The Smooth Talker

We made it to 2011!! The final year in our 25 year chick flick journey, and I have chosen a gem to finish us off: “Crazy Stupid Love.”  This movie has so many intertwined love stories that it is hard to separate them all out to find something to talk about.  Luckily, I was able to focus on something that I found interesting about this movie: the smooth talking man in the bar, Jacob.

What I found most interesting about this clip is I really didn’t know how to feel.  Usually, in chick flicks, there’s the guy everyone wants the girl to be with, and then there’s the guy everyone knows she shouldn’t be with.  Usually, it is pretty obvious which category a guy is in from the minute we meet him, but this time was different.  I was torn because Jacob is good looking, charming, and obviously smart and quick-witted, but he also seems forward, overconfident, and a little sleazy.  Hannah’s reaction to his advances confirmed that we weren’t supposed to like him, but I couldn’t help but like him a little bit anyways.  Jacob is a multidimensional character, and I liked that because it felt more like real life.  It is much more realistic for a person to have good and bad qualities than it is for a person to be one-sided like many characters in movies.  This is probably why it’s so hard for women to tell if a guy walking up to her in a bar is interested in more than one thing (if you know what I mean).

What If?

The 2010 movie “Letters to Juliet” is a movie with a cute premise, and an entertaining love story.  The most meaningful part of the movie is when the cute premise and entertaining love story collide, and create a touching scene.  Just to give a little background, Claire wrote a letter asking Juliet for advice and put it in the Verona courtyard, where Sophie found it years later and replied.  In this clip,  Claire is at her wedding (where she is marrying the man she had previously asked for advice about) and she is reading the letter Sophie wrote.

The line about “what if” truly resonates with me.  It applies to this movie, and many chick flicks, but it applies to other situations in life as well.  What if I had taken this class instead of the other? What if I had chosen to go abroad? What if I had planned to go to Medical School? What if I had made a move and told him/her how I felt?  The problem with ‘what if’ is there is rarely anything we can do about it.  It is a question that is continuously asked and rarely ever answered.  Where this clip encourages following your heart (acting on the what if), I encourage that we ask ‘what now?’ rather than ‘what if?’

He’s Totally Into You

The 2009 movie “He’s Just Not That Into You” seems like it’s trying to be a more realistic chick flick.  The whole movie talks about how silly women are to think they are the “exception” to the rule that men don’t want to date/settle down with/marry them.  Then in the end, they ALL get what they want!! Alex realizes his true love for Gigi, Connor ends up with Mary, and Neil proposes to Beth.  The only woman who doesn’t end up with a man is Janine, but almost everyone will agree she was better off without Ben anyways.  This chick flick does address some of the issues women have: some women can’t see when they’ve married the wrong guy, some women are in hopeless search of love and can’t take cues from men who aren’t interested, some women are in relationships that aren’t going anywhere, and some women are unable to keep up with all of the electronic resources that now affect the dating scene.  This movie demonstrates all of these problems effectively.  The problem is, the message the movie seems to be trying to send is completely wiped out by all of the happy endings.  It seems like the title of the movie should be “If It Seems Like He’s Not That Into You, Wait It Out And You’ll Find A Happy Ending.”

 

Alcohol+Music=Love

The 2008 movie “27 Dresses” is about a woman who is literally always a bridesmaid, never a bride.  Probably because of this, Jane has commitment issues and is not self confident.  When she is able to overcome all of those issues in a night of drunken stupor, she is able to trust Kevin enough to kiss him.

You can see in this clip that Jane slowly overcomes her inhibitions.  At first, she is talking to Kevin in a skeptical way, not really trusting what he has to say.  When the song first comes on, she doesn’t sing too loud, and makes fun of him for singing the wrong words.  Once the scene cuts to them dancing on the bar, Jane has obviously lost all sense of shyness, and has become a whole new person.  It is not until she has completely overcome her skepticism and lack of self confidence that she is able to kiss Kevin.

So was this a good thing? Did alcohol combined with an awesome song help Jane in the long run? I’m not saying the moral here is to get drunk so you can get over your issues and move on, but I am saying loosening up can be good every once in awhile.  It doesn’t have to be alcohol, but finding a way to get past inhibitions often enables good things to happen.  Jane’s drunken bar dance enabled her to do something she never would have done, and probably helped her be happier overall.

Life After Love

It’s 2007, and we have finally made it to a movie that actually has some genuinely sad parts.  I’m not sure if I’m growing as a chick flick connoisseur or what, but “P.S. I Love You” made my list.   Cher asked a relevant question, and this movie addresses it: “Do you believe in life after love?”  After watching “P.S. I Love You,” you will.

The point of the letters Gerry leaves for his wife are to make her fall in love again.  Really, though, this movie is about finding happiness when you think you never will again. Most of us have mini tragedies to overcome, but the message that this movie sends is that tragedies can be overcome, whether the tragedy is losing a husband or loved one, losing money or a job, failing a class, or any little bump in the road, humans are amazing in their ability to move on.  Holly, using Gerry’s notes, is able to move on to the point where she feels guilty because she doesn’t feel him around anymore.  It wasn’t the way he wanted her to move on: she didn’t fall in love with someone else and find comfort in his arms, but she found that she was capable of loving other things, and caring about the people in her life.  She loves shoes and her mother, and she loves Ireland, and she may fall in love with the hottie at the end of this clip, but the point is that she is whole without him.  By following his steps, Holly is able to move on after a tragedy in her life, reminding us that our loved ones can help us overcome any obstacle, and get us to love again.

