The Wedding Date

The post that was planned for this week has been delayed, for a reason I'll explain next week. In lieu of that we're going to talk about weddings.

It's Memorial Day Weekend so I'm pretty sure wedding season starts now, though feel free to correct me. And every good wedding, as we know, starts with The List. The theory of The List is that to find a romantic partner you first must write down what you want in a romantic partner.

In The Wedding Date Debra Messing's character Kat operates under a similar assumption: that to get through her sister's wedding she needs a date who can make her look like she has it together, and demonstrate to her ex (the best man) that she's moved on to bigger and better things.

Then she meets this guy.

Image source: http://www.hotflick.net/flicks/2005_The_Wedding_Date/005TWD_Dermot_Mulroney_006.jpg

Is this going there? Yes, yes it is.

What ensues is what I like to call Straight Rom Com. A Straight Rom Com is a genre from the late nineties and early 2000s that includes no less than five of the following elements:

1. Opening shot of the New York City skyline
2. Song-based travel montage*
3. Workaholic lead actress
4. Wealth
5. Neuroticism
6. British people
7. Uncomfortable sleeping arrangements
8. Reconciliation through dance
9. A rainstorm
10. A wedding

Nick the escort (Dermot Mulroney) is the wrench thrown in to Kat's plans. He's so chill and good looking his resting pulse rate probably tops out at 40, nicely balancing out Messing's messy neuroticism in her first starring role post-Will and Grace. Plus, they look great together.

Image source: http://data2.whicdn.com/images/11291343/thumb.jpg

Whoever did the costume design for this movie deserves an award.

The result is a charming mess, with Kat's family rounding out the roster of characters as they make their way through to the wedding. Blonde Amy Adams makes a notable appearance as the ditzy younger sister, who in a hilarious bit of foreshadowing says, "Aw, hello Bambi!" to the deer mounted by the entrance of their estate.

It's light and airy and singing in the shower, dancing in front of your mirror type fun, albeit with a surprising amount of sex jokes. No one comments on how rich they are because their problems don't involve money. Or, some money, but not too much money, and for god's sake, don't count the money. Like the main character, it has heart and is very, very quietly funny.

Image source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tZT0fMHWUkrVDxiRx0s9Dcyno8XVhHXEY76CeSPcZaHOhOaXegPuf04L8m15VbfSSvxQ_GTDzY4BladA2JQBUhoPWG9gsA40q-g2Vjp5jzbCHwGD7kC4YkR11bGX_bfONVntwnKZi4YS/s1600/TheWeddingDate2005720p-3.jpg
Somebody's smiling.

Where The Wedding Date missteps is when it seems to mistake a surface emotional response for genuine connection, as illustrated in a scene between Kat and Nick when she asks him to tell her something about himself. He says:

"I'm allergic to fabric softener. I majored in comparative literature at Brown. I hate anchovies. And I think I'd miss you even if we'd never left."

It's meant to be a romantic lynchpin, and it is, but all I can think is: those things are not a part of The List. They're surface details, not like Wants kids, or Empathetic, or Has a beard, or other values that people seek in their romantic partners.

Nick isn't lovable because he went to Brown, or because of his abs, or even because he gets along with Kat's stepfather: it's all those other things that take time to learn about and negotiate between two real people, that aren't confessions so much as finding the spaces where you meet, in private, after a wedding.

The Wedding Date is well worth the watch. You just have to indulge the obvious missteps and stick around for the ride. And if Michael Buble has to be a part of the action, so be it.

Image source: http://www.thatericalper.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/michael-buble-feb-2013.jpg

For all your dinner party needs.

For more Amy Adams, check out Enchanted.

*Bonus: the soundtrack includes the song One Fine Day (see: One Fine Day).

Pride and Prejudice

On Saturday I was all set to put up my first recommendation: Pride and Prejudice (2005). Which, yes, I'll argue is a Cinderella story. But later on that night I went to a party--and I'm glad I did--where someone explained that this version of P&P was actually incredibly angsty, and didn't compare at all to the original BBC miniseries adaptation. Part of the argument was that the movie condensed too much book into two hours of film. Which: point.

Another part of the argument was that Matthew Macfayden was too lovable to be Mr. Darcy, to which I replied, "Decide on your second, sir, because we duel at dawn!"

Image source: http://www.nndb.com/people/797/000129410/matthew-macfadyen-1-sized.jpg
He's my second. 

All of which brings me neatly to Lesson One: You get to decide what you like.

If you want to watch entertaining films that aren't necessarily the smartest books on the shelf, that's your prerogative. Same goes for the foreign language films that require subtitles, and the art house films not even the director understands.

If you like historical romance genre films that have great costumes and bad acting, great! This one happens to have Keira Knightley in it so the acting isn’t bad at all.

If you like vampires you should probably go away and never come back.

If you require a dancing scene that frissons with tension and drama and epic declarations of love by a male lead who is literally swoon worthy—who am I kidding, now I’m just describing the film. The point is no one can tell you a movie isn’t good. There are no ‘right’ opinions in film criticism, only slightly less wrong ones.

I mean, my favorite Bennet sister isn't even Elizabeth. It's Lydia, played by Jena Malone, who has shown up in quite a few notable roles before and since (see: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) and brings the mean girl power to everything. 

Image source: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/b4/f8/36/b4f83676ba8e418010a5c399bc6f87e5.jpg
On the left, Carey Mulligan.

Not that there aren’t criticisms to be made of this movie. Austen’s talent for weaving cutting social commentary into her plotting was truly formidable, and the story is founded on the premise that a woman can reject a man only to be swept off her feet at the sight of his estate.

This adaptation doesn’t quite delve into that beyond one stammering speech in the rain. They make up for it with picturesque countryside and gorgeous instrumentals and deep, longing stares. There’s a scene so scandalous (hyperbole. The film is rated PG) that Austen fans went up in arms claiming she wouldn’t have approved of it. To which I say, how can you know?

Image source: http://c300221.r21.cf1.rackcdn.com/anne-hathaway-as-jane-austen-in-becoming-jane-1350098996_b.jpg
Anne Hathaway is not Jane Austen, but she plays her on TV.

So yes, some people will say that the BBC miniseries will always be the classic adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Those people will be wrong, but it's better to let them believe they've got the upper hand, then swoop in and steal their fiancés while their backs are turned and this argument may have gotten away from me.

The fact is Pride and Prejudice (2005) is my favorite movie of all time. Of all time. It's one of the few films I've bothered to get on DVD, and there have been days I've watched it twice in a row, once for the Director Joe Wright's commentary (surprisingly engaging; you'll never look at windows the same way) and once for all the dialogue I missed because of the director's commentary. 

I'm not going to be changing my mind any time soon, and it's best the BBC learns that now.

Alternate Cinderella tale recommendations: Ever After, Cinderella

Introducing Filmstamp - A Year In Rom Com

Do you ever sit down, turn on the computer, and think: What am I going to watch tonight?

This is the solution to that problem. Once a week for a year, I'll post a short recommendation and review for a film that you should watch this week--specifically, a romantic comedy you should watch this week.

Why? 
Because rom coms, as I affectionately refer to them, are the bomb.

Why?
Because I...love them? Does there really have to be another reason?

Why?
I feel like at this point you're just being problematic. I'd suggest you get that checked out. For now, though, tune in tomorrow for my first post.

I'll give you a hint: it's a Cinderella story.

OH YEAH

Image source: https://herinklings.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/stash-1-501c6c580c64e.gif?w=545