York. However, it only lasted for one season.
A Blend of Rom-Com and Moral Lesson
The film strikes a balance between a romantic comedy and a moral tale. While typical rom-coms aim to entertain and evoke laughter, Christian Ditter (“Love, Rosie”) wants the audience to gain some life insights.
.jpg “Still from “How to Be Single””)
Unfortunately, the film doesn’t subtly guide the audience to its conclusions. Instead, “How to Be Single” overtly spells out its moral through Alice’s voice-over narration. This approach would be understandable if the film were conveying complex ideas, but is it really necessary to have a voice-over state the obvious, like “Everything in moderation”? The film doesn’t offer much beyond such platitudes.
.jpg “Still from “How to Be Single””)
Rebel Wilson Steals the Show
The film’s moralizing often overshadows both the drama and the comedy. Rebel Wilson is primarily responsible for the latter, but her character is more of a source of crude jokes and gags about getting drunk and needing more sex than a fully developed character with a storyline. When Wilson is on screen, the film is funny. When she’s not, it becomes serious, sometimes even bordering on melodramatic.
.jpg “Still from “How to Be Single””)
Exploring the Characters’ Journeys
Meg’s storyline, the most dramatic in the film, can be summarized as: “A middle-aged woman becomes a single mother and wonders if she also needs a romance with a younger man.” The man in question is practically perfect, and Meg’s dilemma is whether to embrace this unexpected happiness or be afraid of dating someone half her age. If Meg were the only protagonist, the film could have explored this issue in depth. However, with Leslie Mann sharing screen time with three other stars, the film settles for a simplistic statement: “If a woman wants something, she has the right to it!”
.jpg “Still from “How to Be Single””)
Alice’s storyline revolves around the idea that a woman can be happy alone, without a committed relationship, while Lucy’s story suggests that finding love online is possible, albeit challenging. The film can be seen as a feminist anthem celebrating a woman’s right to live as she chooses. Even Robin, whose behavior borders on psychopathic, is portrayed as a strong, confident woman who is beyond reproach. She “has the right,” period. She doesn’t even have a storyline because she has already achieved her personal nirvana. While the other women are searching, Robin has already found everything. And no one, except her, should care what that “everything” is doing to her liver.
.jpg “Still from “How to Be Single””)
More Than Just Feminism
What else does the film offer besides feminist mantras, simple storylines (except for Alice’s convoluted one), and raunchy jokes about alcohol, sex, and emojis? A little bit of everything: some “aww” moments, some sisterly love, a taxi birth scene (because what’s a women’s movie without one!), and a promotion of New York City as a cozy metropolis that helps its residents thrive.
Final Verdict
If you miss the lightheartedness of “Sex and the City,” love Rebel Wilson’s humor, and don’t mind a film that tries to teach you how to live, then “How to Be Single” is worth watching. The cast is charming, and the film is fun and life-affirming, even if it’s not particularly deep or captivating. However, if you’re a woman, don’t use “How to Be Single” as a date movie. Spare your man. This is a film for girlfriends, not couples.