An Interesting RomCom
14/09/08 19:12 Filed in: Movies
The local video store held a sale this past weekend
on previously viewed (read "used") DVDs: four for
$20. If you can find four you like, it's a pretty
good deal. I found four I liked: American
Gangster, Run Baby Run (see other
entries for Dennis Lehane discussions), The
Majestic and a fairly new British romcom I've
never heard of called Imagine Me & You.
Not surprisingly, at least for me, the first one I chose to watch was the romantic comedy, Imagine Me & You. Starring Piper Perabo, Lena Headey and Matthew Goode, the movie must have been in and out of theatres fairly quickly for me to have missed it. I don't know much about any of the stars nor have I heard of the writer/director, Ol Parker, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. All the comments on the case were positive and, having very much enjoyed Kissing Jessica Stein, I was interested to see what they would do with the same-sex relationship.
Imagine Me & You is the story of Rachel (Perabo), a sweet young woman who seems destined to a "happily ever after" story with her long-time friend and new husband, Heck (Goode). Her life becomes instantly complicated when, as she makes her way down the aisle toward wedded bliss, she exchanges a brief but electric glance with Luce (Headey), the woman who is supplying the flowers for the event. After the wedding, their lives slowly intertwine and, as her marriage falters, Rachel's infatuation with Luce grows. Rachel fights her feelings by trying to inject some steam into her married life but, when that fails, she finally gives in to "true love" and takes up with Luce.
Just as that love relationship begins, however, Rachel overhears Heck wax poetic to Luce over how he's failed Rachel and how the problems in their marriage are all his fault. Guilt-ridden, Luce ends the relationship with Rachel. Guilt-ridden too, Rachel tells Heck that she's had a brief affair (leaving out the fact that Luce is her lover) in hopes of coming clean and starting anew. Heck can't handle the news and leaves. Suddenly free to pursue her heart, Rachel runs to Luce who, in despair at the loss of her one true love, has already left for an extended vacation. Will Rachel catch Luce before she flies away? Will everything end happy (at least for Luce and Rachel)?
It's a fairly standard romcom story. It comes complete with the cranky parents whose relationship needs mending, the womanizing best friend who turns out to have a heart of gold and a soft spot for marital bliss and the cute little sister who tends to offer just the right innocent question at just the right time to help the characters along.
Parker chooses not to confront, in any meaningful way, the challenges that are likely to arise when a young married woman suddenly announces to her friends and family that she is turning her back on her husband and the comfortable life he represents for a same-sex relationship with a woman she has known for a very short time. Sure, Rachel's mother objects to her sudden apparent change in sexual orientation but her mother is such an unhappy character that her concerns are lost in a sea of misery that is her life. Maybe it's good that popular cinema has progressed to the point where it can now present a same-sex relationship without batting an eyelash but the film's climax might have been stronger, with more at stake, if the viewer felt that Rachel risked losing at least some of her friends and family by pursuing true love with Luce at the expense of Heck and her marriage.
The performances are good: Perabo is cute and sweet and happy at all the right times and does a fairly nice job of conveying the conflict she feels as she discovers that her comfortable existence with Heck is not, in fact, true love but merely a strong friendship; Headey is very good as the uncompromising Luce, doing a nice job in keeping Luce human and loving while avoiding the pop-culture tendency of portraying gay and lesbian characters as mere cliches rather than fully-rounded human beings; and Goode is as flat and boring as he needs to be to help us understand, in such a short film, what is missing from Rachel's life.
The direction is not bad. There's nothing really fresh or new here; in general, Paker just stays out of the way and lets the story and acting hold the spotlight.
Unfortunately, one of the real weaknesses of the film is that it offers very little that is new:
As all romcoms inevitably are, however, Imagine Me & You will be judged on the effectiveness of its rising action and climax. Let's face it: no matter how strong the characters, no matter how intricate the plot, no matter how good the performances, if the ending isn't gripping and, finally, completely gratifying, the movie doesn't work. See, for example, Must Love Dogs, a pretty good movie that falls to pieces because of a terrible final act.
For that final act to be effective, it must be filled with tension. The stakes must be extremely high — the future of the romance must truly and irrevocably hang in the balance. When done best, the risk to the relationship must come, not so much from circumstances, but from within the characters themselves. The main character must put him- or herself entirely on the line, preferably in a very public way, must risk everything in order to try to save the relationship. And as the main character puts herself out there, the viewer must recognise that the other character has good reasons, plausible, justifiable, understandable, for saying no, for turning her back on the main character and the love she offers. There must be risk on both sides and sacrifice too.
The best ending I've ever seen takes place in Notting Hill, where Anna comes to William to ask, humbly and in a very vulnerable way, for the chance to earn his love again. William, already emotionally battered, instead responds rationally and refuses her request, intent on saving himself further pain. Knowing that she has wasted her one chance at true love, Anna smiles through her disappointment, kisses him on the cheek while whispering "good decision, good decision" and walks out of his life forever.
The film could have ended there and been emotionally satisfying (and, of course, devastating as well) for the viewer. Anna took the risk, allowed herself to be emotionally vulnerable in her effort to save the relationship, and William quite properly refused.
