In Hollywood, the time-span of a relationship is often shorter than the amount of time it takes to get a reservation at Nobu.  A celebrity couple appears to have hit the love jackpot and swears nothing will ever tear them apart.  Until an ex re-enters the picture, a sex tape is released, or as the saying goes, ‘we were just better off being good friends.’  So for those celebrity relationships that do manage to stand the test of time, what do they know that others don’t, and why aren’t more celebrity couples lining up ready to take their advice?

Dating is tough these days.  Sometimes getting just one date is not easy, not to mention the sparks that must occur for both parties to want to go on a second or third date.  So by the time a couple (celebrity or not) has gone on more than a few dates, friends, family and even the tabloids are ready to declare a match made in heaven.  In all reality though, it’s ridiculous to put any amount of pressure on the early stages of dating, because it’s just that: dating!  It’s a time to test the waters, see if you click, and discover the potential of a possible long-term commitment.

But that in itself is where the problem lies.  To this day, friends of mine that live outside of Los Angeles always ask me why I think Brad and Jennifer broke up.  If I knew the exact reason, I’d be the hottest interviewee in town.  Blame it on Angelina all you want, but usually the only two parties that know are the ones involved.  However, as much as I wanted Brad and Jen to find eternal happiness, the signs of a split were there way before their break-up was ever announced, and it’s usually the same culprit that affects other celebrity couples.

Brad and Jen gave a lot of interviews when they were married, and the theme that resonated the most was that they did not know what the future held and were going to give it their best shot.  Cryptically, Aniston once said that she didn’t know if you were supposed to be together with one person your entire life.

Although divorce in some circumstances can be necessary, if a couple is taking a ‘we’ll just see how it goes’ approach, you can be almost assured that they won’t see a marriage through till death do they part.  In Hollywood especially, rarely is anything ever constant.  TV shows come and go; trends fade, and celebrity divorce attorneys outnumber aspiring actors.  Celebrities are used to change and bolting when the going gets tough.  Not to mention their need for the spotlight (one suggestion: just move out of LA!), which can turn into a storm bigger than Hurricane Ike. They also aren’t used to dealing with conflict and compromising (after all, that’s what agents, managers and personal assistants are for).  And in a world where anything you want is a phone call (or shout out to your assistant) away, the next best and biggest thing (for now) is not too far off either.

Would Brad and Jen have lasted if they were likely to say things like, ‘Marriage is not easy, but we love each other and took a vow through good times and bad?”  It’s too late to tell now, but when Sarah Jessica Parker appeared on Barbara Walters and promised her that she’d be married to the same man in ten years, you believed her.  It’s about commitment, it’s about compromise, and it’s about working on yourself to make you the best person you can be.  When celebrities leave it up to other people or circumstances to navigate their life and tell them what to do, you have a recipe for disaster.  It’s the ones that listen to themselves and commit to commitment that will find themselves alongside the Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s of the world.

When Jack Berger informed Miranda Hobbes that maybe her date just wasn’t that into her on “Sex and the City,” somewhere a Hollywood movie studio went ‘ka-ching!’  Who knew that a simple statement could turn into a book (and a “New York Times” best-seller at that), a must-watch episode of “Oprah,” and most recently, a movie featuring Hollywood’s elite.  It’s the classic Hollywood story (no, not boy meets girl), but that of Los Angeles TV and Film execs milking whatever they can out of an idea that went sour years ago.

Don’t worry; I’m not going to be one of those chicks that swears off seeing “He’s Just Not That Into You” because I’m above it all and don’t need a movie to tell me what I already know.  Quite contrary.  I can’t wait to see the movie and find out if it 1) lives up to the hype, and 2) how truthful it really is.

As Celebuzz’s Celebrity Relationship Expert, I love this kind of stuff.  I love figuring out what makes a relationship work and understanding why some relationships don’t.  Whether you are Jennifer Aniston or Molly McLovely from Anywhere, USA, we all crave to understand relationships a little bit better and strive for the perfect fit.

So, with that said, let’s analyze the characters dilemmas in “He’s Just Not That Into You” and see if it’s really that cut and dry.

1)  Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) seems to have a problem just getting the first date.  Maybe it’s her over-analytical nature or her willingness to display all her cards at once, but even if a guy gets her number, it doesn’t mean he’s going to call.  Just from watching the trailer, I wanted to cringe every time I saw her go after a guy, and not because I care so much about the character of Gigi, but because I’d like to think us girls are smarter than that in real-life.  My first thought was, ‘really?!  Are we back here again?’ 

I mean, what happens when you really do everything ‘right,’ and he still doesn’t follow-up with a call or an e-mail?  What explanation is there then? Well, in that case, it’s most likely him, and not you.  It’s easy for a guy not to be into you if you’re coming on too strongly, forcing intimate moments, or declaring way too personal details about yourself.  But when you know you’ve done your job, and he still doesn’t call, text or Facebook?  Well, either he’s got someone else already, is scared it might lead to something he’s not ready for, or was just a jerk who wanted to make sure he still had the goods.  And in that case, c’est la vie!

2)  Beth (Jennifer Aniston) finds herself at a crossroads in life when her long-time boyfriend, Neil (Ben Affleck), balks at the idea of marriage.  Is Neil really not into Beth?  Is it just that simple?  Well, I haven’t seen the movie yet, but here’s my take:  I’ve seen plenty of guys take forever and a day to propose to their girlfriend and consider themselves ready to walk down the aisle.  There are numerous reasons for this, of course.  He might have gotten too comfortable, might be afraid that if his parents got divorced, the same thing might happen to him, might not feel financially secure, might not be ready for kids, or you just might not be the one.  But that does NOT mean that he’s not into you, or that things can’t work out.  What it does mean is that if you haven’t been pressuring him, and if you’ve been together long enough for you to know he really is the one, then it’s a conversation worth having.  Many guys by nature aren’t great communicators, and even more would rather have root canal than have the relationship talk.  But if you’ve gotten to that point in your relationship where marriage is what you want and you know a relationship without marriage just isn’t worth it, then you owe it to yourself to find out what’s really holding him back.  But a reluctance to walk down the aisle because he’s not that into you?  Hardly.

3)   Mary (Drew Barrymore) seems to have the greatest group of guy friends (who just happen to all be gay), but struggles with finding a good, straight one.  So what’s the problem?  Well, for one, she might need to stop depending on her boys for all the answers.  Don’t get me wrong—every gal needs a great group of friends.  I don’t care if they are guys, girls, Muppets or Fraggles; a girl needs her friends.  But listening to them too much can not only make you crazy, but can also be a recipe for disaster.  As much as your friends want to help guide your love life, they aren’t you.   Yes, I know you love them, but I can almost guarantee you that how they act in their professional and personal lives is not how you would act.  And just because your best friend handles one situation one way, it does not mean it suits you to handle yours the same.  After all, would you ask a pastry chef to make a sushi roll?  Probably not.  So try to have confidence within yourself and stick to what you know best.  Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask the girls (or guys) for advice, but be careful how much you ask for it.