Watchdog groups are willing to blame violent children on media like movies and video games, but shouldn’t that mean that male infidelity should receive similar consideration? How many films feature men cheating on their wives? The number is probably too many to count, but in most cases it’s the man’s lack of self-control that gets him in trouble. So when a film comes along where a woman baits her boyfriend into cheating to ascertain the depths of his fidelity, how can audiences not be just a little bit put off? It’s one thing to have temptations and resist them, that’s just daily life. But in He’s Mine, Not Yours, a woman hires another to seduce her man – only to have it backfire. Even if the man’s faithful, who is he being faithful to? A woman that trusted him so little that she wanted him to fail. What do take away from a film like that?
There’s an ongoing debate in the study of human development about nature versus nurture. Some traits are believed to be inherited genetically by one portion of the community, while another portion believes they’re learned. In the case of fidelity, there’s little doubt that it’s a case of nurture, a quality that one either learns from those around them or they don’t. So when the culture that a person lives in doesn’t mandate trust in one’s partner and in fact even encourages skepticism of their devotion, it can be argued that they’re then behaviorally conditioned towards infidelity. After all, it’s not only expected but seems to be par for the course. With that said, what does Brooke (Gabrielle Dennis) really expect to happen when she hires a woman (Caryn Ward) to test her would-be suitor, Kent (Jason Weaver), by attempting to coax him into compromising situations? She expects to be proven right.
Really, though, isn’t that a case of a self-fulfilling prophecy? At which point, if Kent should then decide to pursue the woman his girlfriend set upon him, who’s to blame? This isn’t an argument to excuse the average man who can’t keep his penis in his pants around any woman that comes his way, but against women who can’t accept a good thing when they find it. Unfortunately, it’s a lesson that’s told by an inept cast who give performances even a soap opera director would edit out. It’s a film of mixed messages and lousy acting and direction, and nothing to redeem it.
DVD Bonus Features
If you really want more of this film once you’ve finished, outtakes and a behind-the-scenes piece can be found in the extras along with a photo gallery.
"He's Mine, Not Yours" is on sale December 6, 2011 and is not rated. Drama. Directed by Roger Melvin. Starring Gabrielle Dennis, Jason Weaver.
