Film Review | How To Be Single

Alice (Dekota Johnson) just wanted to find herself, only problem is she doesn’t know the first thing about who she is because she’s always been surrounded by people who love her. Truth is, she never really knew what it meant to love herself, nor does she know how to start.

Robin (Rebel Wilson) is the epitome of the independent woman. She has no care in the world what people think of her; her goal in life is to live life. No strings are attached anywhere but where she chooses to, in this case, it’s Alice.

Meg (Leslie Mann) thought she was an independent-career-orientated woman who never needed a man or a family to live a full life. The only problem is, she delivers babies into the world for a living – how can she not ignore her maternal instincts?

Lucy (Alison Brie) has everything else in life figured out, only problem is, Mr Right seems to be hiding from her. Regardless of what a womanising, bar-tender, Tom (Anders Holm), thinks about her methods, she still believes that the Internet will sift through the rabble and point her towards Prince Charming.

The Story

Following several strands of what it means to be a single person in this world, How To Be Single takes audiences through the hardships and the highlights of the understanding the difference between being alone and being single.

Alison's and Robin’s strand sees a growth in understanding that being single is not liking or being comfortable with being alone, it’s actually about understanding that it’s ok to pursue your dreams and enjoy doing things without obligations.

Meg’s strand sees a release in knowing that it’s ok to be a feminist and still be a person's special someone. It’s all about being humble enough to say, "Yes, I will share this journey with you, even though I can do this on my own."

Lucy’s strand sees a diligence in taking every bad relationship with a grain of salt until someone real offers you an alternative.

Although the film is marketed to women, men are also addressed here – and not just men who like to sleep around…but I won’t spoil it for those of you guys out there who genuinely want to watch this movie.

The Cast

Dekota Johnson is brilliant in her portrayal of a young adult figuring out life outside of relationships and chasing paper. She goes through the motions of trying to find herself, but only finding that she needs someone else to show her who that is!

Rebel Wilson is a beautiful spirit guide as she shows Johnson’s character how to be single in the city that never sleeps. She is as funny as we’ve known her from Pitch Perfect, but she’s also very realistic in how to be a friend, regardless of how truthful she can be.

Leslie Mann is also as comedic as she is in The Other Woman, but there’s a delicateness to her character that she brings out nicely as an “older” woman realising that she can still have a family along with her career.

Alison Brie continues to show her many sides as she portrays a slightly psychotic-love-sick single woman destined to find Mr Right. She is as loveable and endearing as she is crazy.

Anders Holm is a great contrast to Wilson as we see his character figure out that sleeping around may not always be the best way to be single.

Damon Wayans Jr. brings the heart-wrenching portrayal of different kind of singleness – but again, I won’t spoil it for you.

Nicholas Braun gets a special mention for doing a great job of being Alice’s “one that got away”.

Overall…this film is for anyone really! Single people don’t get all the fun, but hey, we’re not missing out either. It’s a good film to help you see that there are perks in both being single and being in a relationship.

sL Star Rating: ★★★

Next on sL: TBA – so many films coming out, I can’t keep up!!! AHHH!!!

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Film Review | The Other Woman

Carly (Cameron Diaz) thought she had everything: the right job, the right house, the right guy, until she meets Kate (Leslie Mann) – her boyfriend’s wife. After coming face to face with reality, Carly’s world is turned upside down in the most bizarre turn of events as she finds herself befriending Kate – not in a, “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” kind of way, the “BFFLs / sorority sisterhood” kind of camaraderie. And if things aren’t any weirder, Amber (Kate Upton), yet another mistress added to the mix like salt to the wound, joins this odd friendship and unites with Kate and Carly in the attempt to take Mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) down.

The Story

This film is a mature version of 2006’s, John Tucker Must Die. As Cameron Diaz puts it, it’s a “celebration of women” instead of a reboot of Mean Girls. Unlike JTMD, The Other Woman takes a different approach to the nature of how women interact, view and relate to each other when a man is their common denominator. The writers put the stay-at-home woman, the working girl and the young-naïve-chic in the same ‘room’ – perse – and have them work together rather than compete against each other. It’s a collaborative film with loads and loads of comedic flare.

What the story does best is collaborate the different personalities of the characters and allow them to enhance each other’s characteristics rather than have them heading into a head-on collision. The dynamics between the different characters propel the humour embedded into this film. There’s not one moment where you’re not gasping or laughing from start to finish, I seriously have never laughed so hard in my life!

The Cast

Cameron Diaz is an outstanding lawyer who is at the height of her career. Diaz’s portrayal of a hardworking woman with ties that she decides to cut or tighten is incomparable. She was confident, (at times) unforgiving, and yet caring and loving enough to make Carly relatable and – at times even – comical.

Leslie Mann outshined everyone by far in this film. Not only the loyal stay-at-wife, but she was also the main source of comic relief. Although Kate was mainly the funniest character with her ongoing word-vomit and drunken escapades, she was also a good source of contemplation. As Kate reflects on her marriage and the sacrifices that she made to make it work, you feel just as sad and angry as she does when she finds out that her husband was a lying-cheating-monster.

Kate Upton is the younger woman in this film and lifts the dynamics up a notch as her character becomes the final addition to this twisted hand of fate. Amber, though naïve, is also sporadically insightful and gives the film that sisterhood-like factor as she’s added to the picture. Upton did a great job of portraying a young, but not completely stupid mistress. She brought a strength to the character that we don’t usually see in characters that are supposed to be the “dumb-one” in the pack – kudos to both Upton and the writers.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is just as funny as Mann in this film. He is all at once truly charming and truly devious, which makes Mark both lovable and detestable. He had great chemistry with Diaz as well, giving audiences a real sense of Mark’s true nature of being an expert con artist both in his professional and personal life.

Overall, The Other Woman has you laughing from start to finish. There are moments where your stomach will have a break from all the stitches you’ve accumulated from one scene to the next, but right after you’ve recovered, another burst of comic action happens in front of you. ANYONE can watch this film. Yes, it’s one for the ladies, but I think guys will get just as much out of this film as any girl sitting next to them. GO SEE IT.

sL Star Rating: ★★★★★

Next on sL: X-Men: Days of Future Past