HOW TO BE SINGLE (2016)

Christian Ditter directed from a screenplay by Dana Fox, Abby Kohn and Mark Silverstein based on the novel of the same name by Liz Tuccillo. Though this film has characters that show a real questionable sense of morality, I feel it is probably very much in tune with the morality of our society in general today among most young people (and not so young) that as long as you don’t hurt anyone it’s OK. What I liked about the picture is the turn it takes midway through in recognizing the utter emptiness of a lifestyle lived only for one’s self and the immediate pleasures of complete amoral living. Crude and somewhat sexually explicit, this is not a film for children, though I suspect many teenagers out there will see much to relate to in a lifestyle that was made more and more acceptable starting during the turbulent era of the 1960s. Very well cast with Dakota Johnson (showing a certain depth beyond FIFTY SHADES OF GREY), Rebel Wilson (basically playing the same role she plays in everything), Alison Brie, Leslie Mann, Nicholas Braun, Jason Mantzoukas, Damon Wayans Jr., and Jake Lacey (always a pleasure to see). Yes, this picture is cliché ridden, a bit sophomoric in spots, been done before, but it shows a take on today’s single scene that is still a bit refreshing and fun for most of the film. Though hardly a great film, I nevertheless still enjoyed much of it while disliking many of the choices made by the characters on screen. If anything it teaches what not to do in life if your goal is to remain relatively happy, serene and content.