Film Review: Shapeless ‘How to Be Single’ is Dreadfully Unfunny

Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 13, 2016 - 2:07pm

CHICAGO – Rebel Wilson’s raunchy and vulgar schtick is now way past its freshness date, but she’s the only one able to elicit any chuckles in this otherwise woebegone women-behaving-badly, anti-romantic comedy, “How to Be Single.”

Rating: 1.5/5.0

While it’s somewhat refreshing to see women get the focus, it would be a lot better if it didn’t portray all of them as sex crazed drug addicted raging alcoholics. This movie desperately wants to be female-centered girlfriend comedy in the “Judd Apatow” mold but has neither the heart nor the comedic touch to pull it off.

Dakota Johnson is a shy, mousy and cat-loving recent college graduate who breaks up with her longtime boyfriend because she has to learn how to be single in New York City. Her sister, the usually reliable Leslie Mann, is a doctor who spends all day delivering babies but actually hates them until arbitrarily she doesn’t. Alison Brie plays the stereotypical woman looking for a perfect husband, obsessed with finding algorithms that will lead her to true love. And Rebel Wilson is the world’s worst receptionist at the law firm where Johnson is working as a legal aide.

”How to Be Single” is in theaters everywhere. Featuring Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Alison Brie, Damon Wayans Jr., Anders Holm, Colin Jost and Jake Lacy. Written by Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein and Dana Fox. Directed by Christian Ditter. Rated R”