The past three years, my (single) friends and I have ventured to the movie theater each Feb. 14 (otherwise known as Valentine’s Day). Freshman year, it was “Endless Love.” Last year, “Fifty Shades of Grey.” This year was no different. Keeping with the tradition, we hauled our brunch-filled selves to the Galway Theatres for a 6:45 showing of “How To Be Single.”
Technically, we didn’t actually need the advice of this film, as we were already single to begin with and were apparently doing it quite flawlessly. Personally, I was drawn to this film mostly because I saw that Rebel Wilson was in it, and I reminisced about her role as Fat Amy, a role that had me doubled over in laughter. It also didn’t hurt that we had purchased cute miniature Chardonnay bottles to accompany our movie popcorn and M&Ms.
In the end, I enjoyed the movie for many reasons. One of them was the humor. I was not disappointed with Rebel as unapologetic and raunchy Robin, who shows newly single Alice (aka Anastasia in "Fifty Shades of Grey") the ropes in New York City by teaching her to be independent, yet fun and flirty. She has mastered the art of partying till the break of dawn, combating hangovers, and arriving to work just in time for her lunch break! I only wish I could handle single-dom with such elegance and grace.
But this movie is more than just a bold, loud, fearless party girl and a shy, heartbroken newly single girl navigating life together. It’s more than two people fulfilling the roles we expect them of them and having fun adventures that might get them into trouble at some point. In the end, our fears are ultimately eclipsed because they both end up happy and in love.
Robin, for one, is one of those characters you think doesn’t really care about anything besides alcohol and men; you think she thrives off blacked-out nights and fuzzy encounters with boys she finds at the bar and is completely content with this lifestyle. You think you can take advantage of this kind of character’s friendship because she doesn’t care if you do.
It turns out, there’s a layer of caring under the leopard-print clothing and glittery eye shadow. While we spend much of the movie thinking Alice is the level-headed, sane one, innocently trying to find love and serving as a less tame sidekick, it is actually Robin who knocks some sense into her at the end. She’s the party girl who has feelings and gets hurt and communicates to Alice the true meaning of what friends do for each other.
You also have to admire Robin’s honesty and work ethic — despite her announcement that she’s “super rich” and, in fact, doesn’t need to work at all, she continues to work at the law firm simply for the sake of her friendship with Alice. Their relationship is important to her and she is willing to withstand hour after hour at a stuffy office to be around her best friend.
On another note, how amazing is the relationship between Meg and Ken? It’s the most awkward, uncomfortable, bizarre pairing and their conversations are cringe-worthy, but in the best way possible, and it’s amazing and perfect to watch. The guy dreams of being a stay-at-home dad for his girlfriend’s baby, who was fathered by another man for goodness sake. It’s also interesting to note how, though he appears to be the lighthearted, goofball of a guy most of the film, his love for Meg is fierce and dedicated and he makes it clear during that one bump in their relationship that he’s not walking away.
A happy ending is always nice to see, and this is no different, yet it’s in a different way than the viewers expects. The only surviving romantic relationship, besides Meg and Ken, is Lucy and George, and it comes at the expense of Tom’s heart as he watches the woman he realizes that he loves marry someone else. However, despite the lack of romantic relationships, there is a plethora of happiness nonetheless — Alice and Robin as they reunite as best friends, David and his daughter in sharing memories of his widow and her mother, Tom as he grows up and adjusts his bachelor lifestyle.
I found this movie to ultimately be more than finding love and perfect endings — it’s about friendship and honesty and being vulnerable, only to sometimes be met with heartbreak. I found it real and hilarious — and, though I wouldn’t mind having a Tom or Ken in my life, being single has never looked so fun.
