He's Just Not That Into You
The needy Gigi Haim is a young woman seeking her prince charming somewhere amongst her unsuccessful dates. After dating estate agent Conor Barry, Gigi anxiously expects to receive a phone call from him. However Conor never calls her. Gigi decides to go to the bar where he frequents to see him, but she meets his friend Alex who works there. They become friends and Alex helps Gigi to interpret the subtle signs given out by her dates.
Despite a mid-range budget of $40.0M, He's Just Not That Into You became a commercial success, earning $178.9M worldwide—a 347% return.
1 win & 4 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Gigi Phillips
Alex
Beth Murphy
Neil Jones
Janine Gunders
Ben Gunders
Anna Marks
Mary Harris
Conor Barry
Main Cast & Characters
Gigi Phillips
Played by Ginnifer Goodwin
An anxious, hopeful romantic who over-analyzes every date and desperately wants to find love.
Alex
Played by Justin Long
A cynical bar owner who befriends Gigi and teaches her harsh truths about dating and male behavior.
Beth Murphy
Played by Jennifer Aniston
A patient woman in a long-term relationship who wants marriage but her boyfriend doesn't believe in it.
Neil Jones
Played by Ben Affleck
Beth's commitment-phobic boyfriend who loves her but refuses to marry on principle.
Janine Gunders
Played by Jennifer Connelly
An insecure wife obsessed with perfecting her home and marriage, unaware of her husband's wandering eye.
Ben Gunders
Played by Bradley Cooper
Janine's husband who develops an emotional and physical attraction to another woman.
Anna Marks
Played by Scarlett Johansson
An ambitious yoga instructor and singer who pursues a relationship with a married man.
Mary Harris
Played by Drew Barrymore
Gigi's friend and coworker who constantly checks online dating profiles and multiple communication channels.
Conor Barry
Played by Kevin Connolly
A real estate agent who casually dates Gigi and Anna while avoiding commitment.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Documentary-style montage shows women from around the world recounting times they misread men's signals, establishing the universal pattern of romantic self-deception that plagues women everywhere.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Alex, a bar manager, bluntly tells Gigi the hard truth about Conor: "He's just not that into you." This disrupts Gigi's entire belief system about reading romantic signals and forces her to confront her pattern of self-delusion.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 32 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Gigi commits to Alex's philosophy, actively choosing to change how she interprets men's behavior. She decides to stop making excuses for guys and to recognize disinterest for what it is, embracing brutal honesty over comfortable delusion., moving from reaction to action.
At 65 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Gigi misreads Alex's kindness as romantic interest and kisses him. He rejects her, saying she's the "rule, not the exception." This false defeat shatters her progress and reveals that even with all her new knowledge, she repeated her old pattern with Alex himself., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 97 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Janine discovers the truth about Ben's affair with Anna through a voicemail. Her marriage is over. Meanwhile, all the characters hit rock bottom: Anna is alone, Gigi has lost Alex, Beth is single after seven years, and the promise of love seems like a collective delusion., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 103 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Alex realizes he's fallen for Gigi and that she actually is his exception. The theme inverts: sometimes when a guy acts interested, he genuinely is interested. Alex chooses to pursue Gigi, breaking his own cynical rules about relationships., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
He's Just Not That Into You's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping He's Just Not That Into You against these established plot points, we can identify how Ken Kwapis utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish He's Just Not That Into You within the comedy genre.
Ken Kwapis's Structural Approach
Among the 8 Ken Kwapis films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. He's Just Not That Into You exemplifies the director's characteristic narrative technique. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ken Kwapis filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Ken Kwapis analyses, see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Follow That Bird and Big Miracle.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Documentary-style montage shows women from around the world recounting times they misread men's signals, establishing the universal pattern of romantic self-deception that plagues women everywhere.
Theme
A woman in the opening montage states the thematic premise: "If a guy is treating you like he doesn't give a shit, he genuinely doesn't give a shit. No exceptions." This truth will be tested by every character in the film.
Worldbuilding
We meet the ensemble cast in Baltimore: Gigi obsesses over a date with Conor who isn't interested; Conor pines for Anna who's attracted to married Ben; Ben is unhappily married to Janine; Beth and Neil debate marriage after seven years together; and Mary navigates online dating.
Disruption
Alex, a bar manager, bluntly tells Gigi the hard truth about Conor: "He's just not that into you." This disrupts Gigi's entire belief system about reading romantic signals and forces her to confront her pattern of self-delusion.
Resistance
Alex reluctantly becomes Gigi's dating coach, teaching her to recognize when men aren't interested. Meanwhile, Anna and Ben's flirtation intensifies, Beth pressures Neil about marriage, and Janine obsesses over home renovation while ignoring her crumbling marriage.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Gigi commits to Alex's philosophy, actively choosing to change how she interprets men's behavior. She decides to stop making excuses for guys and to recognize disinterest for what it is, embracing brutal honesty over comfortable delusion.
Mirror World
Gigi and Alex's mentorship deepens into genuine friendship as they spend more time together. Alex represents the thematic counterpoint: someone who embodies honest communication. Their connection offers what's missing in all the other dysfunctional relationships.
Premise
The ensemble stories interweave as everyone navigates romantic confusion: Gigi practices Alex's rules while developing feelings for him; Anna and Ben begin an affair; Janine discovers cigarettes suggesting Ben's cheating; Neil and Beth reach an impasse over marriage; Mary gets mixed signals online.
Midpoint
Gigi misreads Alex's kindness as romantic interest and kisses him. He rejects her, saying she's the "rule, not the exception." This false defeat shatters her progress and reveals that even with all her new knowledge, she repeated her old pattern with Alex himself.
Opposition
All relationships collapse: Ben's affair with Anna escalates; Janine confronts Ben about smoking but he lies about the affair; Beth breaks up with Neil after her father's heart attack reveals what commitment means; Anna realizes Ben will never leave Janine; Gigi spirals in embarrassment.
Collapse
Janine discovers the truth about Ben's affair with Anna through a voicemail. Her marriage is over. Meanwhile, all the characters hit rock bottom: Anna is alone, Gigi has lost Alex, Beth is single after seven years, and the promise of love seems like a collective delusion.
Crisis
The characters process their losses. Janine destroys the bathroom renovation with a baseball bat in cathartic rage. Gigi wallows in humiliation. Beth cares for her father alone. Each woman confronts the pain of having invested in men who weren't invested in them.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Alex realizes he's fallen for Gigi and that she actually is his exception. The theme inverts: sometimes when a guy acts interested, he genuinely is interested. Alex chooses to pursue Gigi, breaking his own cynical rules about relationships.
Synthesis
Resolutions unfold: Alex shows up at Gigi's door confessing his feelings; Neil proposes to Beth after realizing commitment matters; Janine finds peace post-divorce; Ben ends up alone as he deserves; Anna moves on; Mary finds connection. Each character gets the ending they've earned through their choices.
Transformation
Gigi delivers closing narration: girls are not the exception, they are the rule—but sometimes, the rule changes. She and Alex are together, embodying healthy communication. The film ends with Gigi transformed from a woman who misread every signal to one who found genuine love by being honest.