Halley is convinced true love doesn't exist based on the crazy relationships around her. Her mother is divorcing her father who is dating a younger woman Halley can't stand. Her crazed sister is planning a wedding but has second thoughts and her best friend has fallen madly in love for the first time leaving Halley to feel even more alone.
A bad, unimaginative story posing pretentiously as the very opposite.
– Desson Thomson,
Washington Post,
18 Jul 2003
fresh:
After a while the bad lighting, graceless editing, sluggish dialogue and self-conscious performances begin to seem like marks of authenticity, as if the movie had been made not just for and about teenagers, but by them.
– A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
19 Jul 2003
fresh:
Painless to watch, but it's marred by some significant flaws.
– Stephanie Zacharek,
Salon.com,
19 Jul 2003
fresh:
I've seen a lot of dumb teen romances in the last couple years, but How to Deal, is a welcome exception.
– Richard Roeper,
Ebert & Roeper,
21 Jul 2003
rotten:
The pop diva goes down with the bubbles in this hopelessly shallow soap opera.