The Proposal 2009 : A Review and Some Thoughts

My son's been itching to watch The Proposal, and I've been adamant in PG'ing it. My son's 10 years old and is at that age when kids are curious about grown up things and think/feel brave enough to take on "adult" stuff. Well, I'm one of those protective mothers who wants to keep her cub in the den... But heck, one adult said the "adult" scenes weren't obscene or lewd - and indeed they weren't and bless him, my son found the birthday suits scene hilarious. I was at wit's end trying to keep my protectiveness at bay while barely stifling guffaws!

I also had to tell him that love stories like those are just in the movies (yeah, ma, they're fiction, you've been saying that since I was little). I had to say that lest he thought it was ok to short circuit love... I had to say my brief spiel on love, friendship and respect...

God, to be a mom!

Eventually, Andrew and Margaret's characters grew on me, and the development of the story caught on my sentimental side, that I was actually crying (eeek, yes! it's one of my weaknesses!). My son asked "Do you like the movie ma?" And my reply was "Do you think I'd still get married?" (Haller?!!!) And then he hugged me. "Yeah, you can get married ma." Yep, that's my son.

Now when Margaret admitted to their charade in that barn wedding scene, I had to say "Now that's very brave! She did the right thing." ("You do like the movie.")

It was really nice, that movie. "But that's a fairy tale, kid."

***

Speaking of proposals, now I understand why the American husband of my friend looooves telling his proposal story where he gets down on his knee, opens the Tiffany box with the rock and pops the question. And he is astounded that my friend was speechless, she almost spaced out. All this in the backdrop of New York with the view from the Brooklyn Bridge (when I was not there LOL). And he loves telling that story over and over again.

I was reminded of this during the scene in The Proposal when Andrew's ex-girlfriend asks them to tell the proposal story... And the guests at their party were intent on listening to their story... Fast forward to the end where Andrew actually proposes to Margaret, his former tormentor, with purpose and conviction in his former concentration camp - the office, and the onlookers, their officemates were all dissolved into mush...

Gosh I wonder if that happens in real life... Come to think of it, romantic proposals worth recounting happened as it did to my friend. (She's the one who gets embarrassed each time her husband relates it with such gusto, you can't help but get engaged - no pun intended!).

That's The United States of Hollywood for you, and I have to admit, I love it too!

Wallpaper from this site.

Romantic Fix: The Back-Up Plan (Movie Review)

I watched The Back-Up Plan with a fellow single mom late this afternoon. It was one of the best feel-good movies of our age group I've seen in the longest time.

It's tagline, " 1. Fall in love. 2. Get married. 2. Have a Baby. Not necessarily in that order." is a total riot!

Starring the bodacious Jennifer Lopez (still a hot mama at 41) as Zoe and Alex O'Loughlin (who's turning 34 in August) as Stan, The Back-Up Plan is a movie about "hyper-speed romance" between the happily independent single woman who wants a baby and a charming goat farmer/student who accidentally meet in a cab.

Funny and endearing, The Back-Up Plan has swept us off our single moms' feet!

Set in New York, Zoe's neighborhood is reminiscent of the unforgettable scenes from Breakfast At Tiffany's and The West Side Story.

The movie is replete with "signs" (which romance fanatics love putting in their pockets), quirky characters and hilarious scenes and a stellar soundtrack to match; not to mention the heart-melting romantic scenes which make the movie a deserving blockbuster.

Photo from www.smartcine.com

"You Look Good Wearing My Future"

I sat in front of the TV as I was ironing out my huge batch of laundry and took a trip down memory lane to the land of John Hughes.

I went back to the seamless worlds of Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful and watched these childhood favorites through my adult eyes and I saw gold.

The movies are even more brilliant than they were when I just watched them with paradoxical passion and passivity some twenty plus years ago. The late great John Hughes is still a master storyteller.

In Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful he struck right to the heart of teenagers. It's no wonder these movies are cult favorites. In the commentary of Some Kind of Wonderful, one of the hosts cut right into the essence of John Hughes films saying how the producer actually respects teenagers and translates this respect into movies. John Hughes' greatness is in how he translates each and every teenager's desire to be free to be and express his authenticity. And he has woven stories that send the message that it can be done... He invites the romantics to be idealists through the medium of cuss-loaded, heavy kissing, bad hair and funky fashioned now cult favorite movies.

All the hormones, rebellion, the funky fashion, the music, the script, the transition of scenes and even more make both movies worlds unto themselves where personally as was then, I am still able to enter and relate.

Pretty in Pink was eye candy with its authentic and classic '80's atmosphere, and literally music to the ears with its New Wave soundtrack. The scene sequences and the dialogue were all electric and it helped greatly that Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy had that intoxicating chemistry between them.

In Some Kind of Wonderful on the other hand, John Hughes and Howard Deutche created a rich and multifaceted world that is so realistic, idealistic, romantic and subliminally beautiful all in one movie. Great soundtrack, dialogue and scene sequences too.

I guess I would be doing myself a favor if I cut out on the comparison because I love both movies for all their merits. Pretty in Pink was sweet as Some Kind of Wonderful was deep, nuff said.

As Iona said in Pretty in Pink, "Why can't we start old and grow young?"

Thank you, Watts, Andie, Blane and Keith. I liked growing up on you. And great company while I finished my loads of ironing too. :)