But William is an eternal optimist. It's not in his nature to turn his back on the the possibility of true love. After consulting his friends, he rushes into downtown London intent on finding Anna and attempting to undo the pain his rejection has now caused her. He finds out she's heading back to America immediately following one last press conference. His only chance to see her, to try to set things right, will take place in front of hundreds of reporters with their cameras literally rolling.
It's a beautifully filmed, perfectly acted scene of emotional risk on the parts of both main characters. William must somehow communicate to Anna that he was wrong to reject her, that he is willing to take a chance on their relationship, all with the reporters hanging on his every word, not knowing who he is. Anna must, under those difficult circumstances, first understand his message, then consider whether or not she can put aside the hurt and humiliation his recent rejection has caused her and trust him again, then communicate her own response back to him, once again with the fourth estate listening closely.
The viewer knows that everything hangs on this single moment. We recognise the hurt each character has endured and the risks they have both taken in an effort to save the relationship. The viewer wants them to succeed but would understand completely if either one decided, no, the risk and the pain are too much. So when William asks Anna, in coded language, whether she would reconsider, we know what's at stake and we care deeply about the response. And when Anna says, quietly, almost shyly, her face betraying the emotions she is feeling, "Yes, I believe I would", we recognise the risk each has taken and the reward each has won. And we are completely and utterly satisfied.
I just don't feel that Imagine Me & You succeeds in the end. I liked the characters and hoped they'd wind up together. But there was no real tension in the ending. The fact of the matter is, there isn't that much at stake. Luce had stated her love for Rachel and ended the relationship only because she did not want to interfere in Rachel's marriage with Heck. Rachel has already declared her love for Luce and allowed her relationship with Heck to end, thus removing the final barrier keeping her and Luce apart. The only step that remains is communicating that fact to Luce, who is in a taxi heading out of town. What's at stake? In the end, there is no real risk to either. It's a foregone conclusion that, once Rachel gets it across to Luce that her marriage is over, they will end up together, even if Luce does manage to leave town for a couple of months.
No matter what Parker does to try to ramp things up (and I would argue his efforts are ineffective) the simple fact of the matter is — there is no tension left to play out. There is no reason for Luce to reject Rachel at this point and no chance that she will. The climax of the movie is, in fact, the confrontation between Rachel and Heck, the moment where we wonder if Heck will decide to stay in the marriage despite Rachel's indiscretion or end it, thus setting Rachel free to pursue true love. And that scene is so remarkably underplayed and undervalued by the writer/director that it comes and goes almost without notice. Whatever tension the viewer might have felt is left completely untapped.
All of that being said, Imagine Me & You is still a decent little movie. I know, I know. I'm a sucker for romcoms. I think Perabo and Headey have a nice chemistry so I'm willing to like this film. It's no Kissing Jessica Stein, to be sure, but it's still a pretty good deal for $5.
Not surprisingly, at least for me, the first one I chose to watch was the romantic comedy, Imagine Me & You. Starring Piper Perabo, Lena Headey and Matthew Goode, the movie must have been in and out of theatres fairly quickly for me to have missed it. I don't know much about any of the stars nor have I heard of the writer/director, Ol Parker, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. All the comments on the case were positive and, having very much enjoyed Kissing Jessica Stein, I was interested to see what they would do with the same-sex relationship.
Imagine Me & You is the story of Rachel (Perabo), a sweet young woman who seems destined to a "happily ever after" story with her long-time friend and new husband, Heck (Goode). Her life becomes instantly complicated when, as she makes her way down the aisle toward wedded bliss, she exchanges a brief but electric glance with Luce (Headey), the woman who is supplying the flowers for the event. After the wedding, their lives slowly intertwine and, as her marriage falters, Rachel's infatuation with Luce grows. Rachel fights her feelings by trying to inject some steam into her married life but, when that fails, she finally gives in to "true love" and takes up with Luce.
Just as that love relationship begins, however, Rachel overhears Heck wax poetic to Luce over how he's failed Rachel and how the problems in their marriage are all his fault. Guilt-ridden, Luce ends the relationship with Rachel. Guilt-ridden too, Rachel tells Heck that she's had a brief affair (leaving out the fact that Luce is her lover) in hopes of coming clean and starting anew. Heck can't handle the news and leaves. Suddenly free to pursue her heart, Rachel runs to Luce who, in despair at the loss of her one true love, has already left for an extended vacation. Will Rachel catch Luce before she flies away? Will everything end happy (at least for Luce and Rachel)?
It's a fairly standard romcom story. It comes complete with the cranky parents whose relationship needs mending, the womanizing best friend who turns out to have a heart of gold and a soft spot for marital bliss and the cute little sister who tends to offer just the right innocent question at just the right time to help the characters along.
