Xn3cTs

something i wrote in 2005…

 

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Must Love Humankind: Bits, Bites, Bones, and Pieces on Light Romantic Comedies

(For Incorrigible, Hopeful Romantics)

by Michael Ian Lomongo, August 25, 2005

Saw “Must Love Dogs,” featuring Diane Lane and John Cusack last week, triggering these early-morning perorations on light romantic comedies…

(I’m talking of a rather loose classification. Most of these romantic films are rather light, and usually comic. Some are tragi-comic, e.g., “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” But all are comedies, not in the sense that they make a conscious effort to make the audience laugh, but in that they have a “happy ending,” i.e., boy finally gets girl, or vice-versa. One exception, in that it had a happy ending but girl doesn’t get the boy: “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”)

It was better than most of the films of this genre. I think its main strength comes from the rather okay writing and the competence of its actors. Aside from Diane and Cusack, it had great support from Gregory Peck, Dermot Mulroney, the actress who was in “Grease” but whose name escapes me right now, and the actress who here plays a “booba” character. I didn’t get to see who wrote it but it reminded me of “When Harry Met Sally” (which was written by Nora Ephron, who later started directing her own films), mainly because of its use of a series of “interviews with couples.” “Must Love Dogs” (MLD) had them framing the film in the beginning and end, while “When Harry Met Sally” (WHMS) had them scattered throughout the film. But while it was quite obvious that MLD used actors for the interviews, you don’t have that kind of obviousness in WHMS. (Yes, they’re most likely actors but you can never be too sure…)

I think one of its weakness (which, ironically is one of its strength too) is the amount of attention it paid to the minor characters and subplots. You somehow get to know (like, and even love) the father, the sister, the meat vendor, even the clueless “booba” character. Oh yes, of course, we get to know the leads as well but not enough for us to empathize fully with their eventual reunion and the supposed highlight of the film, which is the jumping off the boat of Lane’s character (complete with “dramatic” swelling background music). We know she’s rather desperate and can be quite impulsive. Her “leap of faith” fails to attain that quality which should make it a leap of faith. A failure of writing. Because Lane’s acting was great.

Compare it with Tom Hanks’ character jumping off the bridge to follow Daryl Hannah’s mermaid in “Splash.” Here, we understand Hanks’ hesitation and dilemma: the love of his life and an uncertain future under the sea, or his beloved brother and a quite comfortable life in New York City? If he takes that leap of faith, he won’t be able to go back to his old life, to his beloved brother… (Which is why “Splash 2″ was a gross mistake. It dilutes the power of Hanks’ “leap of faith.” Probably the reason why Hanks was no longer in it.)

Neither does MLD add a new insight about love in the time of internet. You’ve got “You’ve Got Mail.”

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My Favorite Romantic Comedies of All Time:

(Not Ranked; Order, Random)

1. When Harry Met Sally (with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan)

2. Splash (with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah)

3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (with Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet)

4. Groundhog Day (with Bill Murray and ?)

5. So I Married an Axe Murderer (with Mike Myers and ?)

6. Punch-Drunk Love (with Adam Sandler and Emily Watson)

7. 50 First Dates (with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore)

8. Love Affair (with Warren Beatty and Annette Benning)

9. As Good As It Gets (with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt)

10. Before Sunset (with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy)

11. Chance or Coincidence? (A French Film I saw years ago in a French Spring Film Festival)

12. Somewhere in Time (with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour)

13. Destiny (a silent movie by Fritz Lang)

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Nora Ephron: The Romantic Comedy Expert. I think she must have written mostly films of this genre. She wrote “WHMS,” “Michael” (with John Travolta), and a lot more. I think she also wrote “Sleepless in Seattle” (featuring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan).

I don’t know which of these films she directed as well. (“Michael”?) But I get the impression that she’s a much better writer than director. I haven’t seen all of her films but I have an inkling that WHMS would be her best.

For one, it raises that age-old question of the “battle between the sexes”: can men and women (who find one another mutually attractive) be — and remain — friends, if they do become friends at all? As a good thought-provoking movie, it raises the question without putting it to rest.

For Harry (Billy Crystal), whose thesis it was that men and women can never be friends, does discover through her platonic friendship with Sally (Meg Ryan) — after a long, circuitous journey involving several break-ups — that men and women can indeed be friends. The catch is, he eventually finds himself in love with his friend Sally.

Great movie. When I get the chance, I’m definitely having what she had in that diner.

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The premise of “An Affair to Remember” was great. Hits, and misses, lost opportunities, noble loves, sacrifices, and second chances.

Didn’t see it whole. Didn’t like “Sleepless in Seattle” (a tribute to the film) much. Preferred Warren Beatty’s remake, “Love Affair.” Of course, it’s highly incredulous that Beatty’s rich character, or anyone in his circle, would have no mobile phone or beeper (in the 90′s!). But once you accept this rather tenuous premise, everything else is quite okay.

I think what made the original rather unappealing to me was the conscious and obvious effort to make the students of the inamorata cute. In contrast, the students of Annette Benning appeared quite natural. Oh, and they sang the Beatles’ “In My Life”! Wala na. Huli na ako.

“Love Affair” also has this haunting melody that Benning and the actress who played Beatty’s grandmother (I’m given the impression that she must have been the lead, or, at least was among the cast of the original.) hummed by the piano.

