The film is sweet but don’t hope for a happy ending.
There is nothing subtle about How to be Single. At the start, one sees a character moving to the New York City as Taylor Swift’s ‘Welcome To New York’ plays in the background. This means that the lyrics of the closing song ‘No, I don’t need anybody else’ would tell the viewer a lot about the ending of the movie.
The main characters of How To Be Single do not couple up towards the end which makes this movie different. Alice, played by Dakota Johnson, is the main character of the movie.
She has a boyfriend, but she thinks that she needs some time away from him, so she comes to NYC in order to get some experience at adult life. She becomes friends with another character, Robin (played by Rebel Wilson). Robin, a hedonist, encourages Alice hook up with someone.
She establishes a booty-call friendship with Anders Holm’s character and starts dating a single dad played by Damon Wayans Jr. Later, she moves into her own place and nearly has a fling with the ex boyfriend. At the end of the day, Alice is unable to settle down with any guy.
Meanwhile, her friendship with Robin is strengthened. She comes to realize that it is more important to cherish her female friendships and enjoy her life when she is on her own.
Dana Fox, the screenwriter of How To Be Single says that she wanted to send a message to all the girls that it is okay to consider friends as family. They don’t need anyone else for completing them like the society tells them.
Romantic comedies that feature a lone woman towards the end, usually offer a sweet touch as well. Remember ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’? In the end, Julia Roberts, after unsuccessfully trying to break up Dermot Mulroney’s marriage, is seen dancing with her best friend who is gay.
In a How to Be Single review, Dana Fox agrees that the film hovers somewhere around fantasy and reality. The objective was to create a film that is easy on the viewer yet allows them to see through the comfort-film facade. A happy-ending film allows you to feel good at the end, but it takes the pinch out of the theatre.
