In 2009’s He's Just Not That Into You, a romantic ensemble built on a bestselling advice book somehow wound up being about emotionally stunted men, red flag relationships, and one very confused Scarlett Johansson.

Truman and Landen dig through the all-star cast and pop feminism of this late-2000s relic to find out how a dating guide turned into two hours of mixed messages and bare-minimum boyfriends.

A glossy rom-com about mixed signals and missed connections, He's Just Not That Into You follows a group of Baltimore singles stumbling through love and heartbreak, loosely inspired by the self-help book of the same name. Directed by Ken Kwapis and starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Ginnifer Goodwin, and a pre-Marvel Scarlett Johansson, the film was a Warner Bros. release during the late-2000s boom of ensemble romances. It made money, got lukewarm reviews, and quietly slipped into cable rerun oblivion—despite a cast list that reads like People Magazine’s Class of 2009.

What You’ll Hear:

• – The film’s confusing tonal mix of self-help cynicism and soft-focus sentiment
• – How Hollywood was trying (and failing) to bottle up modern dating anxiety
• – The bare-minimum bar for male behavior in late-aughts romantic comedies
• – A heated dissection of Justin Long’s hangout lair
• – Who this movie thought it was helping — and why it probably wasn’t

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Tags: He’s Just Not That Into You, 2009, Ken Kwapis, Aniston, Affleck, Barrymore, Goodwin, Johansson, romantic comedy, ensemble film, dating movies, 2000s rom-coms

The Machine served up The Road to Wellville, and now it’s time to cleanse the palate.

– Five films that turn food into ritual, punishment, or power – A Bolognese orgy, a cult in Pasadena, and one very worried draftsman – The Decameron defense: “It’s not all butts” – When Joaquin Phoenix becomes a human vessel (again)

Want more weird cinema and Machine-fueled chaos? Follow us here: – Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod – Season watchlist on Letterboxd: https://www.moviememorymachine.com

Tags: The Road to Wellville, La Grande Bouffe, The Decameron, Amarcord, The Master, The Draughtsman’s Contract, Food in Film, Decadence, Art Cinema

Enemas, cornflakes, and the unholy gospel of wellness. This Mini-Transmission digs through the baffling remains of The Road to Wellville (1994) — a film that dares to ask what happens when you make Anthony Hopkins do that with his voice.

What You’ll Hear:

• The perils of turning cereal into cinema

• Roy Brocksmith: The Greatest Character Actor?

• The Trailer Game: predicting which bowel moments made the cut

• The Next Movie Reveal — including a spicy clue from the Machine

Support on Patreon: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod

Season watchlist on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/moviememorypod/

Tags: The Road to Wellville, Anthony Hopkins, 1990s Comedy, Wellness Satire