"Judd's character cobbles together her cow theory from snippets of real science reports and bits of biology books. Its prime proposition takes shape when she reads that bulls refuse to copulate with a cow they have already mated with, even when researchers disguise the old cow with the scent of a new one. New-cow theory posits that all males will leave all females eventually because their biological imperative is to find the new cow. Voila, all relationships are eventually doomed, bull-based balm to dumped damsels."

Jane (Ashley) becomes obsessed with this theory and tries to blame her bad luck in relationships based on this theory (i.e. there is nothing wrong with her that is causing men to dump her; rather it is men's bestial nature that compels them to seek "new cows"). Eventually, she snaps out of her obsession and realises that not all men continuously strive for greener pastures. A very touching scene was when her sister had a miscarriage (after trying very hard to get pregnant with fertility treatments) and her brother-in-law said lovingly "You are the most beautiful woman in the world" at the hospital ward to his wife who looked like crap after crying.

The movie made me realise that sometimes it is all too easy to wallow in self-pity and sadness which makes you forget the big picture. After Jane snapped out of her heartache, she immediately saw who had been loving her all along:

Jane: I mean, c'mon! I was comparing men to animals!... Which, let's face it, sometimes they are. But sometimes, they are not. Sometimes, you open the barn door, or the bedroom door, or the hospital room door, and you find the real thing. You find a guy that can sit with you when you're at your absolute worst, when your face looks like a punching bag and you're elbow deep in Kleenex, and he can still look at you, and tell you that Ray is not the last man you're ever going to love.

And that we always need to have faith that good things will happen to us.

Eddie: It's over. Why can't you just let it go?
Jane: I can't.
Eddie: Why?
Jane: Because I was happy. Because if this theory is wrong, men don't leave all women, Eddie, they leave me.
Eddie: I know it hurts. I know. It's so hard to believe that something that wonderful can ever happen to us again.