BEFORE: Charlize Theron carries over from "Head in the Clouds", in what looks to be another complicated romantic situation. Hey, all types of love are represented here in the countdown, including misguided obsessive love. Though I think I'll save "Monster" for later in the year, it just wouldn't fit in this month.
THE PLOT: Soon after her divorce, a fiction writer returns to her home in small-town Minnesota, looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend, who is now happily married and has a newborn daughter.
AFTER: As long as I'm confessing things, I can attest that after getting divorced, it's only natural to look up some exes, or people you might have had a shot at, or even a few that you didn't, to see what your options are. But this character takes things to the extreme, to the point where she drives back to her hometown to get her high school boyfriend back, even though he's clearly moved on and she's somewhat delusional. Remember that astronaut lady who drove across the country wearing diapers in order to kidnap or injure another astronaut's girlfriend, after she'd had an affair with him? Yeah, it's no coincidence that all went down about a month after she split with her husband. You gotta work through the pain, girl, but try not to inflict any on someone else.
I think it's another case where women haven't been empowered for very long, culturally speaking, so I don't think we've seen how far off the reservation some of them are capable of going. Lots of men may just shrug their shoulders and go find another girl, but women tend to hold grudges for a long time.
Also, I think it's natural to reflect back on one's life, maybe target a couple of spots where different decisions could have been made, but it's an easy trap to regard one's marriage as a mistake, regardless of how long the marriage was. Two months, two years, twenty years - it doesn't matter. You made the best decision you could make at that time, given the information that you had. People change, situations change, and you have to change with them, or you get left behind.
In the case of this character, who writes Young Adult novels, mostly based on snippets of conversations she overhears from teenagers in fast food restaurants, you have to wonder if her job may have affected her outlook, and by extension her marriage. A woman spending so much time writing (or reading) romantic fiction is bound to be disappointed by the reality of marriage - it's like porn for women.
After a few of the most awkward situations, since she and her ex are clearly not on the same page, eventually she learns that you can't go back, you can only go forward. Relationships are like time-travel in that regard - currently there's only one direction and one speed. You can write messages and communicate with your future self, but you can't answer back.
Also starring Patrick Wilson (last seen in "The Alamo"), Patton Oswalt (last seen in "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas"), Elizabeth Reaser, Mary Beth Hurt (last seen in "Interiors"), Jill Eikenberry (last seen in "Arthur"), Richard Bekins, Collette Wolfe, and a vocal cameo from J.K. Simmons (last seen in "The Words").
RATING: 5 out of 10 custom action figures
No comments:
Post a Comment