The music, much like the idea/specter/ghost of a lasting love, haunts you and plays over and over in your head.

Boo!

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“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” also has a haunting, if a bit morose, theme. And who can forget the theme of “Somewhere in Time”?

Indeed, music plays a great part in making a movie memorable.

Found out in MLD’s end credits that Sheryl Crow’s “The First Cut is the Deepest” was written by Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens. I wonder how the song would be like if it were sung by Yusuf Islam himself. That’d be interesting!

I began to appreciate the song “You Don’t Know Me” through “Groundhog Day.” I began to appreciate spoken poetry with music, like those of RadioActive Sago Project through Mike Myers’ piece (“Woman, Woe Man,” accompanied by a doublebass and drums) in “So I Married an Axe Murderer.”

And of course, you have Jason Mraz’s wonderful reggae version of Modern English’s “Melt With You” in “50 First Dates” (50FD).

Julie Delpy composed the songs she sung and played on the guitar in “Before Sunset.” Even Adam Sandler composes some of the songs in his movies (as in 50FD).

Care must be taken in selecting a romantic comedy‘s soundtrack. If the film bombs, at least you’ll have a memorable soundtrack.

My favorite love theme of all: “One Fine Day” by Lee Holdridge and Marvin Hamlisch, from “Splash.” Had to rewind the VHS tape again and again (this was many, many years ago) to get the lyrics and chords.

“One fine day

Love came for me

When love was rare

As love can be

“I’m so sure

Shining as clear blue sky

We flow together

Once and forever

Love came for me.

“One fine night

Love let us see

How far we’ll go

How good we’ll be

We saw a world

No one ever saw before

It was a world

Love can start

With a beat of the heart

Love came for me.

“Love came for me.

Love came for me.”

Beautiful, ain’t it?

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The genius of Adam Sandler is that he knows how to make great use of his abilities. He mostly portrays the same type of characters in his films but he somehow gets away with it. Well, for one thing, he’s also the producer of most of his films. (He certainly can act, proof of which is “Punch-Drunk Love.”) And, I must admit, most of his films (at least, the ones I’ve seen) are quite entertaining.

With the money he’s earning from his movies, he must really be one Happy Madison.

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The truth about (Jennifer) Love (Hewitt) is that she’s neither a passable beauty nor a competent actress to become the inamorata in a romantic movie. Better stick to singing. Or take acting lessons.

I made the terrible mistake of watching “If Only,” only because someone compared it to “Groundhog Day” (which I loved). To be fair though, the reviewer never really said it was like “Groundhog Day.”

Well, what can I say? Maybe “If Only” would be a better movie if only it had a better inamorata.

But what can you expect? She was the producer.

But I won’t make the error of watching “The Truth About Love.” It’ll most likely contain a thousand lies.

As to “Groundhog Day”? I won’t mind watching it a thousand times… Be it in this lifetime. Or the next.

Well, you get the point.

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Saw Fritz Lang’s “Destiny” last Thursday at SM Cinema 5 (Megamall). It was part of the German Silent Film Festival sponsored by the Goethe Institut. Cynthia Alexander and other musicians provided the accompanying music.

I wonder why it was translated as “Destiny.” The German title had the word “Tod” in it. And “Tod,” as far as I know, means “Death.” And surely enough, Death was a central character in the movie.

You must be wondering too why I include a film which has “Death” as a central character in a piece on romantic comedies. For isn’t death at odds with romantic comedies? After all, “Romeo and Juliet” while very romantic, has never been called a comedy. And it definitely has death in it.

Well, how about “Somewhere in Time”? Doesn’t the character played by Christopher Reeve die of depression at his failure to travel back in time to be reunited with his love again? The movie is not light, but I argue that it is a romantic comedy because, in the end, Reeve’s character is reunited with his beloved. As a spirit, of corpse, err, I mean, of course, but reunited just the same.

Well, so with Fritz Lang’s movie. This time, it is the inamorata who dies to be reunited with her beloved. And it is definitely lighter in tone and mood as compared to “Somewhere in Time.” Several scenes are so whimsical it would have the mostly Filipino audience chuckling and laughing.

At the same time, the film is also serious and weighty. Believing that love conquers even death, the inamorata does everything to reclaim her love from the clutch of death.

Well, almost everything.

Death listens to her plea and consents to return her beloved to her if she could give him one life in exchange. She asks several people to give her their lives, but no one would.

A house catches fire, and she saves a baby. Death appears to her and tells her that he would accept the life of the baby in return for the life of her beloved.

She wouldn’t sacrifice the baby. She wouldn’t sacrifice her integrity. In the name of love (eros).

Eros. Thanatos. Zoe. Agape.

Desire. Death. Life. Love.

Seeing the nobility of her love, Death leads her to become reunited with her beloved. She dies, of course.

But she has conquered Death. In the name of love (agape), she has conquered Death.

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Must Love Humankind.

Must Love Hume and kind.

Must Love You, mankind.

Must Love You, Monk-eye’nd.

Must Love Dogs.

In a world gone to the dogs,

Must Love…

Must Love.

For we are flesh and bones.

Memento mori. (Remember Death.)

Must Love.

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best regards,

mortician, elysian

Tags: romantic comedies, romantic love

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 2:41 pm and is filed under Love, Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.