| Director | Christian Ditter |
|---|---|
| Genre | film based on book, romantic comedy |
| Runtime | 105 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $38 million |
| Box office | $112.3 million |
Alice temporarily dumps her college boyfriend Josh. She then moves to New York City to be a paralegal and live with her sister, Meg, an OB/GYN who has no interest in having a baby of her own or being in a relationship. Alice befriends wild Australian co-worker Robin, who enjoys partying and one-night stands, and local bartender Tom, who embraces the bachelor lifestyle and hooks up with several women, including Alice. Tom meets Lucy at his bar when she uses his Internet for free; she explains she is looking for "the one" using various dating sites.
Alice meets with Josh, ready to reconcile. He explains he is seeing someone else, which distresses her. Meg has a change of heart while watching over a baby, deciding to have a child of her own via a sperm donor.
Shortly after she becomes pregnant, Meg unexpectedly hooks up with a younger man, Ken, after meeting him at Alice's office Christmas party. He, the law office receptionist, is smitten with her. She tries to break it off, but he continues to pursue her. Thinking Ken is too young for her to have a future with, Meg hides the pregnancy from him.
Back at Tom's bar, Lucy has a string of horrible dates, at which point he realizes he has feelings for her. In an attempt to put herself out there, Alice attends a networking event, where she hits it off with a man named David.
Lucy has been in a relationship for three weeks with Paul, who reveals he has been seeing other people, thinking she was doing the same, and breaks up with her. Lucy breaks down at her volunteer job reading to children at a bookstore. George, who works there, soothes her, and they begin a relationship.
Alice and Robin attend Josh's holiday party; Alice finds she cannot watch Josh with his new girlfriend. She runs into David, who shows her a private view of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, dazzling her, and they begin a relationship. Three months later, as she is singing with David's daughter Phoebe, he becomes upset with her, reminding her that she is not Phoebe's mother. His wife died two years earlier and David believes it is too soon for Phoebe to have a stepmother. They break up as a result.
Tom becomes upset with Lucy's relationship with George and invites Alice to get drunk. They talk about their frustrations with their feelings for Josh and Lucy and sleep together to distract themselves. Ken discovers Meg is pregnant but is eager to help raise her child. She, fearing that he is not truly committed, ends the relationship.
At Alice's birthday party, Robin invites Tom, David, and Josh without Alice's knowledge, as she thought it would be funny. Shaken by the presence of all three men, Alice confronts Robin. Tom confesses his feelings to Lucy, but she announces she is engaged to George. Josh approaches Alice, and they make out but stop when she discovers he is now engaged and is merely looking for closure with her.
Invigorated by a desire to find herself, Alice leaves to go home, but is stopped by Robin, who jumps over her cab. When Meg starts going into labor, the three manage to get another cab and rush to the hospital. Meg gives birth to a baby girl and Ken convinces her to resume their relationship, while Alice rekindles her friendship with Robin.
Alice reflects on her time living alone and being single. Meg and Ken are together, while Robin continues her old habits. Tom opens up to the possibilities of non-casual relationships. Lucy marries George, and David talks to his daughter about her mother. Alice explores the Grand Canyon by herself to witness the sunrise on New Year's Day: a dream she had always had.