We were both interested in seeing "The Proposal," because we're Sandra Bullock fans. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Bullock, Ryan Reynolds and (especially) Betty White were hilarious. But, I could also point out some flaws in it.
For some reason, romantic comedies are among the easiest movies for me to critique. I can only say most movies are either good or bad, and I can't dig much deeper than that. But with romantic comedies, I can pinpoint exact problems or strengths in the movie. Maybe it's because love and romance is something we think about more often than the themes and subjects of other movies.
In fact, when I took COMMS 101, we were assigned to create online magazines as a group project. I was with a group that did movie reviews, and I thought it would be interesting to be more specific and do reviews of romantic comedies from a male perspective. Although I'm no longer an administrator for the site, it still exists: http://collegecritics.7h.com.
Anyway, I decided to ramble on about "chick flicks," ones I like and ones I don't:
In the name of love - 'Chick flicks' in need of a reality check
In the column, I mention "The Proposal," "You've Got Mail," "Sweet Home Alabama," "My Best Friend's Wedding," "Some Like It Hot" and "It Happened One Night."
And, for all you blog followers, I'll give my two cents about a few other romantic comedies. (Some of these include links to my reviews on the online magazine.)
LIKE
"Marley and Me"
"27 Dresses"
"He's Just Not That Into You" and "Valentine's Day" - These movies are impressive simply by jam-packing so many movie stars into a single movie. (Especially with "Valentine's Day." Every time I saw a trailer or a TV commercial, there was some new actor I didn't know was in the movie.) And then, everyone loves to play the six degrees of separation game (who's connected to who and how). Besides the entertainment coming from so many sources, the stories of romance are realistic yet dramatic. Both movies more clearly mirror the sort of relationship stories we all have. And, you'll like who ends up together and who doesn't.
"The Notebook" - This one is definitely a tear-jerker, I'm not afraid to admit. And the point of view from James Garner's and Gena Rowlands' characters makes the love really mean something, instead of the artificial, together-because-we-look-hot-together kind of relationship most of Hollywood (on the screen and behind the scenes) depends on. However, the love scenes are a little bit dangerous, especially for any teen who is already inclined to think you're prepared for sex as long as you really really love each other.
DON'T LIKE
"P.S. I Love You"
"Charly" - Sam just frustrates me so much! First, he's a super naive and sheltered Mormon boy. Then, he falls for Charly, who is much more urbane and worldly. Charly joins the Church and leaves her worldly ways behind ... but when Sam finds out she had "a past," he's angry. Of course she had "a past"! Virtually everyone outside the Church has the kind of tame "past" Charly had. Plus, she was baptized into the Church, meaning that "past" is erased and now meaningless.
The only time it really seemed like Sam and Charly make sense is the scene when they goof around in the grocery store. Before the real chemistry actually sinks in, the sad part of the movie kicks in, and it's sad the rest of the way through.
"Pride and Prejudice" - Actually, I really like this movie, both versions that I've seen. I love the old-time English dialogue (one of the reasons I also love Shakespeare or "The Lord of the Rings"), and the look at society 200 years ago. But, I'm sorry, I don't get what's so great about Mr. Darcy. He's mysterious, then rude, then a hero. Okay. But does that make him one of the greatest romantic heroes in all of literature? I guess I don't know what makes him stand out so much compared to other literary figures. Maybe I'll just have to read the book. (At least I'm more okay with women wishing their men to emulate Mr. Darcy than wishing them to emulate Edward or Jacob.)
"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" - Two words: Matthew McConaughey.
If you're interested, here are reviews from that online magazine about other movies.
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off"
(And, here's an interesting look at the movie that takes what I wrote to a whole new level. Careful, there's some bad language.)
"Transformers"
"It Happened One Night"
*Some of the online magazine stories have grammar mistakes or spelling errors. I wish I could go back and fix them! Sorry about that. Although, they probably don't bother you as much as they bother me.
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