How to Be Single (2016) Movie Review: A Funny and Honest Look at Being Alone

How to Be Single (2016) is a romantic comedy that takes a slightly different approach to the usual relationship movie. Instead of focusing entirely on finding the perfect partner, the film explores what happens when people are forced to figure out who they are when they're not in a relationship.

Directed by Christian Ditter, the movie follows several characters living in New York City as they deal with dating, breakups, loneliness, friendship, and the complicated process of learning how to enjoy their own company.

At its heart, How to Be Single isn't really about being alone.

It's about learning that being single can be its own stage of life rather than something that needs to be fixed.

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.

The Story

The story mainly follows Alice, played by Dakota Johnson.

Alice has been in a long-term relationship with her college boyfriend, Josh. Wanting to experience life on her own, Alice decides to take a break from their relationship and move to New York City.

She gets a job as a paralegal and begins living with her older sister Meg.

At first, Alice believes being single will be exciting.

But she quickly discovers that it isn't as simple as she imagined.

New York introduces her to a completely different world of dating and relationships, and she starts learning how different people approach being single.

One of the people she meets is Robin, played by Rebel Wilson.

Robin is confident, outgoing, and completely comfortable with the single lifestyle.

Unlike Alice, Robin doesn't spend her time worrying about finding a serious relationship.

She enjoys going out, meeting people, and living in the moment.

Robin becomes one of the biggest influences on Alice as she tries to understand what being single actually means.

Alice and Josh

Alice's relationship with Josh remains one of the central emotional conflicts of the movie.

Although Alice wanted a break, she never completely stopped thinking about him.

As she experiences life without Josh, she begins to question whether leaving him was the right decision.

This creates an important conflict.

Does Alice actually want to be single?

Or does she simply miss the comfort of being in a relationship?

The movie doesn't treat the question as something with an easy answer.

Alice has to discover whether she genuinely wants Josh back or whether she is simply afraid of being alone.

Robin's Approach to Being Single

Robin represents almost the complete opposite of Alice.

She has no problem being single.

She treats dating as something fun rather than something that needs to lead to marriage or a serious relationship.

Her confidence gives Alice a completely different perspective.

However, the movie also shows that Robin's lifestyle isn't necessarily the perfect answer either.

Being independent doesn't mean never wanting emotional connection.

Robin may appear to have everything figured out, but she also has moments where her confidence doesn't completely hide her vulnerability.

That's an important part of the film.

There isn't one correct way to be single.

Lucy and the Search for Love

Another storyline follows Lucy, who uses dating websites and technology to find a romantic partner.

Unlike Robin, Lucy desperately wants a relationship.

She creates different online dating profiles and tries to find someone who matches her idea of the perfect partner.

Her obsession with finding love creates some of the film's funniest situations.

But underneath the comedy is another important idea.

Lucy is so focused on finding the right person that she struggles to simply enjoy her life as it is.

The movie uses her story to show the opposite extreme from Robin.

Robin is comfortable being single.

Lucy is uncomfortable with it.

Alice is somewhere in the middle.

Meg's Story

Alice's sister Meg provides another perspective.

Meg is a successful doctor who seems to have her life completely under control.

However, she has deliberately chosen not to have children.

Eventually, her feelings about motherhood begin to change.

Her storyline adds another layer to the movie because it shows that being independent doesn't mean that your desires stay the same forever.

People can change their minds.

They can discover new things about themselves.

And they don't necessarily have to follow the path everyone expects them to follow.

The New York Setting

New York City is almost another character in the movie.

The city gives the characters endless opportunities to meet people, go out, make mistakes, and experience new things.

The nightlife and crowded streets also reinforce the movie's central idea.

You can be surrounded by thousands of people and still feel completely alone.

At the same time, being alone in a huge city can also feel incredibly freeing.

That contrast is important to the movie.

Being single isn't automatically lonely.

And being in a relationship doesn't automatically mean you're happy.

The Comedy

The film uses several different types of humor.

Robin provides much of the outrageous comedy through her personality and approach to dating.

Alice's awkwardness creates another source of humor, particularly as she tries to understand the rules of the single world.

Lucy provides comedy through her attempts to find the perfect relationship online.

The movie also uses awkward dates, misunderstandings, nightlife, and exaggerated situations to keep the tone light.

Some jokes are predictable, and the film occasionally falls into familiar romantic-comedy territory.

But the ensemble keeps the movie moving.

What Works Best

The biggest strength of How to Be Single is its central message.

The movie doesn't suggest that everyone needs to find a partner to have a happy life.

Instead, it argues that people should learn how to be comfortable with themselves.

The characters represent different approaches to relationships.

Alice is unsure.

Robin is independent.

Lucy is desperate for romance.

Meg is focused on her career before reconsidering what she wants.

Their stories give the movie a broader perspective than a typical romantic comedy.

Another strength is the friendship between Alice and Robin.

Their personalities are completely different, but they help each other understand themselves better.

What Doesn't Work as Well

The movie isn't particularly unpredictable.

Some of its romantic storylines follow familiar comedy and romance formulas.

Certain characters are also more developed than others, meaning some storylines feel more emotionally satisfying than the rest.

The film can also shift between comedy and emotional drama fairly quickly.

Still, these weaknesses don't completely take away from the experience.

The movie is primarily designed as an entertaining romantic comedy with a positive message, and it succeeds at that goal.

What Is the Movie Really About?

Despite the title, How to Be Single isn't actually giving viewers a literal guide to being single.

Instead, it asks a bigger question:

Can you be happy without depending on another person to make you feel complete?

Alice spends much of the movie trying to answer that question.

She eventually realizes that being in a relationship and being single are not simply two categories of people.

Both can be meaningful.

Both can be difficult.

And both can teach you something about yourself.

The most important relationship you have is ultimately the one you have with yourself.

Final Thoughts

How to Be Single is a light and entertaining romantic comedy that explores dating and independence from several different perspectives.

It isn't a perfect movie, and some of its jokes and storylines follow familiar formulas.

But its central message gives it more substance than a typical romantic comedy.

Being single isn't necessarily a problem that needs to be solved.

Sometimes it's a chance to discover what you actually want.

Alice begins the movie believing that she needs to figure out how to live without Josh.

By the end, she understands something more important.

She needs to figure out who she is when nobody else is defining her life for her.

Final Verdict – How to Be Single is a fun, relatable, and occasionally heartfelt romantic comedy that reminds us that happiness doesn't always come from finding someone else. Sometimes, it starts with learning how to enjoy your own life.

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