He's Just Not That Into You

Ever since taking Masculinity, I've been consciously watching movies to pay attention to gender roles (which means I'm often watching silly drama movies). Tonight I watched He's Just Not That Into You. It started out being a movie about how women do certain things and men do certain things. Gigi was too needy and attached to guys she went on dates with (or met at the bar). Beth breaks up with Neil because he doesn't believe in marriage. Gigi meets Alex, who explains the way men work. Gigi throws herself at him- saying he gave her all the signs that they were in a relationship.
Towards the end of the movie, all of the characters confronted one another about what they wanted. Suddenly, the movie was about consent (not just sexually, but in terms of where the relationship was going). Beth tells Neil that he doesn't have to marry her, he just has to be committed. Alex tells Gigi he wants to date her, and she begins to tell him off. She's being firm with him, and then Alex kisses her. And then they're dating. And Neil proposes to Beth. The movie would have been great if it had ended ten minutes earlier, instead of being a happily-ever-after movie, where people communicate and then change their minds and assume they know what their partner really wants.