Normally for this newspaper, I tend to focus on movies that have recently come out in order to keep up with the zeitgeist. However, for this article, I am changing my usual routine up and talking about a film that came out eight years ago. Why is that? Well, this film is probably my favorite romantic comedy, so I want to take the chance to talk about it extensively in this publication before I graduate. “How to Be Single” is fun, flirty and highly underrated. It falls into the category of rom-coms that center around groups of people as opposed to one couple, like “Love Actually,” “Valentines Day,” “New Year’s Eve” and “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” It could also be in the category of raunchy rom-coms, like “Wedding Crashers,” “Knocked Up,” and “Trainwreck.” In this movie, the audience is following multiple single people living in New York City, cherishing the precious moments of their youth. There are some highs, some lows and a lot of sexy times. “How to Be Single” has been a comfort film for me for a while and I have probably watched it hundreds of times by this point (with hundreds of more watches likely coming in my future). It may not be the most well-crafted rom-com, but it makes me happy and that’s enough. Hopefully after reading my ode to this 2016 picture, which is available on Netflix, you will watch it and add some joy to your own life.

The movie centers around Alice (Dakota Johnson), who has been with her boyfriend Josh (Nicholas Braun) since the beginning of college and the two seem happy together. Nevertheless, now that she has graduated, she does not want to be held back by her relationship, so she decides to go on a break from Josh so she can figure out who she really is and what she really wants. One of the first things she does is start a new job as paralegal, where she meets her coworker Robin (Rebel Wilson). Robin is single and proud of that fact, going out to party every night and sleeping with strangers. She decides to take Alice under her wing so that she will be able to have the full single experience. Along the way, she meets hot bartender Tom (Anders Holm), a typical bachelor who also has his own perspective on the ideal single experience. Another customer at Tom’s bar is Lucy (Alison Brie), a perpetually single woman who is scrutinizing every dating app in order to meet her dream man. Although, perhaps she should let the right man find her. In addition, another character that the viewers follow is Alice’s sister and roommate Meg (Leslie Mann), an OB-GYN who has always felt she is too busy and too independent to find a partner. That independence may change, though, when a baby comes into the picture along with Alice’s cute coworker Ken (Jake Lacy). Through Alice and everyone else’s discoveries, and everyone else’s journey, people can finally find out how to be single.

Many people like to say Johnson has poor acting abilities and that she is just another nepo-baby. I choose to believe that the people who say that have not seen her in this project. It may not be the most difficult part, but it requires her to use her comedic and emotional talents. One minute she is trying to awkwardly flirt with a group of guys at a bar, making viewers laugh, and then soon after she is sad about being alone, which will make those same viewers want to lend her a shoulder to cry on. She is a terrific leading lady that has chemistry with everyone and I hope she will do more movies like this one. Another standout is Wilson, who nails being the comedic sidekick. Every line out of her mouth is something sharp and usually raunchy, whether it be about sex lives or about the holiday season. Some people may think it is easy to put some dirty comedic lines in a script and call it a day, but it is Wilson’s delivery that sells every word. She has done many parts like this one, so it should be no surprise that she plays the part of Robin well. Additionally, I feel that Brie was one of my favorite actresses in this film. Her comedy may be a bit more subtle compared to Wilson’s, but it packs a punch. Lucy has a lot of cringy moments as she expresses her desperation for a partner or her stress from online dating, and Brie makes all of those moments work in the best way. Her character is meant to portray what the rest of single women are thinking, but louder, more expressive, and involves a breakdown in front of small children. I would love to see Brie do another character like Lucy, because she was quite entertaining in this role. I also have to shout out Holm as Tom. He played the effortless coolness of the character so well, which made his journey so interesting. As he went through a path of self-reflection, I kept getting even more invested in him. Overall, all of the characters were quite enjoyable and I believe that all of them would have the power to carry a film on their own.

While I do love “How to Be Single” a lot, I am willing to admit that the writing could use some work. For instance, there are a few plot holes in the story in relation to how certain characters know each other and how much time passes between certain events. Therefore, it is probably best to not think too hard about the movie. If you are able to treat the film like a silly rom-com and just watch it, you will have a good time. Now, I actually think most of the story is quite creative, in terms of the exploration of single life and party culture. In addition, in a feature that was less than two hours, the script fleshed out so many rich and exciting characters that the audience cares about, which is impressive. Also, I want to highlight the editing, as that is part of the reason why some of the plot holes can be ignored. The editing is quite tight, with every scene feeling like it has a purpose. It can also be difficult to edit a film with so many storylines, but “How to Be Single” succeeds. There is definitely a clear focus on Alice’s story, so a lot of the main scenes focus on her, but the audience can also see a fair amount of everyone else’s journey. Alice’s single life is paired well with the large thrills of Robin, the frantic stress of Lucy, the nervousness of Meg, the curious self-reflection of Tom and other small tidbits of other tales. Every moment is important to the general plotline and while there could be some more explanations for various scenes, the whole movie is still really watchable as a cute yet unique rom-com.

Something positive to note about “How to Be Single” is that it knows exactly what it is. By that I mean that the writing absolutely matches the visuals and sounds that have been put into a movie. This story is about the excitement of being a free twenty-something living in a big city and the look of the film makes that idea clear. With the many shots of New York City, the big party and steamy sex scenes, there is a lot of excitement to be found. There are many bright colors used in several shots, even when the scene is supposed to be at night. In fact, I would say that the overall vibe is brightness, which is likely meant to represent all of the energy that is meant to come from a person’s single life. I appreciate this choice because it shows that this feature wants people to have fun, which I certainly did. Perhaps there were some sadder moments that did not need so much brightness, but I feel that the general message in the perspective worked for the silly rom-com style. In addition, I think the pop soundtrack worked really well. Most of the songs were bouncy and energetic, like “Love Myself” by Hailee Steinfeld, “Welcome to New York” by Taylor Swift, “Worth It” by Fifth Harmony and more. It almost helps put the audience into the action and the parties with the music. Considering this movie came out in 2016, these were the trending tracks of the time, meaning the film knew how to create a sound for a younger audience. “How to be Single” captured the spark of young people in every possible way, which is why this film makes me smile all the way through.

Often on screen, there is an emphasis on trying to find that special person and that no one is complete until they have their one true love. Probably my favorite thing about “How to Be Single” is that it does not try to preach that message. The significance of this film is that it puts the experience of being single in a positive light, showing that it absolutely can be a desirable option. To this day, people are still trying to make relationships the be-all and end-all, so imagine what it was like eight years ago. It may not have changed the course of rom-coms, but it showed a new direction that they could go in: one that offers an alternative ending to happily ever after. Alice is able to find herself in single life and try things she might not have before. Anything can be possible as a single woman. On that note, I like that “How to Be Single” is able to have this message while still being a romantic comedy. There are many elements of romance and it is a dominating theme, but it is not a requirement for every character’s life. It’s nice when a romantic comedy can have realism. So, one of the reasons that I wanted to talk about this film now is that I feel like it really flew under the radar when it first came out. Perhaps it was not seen as prestigious enough or there were too many other high-profile features at the time. It could have also been people not wanting to see Dakota Johnson in again after “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Whatever the reason may be, I want more people to see this movie because I truly feel like it has everything you could want in entertainment. So if you want to see a romantic comedy that subverts the genre, a bunch of hot young people go through all of the trials and tribulations of dating, or just some fun humor, watch “How to Be Single” today.