Release Date: May 24, 2016
Rating: R
Running Time: 110 minutes

There’s a right way to be single, a wrong way to be single, and then…there’s Alice. And Robin. Lucy. Meg. Tom. David. New York City is full of lonely hearts seeking the right match, be it a love connection, a hook-up, or something in the middle. And somewhere between the teasing texts and one-night stands, what these unmarrieds all have in common is the need to learn how to be single in a world filled with ever-evolving definitions of love. Sleeping around in the city that never sleeps was never so much fun.

Wow. What a movie. I’m not quite sure what to think of this movie. I applaud it for showing a variety of ways people embrace or resist the single life.

There’s Alice (Dakota Johnson) who finds herself in a pickle when her friend with benefits is moving out of the FWB stage of his life but she’s not interested in following so he moves on…and it’s hard for Alice. It’s quite the reality check and those aren’t fun or pretty.

There’s Robin (Rebel Wilson) who is shamelessly living it up as a single woman in the city. Gosh, I love Rebel’s comedic charm. Her timing, her physical comedy, everything she does on screen is pure entertainment and it is all appreciated.

Then there’s Lucy (Alison Brie) who is single and searching for the one and of the four characters that we follow, this is the least developed, most uninteresting, and most forgettable storyline. If you take her storyline out of the movie, you’re not missing anything. And that’s not a good thing. Yawn.

Finally, there’s Meg (Leslie Mann) who starts out perfectly content as a single professional woman with no desire to be married or have children in order to be complete and fulfilled in life. This is the character I could relate to. This is the character that I loved until a scene where Meg has to watch a baby and then she gets baby fever. Ugh. There’s nothing wrong with changing your mind but in Hollywood, the story of the woman who doesn’t want to get married and/or have kids always ends up changing her mind to get married and/or have a kid. As if that is the only arc of their life, as if that is the only way a character that’s a woman who doesn’t already think like everyone else can grow. It’s frustrating. It’s completely disrespectful to the women who feel this way and don’t change their minds. And it’s lazy to go this route as a writer.

Speaking overall, the movie is a solid almost two hours of entertainment (minus the Lucy storyline which was unnecessary and just dragged this movie out). I wouldn’t call this a rom-com but it is a refreshing dramedy about love and life in a time where new dramedies about love and rom-coms are few and few between. This reminds me of Valentine’s Day but not as compelling. And it could have been while still maintaining the tone that it wanted to have. So…

You won’t come away from this with warm fuzzies but you will come out of this feeling better about or simply even more satisfied with wherever you are in your love life. If that’s enough for you, give this one a watch.

Bonus Features:* The Pros and Cons of How To Be Single (5 minutes) – In this feature, the main cast talks about the pros and cons of their characters who are all single but go about being single in very different ways. Because we couldn’t figure that out based on watching the movie…

Appearing in this Feature:
Cast Members, Rebel Wilson, Dakota Johnson, Anders Holm, Alison Brie, Jason Mantzoukas, Damon Wayans Jr., Nicholas Braun, Jake Lacy

* Rebel Rabble: A Look at Rebel Wilson (4 minutes) – This is a fun and quick feature showcasing the hilarious Rebel Wilson behind the scenes of the film. Need I say more?

Appearing in this Feature:
Director, Christian Ditter
Screenwriter/Producer, Dana Fox
Cast Members, Rebel Wilson, Dakota Johnson, Anders Holm

* The Best Idea Wins! The Humor of How To Be Single (6 minutes) – In this feature, the cast and crew talk about what it’s like collaborating on set and embracing improv for a comedic film like this. I enjoyed seeing how this played out on set so I’d give this a grade A.

Appearing in this Feature:
Director, Christian Ditter
Screenwriter/Producer, Dana Fox
Cast Members, Anders Holm, Rebel Wilson, Nicholas Braun, Leslie Mann, Jason Mantzoukas

* Deleted Scenes (8 minutes) – There are about a handful of deleted scenes with no option to play them individually. Leslie Mann’s snoring scene had me rolling! Some of these scenes fell flat but a few of them I could have seen making the final cut in some capacity (*cough* If only the Lucy storyline had been cut *cough*)

* Rebel Wilson Outtakes (7 minutes) – With a comedic actress like Rebel Wilson, a feature dedicated to the riffs that didn’t make the final cut is a must. This doesn’t disappoint.

* Gag Reel (1 minute)

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