I guess this movie made it onto my list because although the premise is sad and tragic, the ending is full of hope.  One of the best things about romantic comedies is that the ending is usually full of hope: the couple kisses and the audience can just assume they will live happily ever after.  Although in this movie, Holly’s happily ever after was cut short, the ending is still as hopeful as the rest of the chick flicks on the list.  She has her life ahead of her, and she plans to live it.

Perfection Is Relative

The 2006 movie “John Tucker Must Die” is, among other things, a commentary on the disjoint between the perfect guy, and the perfect guy for you.  John Tucker is the stereotypical “perfect” guy: he is smart, extremely good-looking, romantic, smooth, seemingly compassionate, popular, and rich.  On the other hand, he cheats on his girlfriends.  He would be the “perfect” guy if he committed to a girl.  His brother is less obviously attractive, genuinely caring, awkward, and smart.  So when choosing which of these men to date, John Tucker would be the obvious choice if he was willing to commit. At first, Kate tries to show John Tucker that his cheating hurts people, but she succeeds in making him fall for her! He is ready to be completely faithful.

High School God John Tucker

However, when faced with the decision between the “perfect” John Tucker, faithfulness and all, and his imperfect brother, Kate chooses his brother.  Although John seems to be better to everyone else, his brother is better for Kate.  This isn’t because his brother treats her better, is better looking, or for any concrete reason other than Kate just likes

...and John Tucker's Less Impressive Brother

him more.  This illustrates that there really is no perfect man, just perfect matches. (Well, you can argue that there are no perfect matches either, but I’m too much of a romantic for that.)

Yelling…In A Good Way

The 2005 movie “The Wedding Date” addresses something about relationships that I have always been puzzled about: arguments.  It seems like in many chick flicks, a man is intrigued by a woman with strong opinions who challenges his actions and assertions.  In this particular movie, Nick admits to Kat in the end that he would “rather fight with [her] than make love with anyone else.”  What?!

Sorry about the bad quality of the clip, but it demonstrates my point.

Kat challenges Nick, and although he stands up for himself, he seems to enjoy the challenge.  This dynamic is apparent in many relationships.  I often find myself at a party, where I see a couple arguing one minute and in a corner making out the next.  Yes, college relationships are not indicative of real world relationships, but there seems to be a thin line between being angry and being turned on.  People always say there’s a fine line between love and hate, apparently now there’s a fine line between fights and sex.  People in love have both(fights and sex), and according to this movie, can possibly even enjoy arguing with each other more than having sex with anyone else.  Now that’s love.

All The Right Friends

The 2004 movie “13 Going On 30” has dual themes.  Like “Big,” it warns against growing up too fast.  Since we’ve already talked about that, though, I’ll focus on the other theme: choose the right friends for the right reasons.   Although it seems like this theme is mostly applicable to the 13-year-old character, adults need to learn that lesson, too.  Habits of choosing the right friends start early, as demonstrated in the movie, but it’s a good reminder that choosing the right friends can have a positive affect on the outcome of one’s life.

Jenna’s best friend in the world was an overweight nerd who thought the world of her.  At first, she shuns him in favor of the popular crowd, and in the end it ruins her life.  Granted, not all of us are destined to fall in love with our childhood best friend, but the moral remains true.  As I get older, the choice is less between the popular crowd and the nerds, and more between the athletes, the partiers, the academics, and any combination of those things.  It’s hard to say which type of friend will have the most positive impact on my life.  Like Jenna, I often find myself torn between groups.  I guess since not all of us can look 17 years into the future to see how it all turns out, the best way to go is to trust our instincts and hope we choose the right friends, the friends who will dance to “Thriller” with us, not the ones that will lead us to get nose jobs and stab us in the back 17 years in the future.

Love and War

“True or false: all is fair in love and war.”  One of the first questions Andie asks Ben becomes one of the main themes in the 2003 movie “How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days.”  The movie becomes a war of love, a war of wills, and a roar of laughter for the viewer.

Between cruel pranks and impersonations of overbearing girlfriends, Andie and Ben’s relationship addresses the question that is on the minds of many people who are courting, casually or otherwise: how much is too much? Where is the line between cute and interested, and creepy and overbearing? Andie is purposely blurring that line, and in doing so she demonstrates that it truly isn’t clear, even to people who aren’t trying to sabotage their relationship.

So, what is fair in the battlefield of love? (Okay, cheesy metaphor, but it works, no?)  This movie is based on the relationship that comes out of two people attempting to use each other to advance their careers.  Is that fair? Turns out, yes.  But the more common things are also in question.  Is it okay for a girlfriend to trump boy’s night?  Can a girlfriend contact her new boyfriend’s mom? Decorate his apartment? Choose what type of food he eats? Buy a pet for them to take care of together?  For Ben, these things were a nightmare, but for other men they could be taken as a sign of interest.  “How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days” poses the question: what is fair in love and war? And I think Ben has it right the first time, all is fair in love and war, as long as you are “battling” the right person.

Beauty, Brains, and AN APPETITE

The 2002 movie “Two Week’s Notice” is another movie about a strong, successful, independent woman! I sure know how to pick good ones.  Lucy has so many things going for her it is hard to pick just one to admire.  She is a lawyer, she cares about her community, she’s pretty, she has a loving family, and she’s witty.  The best thing about Lucy, though, is she can EAT.  I know Sandra Bullock can’t really finish “the whole left side of a menu,” and stay skinny, but I like that this movie has a female character who eats what she wants, when she wants, and as much as she wants.  As a food lover myself, I like to see that other women are willing to admit how much food means to them.  Lucy cares more about her job and her family than worrying about how many calories are in her meals.  A hearty diet is one of the many ways Lucy’s confidence and charm show through, and watching her eat 9 Chinese food entrees makes me feel better about the food I consume on a regular basis.  If only we could really eat all that food and still fit into the skin tight dresses Lucy wears!