''He's Just Not That Into You'' is a

self-improvement Self-help or self-improvement is a self-guided improvement''APA Dictionary of Physicology'', 1st ed., Gary R. VandenBos, ed., Washington: American Psychological Association, 2007.—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a subst ...

book written by

Greg Behrendt Gregory Behrendt (born July 21, 1963) is an American comedian and author. His work as a script consultant to the HBO sitcom ''Sex and the City'' paved the way for co-authoring of the ''New York Times'' bestseller '' He's Just Not That Into You' ...

and

Liz Tuccillo Liz Tuccillo is an American writer and producer best known for her work on the HBO comedy series ''Sex and the City'' and for co-authoring (with Greg Behrendt) the self-help book '' He's Just Not That Into You'', for which they won a Quill Award ...

that was published in 2004 and later adapted into a film by the same name in 2009. It was a

New York Times bestseller ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

and was featured on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

''.

Background

The book was inspired by an episode of ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City (newspaper column), newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the ...

,'' "Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little", in which

Miranda Hobbes Miranda Hobbes is a fictional character on the American HBO television series ''Sex and the City'', its subsequent film spinoffs, and HBO Max revival '' And Just Like That...''. She is played by actress Cynthia Nixon. Nixon received an Emmy Aw ...

asks

Carrie Bradshaw Caroline Marie "Carrie" Bradshaw is a fictional character from the HBO franchise ''Sex and the City'', portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker. Candace Bushnell created Carrie as a semi-autobiographical character for her column "Sex and the City" in ...

's boyfriend, Jack Berger, to analyze the post-date behavior of a potential love interest. Because the man declined Miranda's invitation to come up to her apartment after the date, stating that he has an early meeting, Berger concludes, "He's just not that into you", adding, "When a guy's really into you, he's coming upstairs, meeting or no meeting." The book authors,

and

, were writers on the show.

Synopsis

The book is a "self-help" guide aimed for single women. The premise of the book, as stated in the title, tells women readers that if a man in whom you are interested is not making the effort to pursue you, he is simply "just not that into you."

Film

A film based on the book was released by

New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...

on February 6, 2009. Produced by

Flower Films Flower Films is an American production company owned by Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen. Filmography Film * ''Never Been Kissed'' (1999) * '' Charlie's Angels'' (2000) * ''Donnie Darko'' (2001) * '' Duplex'' (2003) * '' Charlie's Angels: Fu ...

(Drew Barrymore's production company), filming was completed at the end of 2007. The film was released in theaters February 6, 2009.

Ken Kwapis Kenneth William Kwapis (born August 17, 1957) is an American film and television director, screenwriter, and author. He specialized in the single-camera sitcom in the 1990s and 2000s and has directed feature films such as '' Sesame Street Presen ...

directed the film, which featured an all-star cast including

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, director, producer, talk show host and author. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a ...

, Kevin Connolly,

Jennifer Connelly Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress. She began her career as a child model before making her acting debut in the 1984 crime film ''Once Upon a Time in America''. After having worked as a model for several year ...

Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and two Grammy Awards, in addition to nominations for nine Academy Awards, si ...

Ginnifer Goodwin Jennifer Michelle "Ginnifer" Goodwin (born May 22, 1978) is an American actress. She is known for her starring role as Margene Heffman in the HBO drama series ''Big Love'' (2006–2011) and Snow White / Mary Margaret Blanchard in the ABC fanta ...

Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has featured multiple times on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 list. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 ...

, and

Justin Long Justin Jacob Long (born June 2, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. Long is known for his film roles, notably appearing in '' Jeepers Creepers'' (2001), ''Dodgeball'' (2004), ''Accepted'' (2006), ''Idiocracy'' (20 ...

. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, it was a box office success, grossing over $180 million worldwide.

In popular culture

The book appears in ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagshi ...

'' episode "Pulp Friction", when

Lorelai Gilmore Lorelai Victoria Gilmore is a fictional character in The WB dramedy television series ''Gilmore Girls''. Portrayed by actress Lauren Graham, she appeared in every episode of the show from the pilot in 2000 to the series finale in 2007. Lorelai is ...

prepares the Dragon Fly Inn's library for her interview and states that all of the good books are gone, leaving her with five copies of ''He's Just Not That Into You'', which she hands an employee to dispose of. The book was also referenced in the movie ''

Zombieland ''Zombieland'' is a 2009 American post-apocalyptic zombie comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer in his theatrical debut and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The film follows a geeky college student ( Jesse Eisenberg) making his wa ...

'', in season two of ''

Californication Californication may refer to: *Californication (word), an expression that refers to the influx of Californians into various western states in the U.S. * ''Californication'' (album), a 1999 album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers ** "Californication" (son ...

'' and in the series ''

Vexed ''Vexed'' is a British comedy-drama, police procedural television series for BBC Two that aired in 2010 and 2012. Created and written by Howard Overman, the first series starred Lucy Punch as D.I. Kate Bishop and Toby Stephens as D.I. Jack ...

''. VH1 discussed the book in their "I Love 2004" episode of their ''

I Love the New Millennium ''I Love the New Millennium'' is a mini-series and the tenth installment of the '' I Love the...'' series focusing on the 2000s and premiered on VH1 Monday, June 23, 2008. Each night, from Monday to Thursday, two of the eight episodes premiered, ...

'' special. The book is also mentioned by the main character of the novel ''Perfect on Paper'' by Sophie Gonzales.

References

Self-help books 2004 non-fiction books Non-fiction books adapted into films {{self-book-stub