Parker chooses not to confront, in any meaningful way, the challenges that are likely to arise when a young married woman suddenly announces to her friends and family that she is turning her back on her husband and the comfortable life he represents for a same-sex relationship with a woman she has known for a very short time. Sure, Rachel's mother objects to her sudden apparent change in sexual orientation but her mother is such an unhappy character that her concerns are lost in a sea of misery that is her life. Maybe it's good that popular cinema has progressed to the point where it can now present a same-sex relationship without batting an eyelash but the film's climax might have been stronger, with more at stake, if the viewer felt that Rachel risked losing at least some of her friends and family by pursuing true love with Luce at the expense of Heck and her marriage.
The performances are good: Perabo is cute and sweet and happy at all the right times and does a fairly nice job of conveying the conflict she feels as she discovers that her comfortable existence with Heck is not, in fact, true love but merely a strong friendship; Headey is very good as the uncompromising Luce, doing a nice job in keeping Luce human and loving while avoiding the pop-culture tendency of portraying gay and lesbian characters as mere cliches rather than fully-rounded human beings; and Goode is as flat and boring as he needs to be to help us understand, in such a short film, what is missing from Rachel's life.
The direction is not bad. There's nothing really fresh or new here; in general, Paker just stays out of the way and lets the story and acting hold the spotlight.
Unfortunately, one of the real weaknesses of the film is that it offers very little that is new:
- Rachel's parents have been lifted straight out of Wimbeldon;
- Rachel's friend who claims she was promised that being a bridesmaid meant she was guaranteed sex (only to be disappointed) is a pale shadow of the same character from Four Weddings and Funeral;
- the little sister is an amalgam of every child that ever appeared in a romcom, meaning she is a far cry from the complex and complicated young son of the Liam Neeson character in Love Actually;
- the womanizing best friend (played quite nicely by Darren Boyd) is the reincarnation of Paul's cousin Ira from the TV sitcom Mad About You; and
- the dialogue about the possibility of love at first sight, the thought that true love is marked by a "thunderbolt" moment, was done far better in Four Weddings than it is here.
As all romcoms inevitably are, however, Imagine Me & You will be judged on the effectiveness of its rising action and climax. Let's face it: no matter how strong the characters, no matter how intricate the plot, no matter how good the performances, if the ending isn't gripping and, finally, completely gratifying, the movie doesn't work. See, for example, Must Love Dogs, a pretty good movie that falls to pieces because of a terrible final act.
For that final act to be effective, it must be filled with tension. The stakes must be extremely high — the future of the romance must truly and irrevocably hang in the balance. When done best, the risk to the relationship must come, not so much from circumstances, but from within the characters themselves. The main character must put him- or herself entirely on the line, preferably in a very public way, must risk everything in order to try to save the relationship. And as the main character puts herself out there, the viewer must recognise that the other character has good reasons, plausible, justifiable, understandable, for saying no, for turning her back on the main character and the love she offers. There must be risk on both sides and sacrifice too.
The best ending I've ever seen takes place in Notting Hill, where Anna comes to William to ask, humbly and in a very vulnerable way, for the chance to earn his love again. William, already emotionally battered, instead responds rationally and refuses her request, intent on saving himself further pain. Knowing that she has wasted her one chance at true love, Anna smiles through her disappointment, kisses him on the cheek while whispering "good decision, good decision" and walks out of his life forever.
The film could have ended there and been emotionally satisfying (and, of course, devastating as well) for the viewer. Anna took the risk, allowed herself to be emotionally vulnerable in her effort to save the relationship, and William quite properly refused.
But William is an eternal optimist. It's not in his nature to turn his back on the the possibility of true love. After consulting his friends, he rushes into downtown London intent on finding Anna and attempting to undo the pain his rejection has now caused her. He finds out she's heading back to America immediately following one last press conference. His only chance to see her, to try to set things right, will take place in front of hundreds of reporters with their cameras literally rolling.
It's a beautifully filmed, perfectly acted scene of emotional risk on the parts of both main characters. William must somehow communicate to Anna that he was wrong to reject her, that he is willing to take a chance on their relationship, all with the reporters hanging on his every word, not knowing who he is. Anna must, under those difficult circumstances, first understand his message, then consider whether or not she can put aside the hurt and humiliation his recent rejection has caused her and trust him again, then communicate her own response back to him, once again with the fourth estate listening closely.
The viewer knows that everything hangs on this single moment. We recognise the hurt each character has endured and the risks they have both taken in an effort to save the relationship. The viewer wants them to succeed but would understand completely if either one decided, no, the risk and the pain are too much. So when William asks Anna, in coded language, whether she would reconsider, we know what's at stake and we care deeply about the response. And when Anna says, quietly, almost shyly, her face betraying the emotions she is feeling, "Yes, I believe I would", we recognise the risk each has taken and the reward each has won. And we are completely and utterly satisfied.
I just don't feel that Imagine Me & You succeeds in the end. I liked the characters and hoped they'd wind up together. But there was no real tension in the ending. The fact of the matter is, there isn't that much at stake. Luce had stated her love for Rachel and ended the relationship only because she did not want to interfere in Rachel's marriage with Heck. Rachel has already declared her love for Luce and allowed her relationship with Heck to end, thus removing the final barrier keeping her and Luce apart. The only step that remains is communicating that fact to Luce, who is in a taxi heading out of town. What's at stake? In the end, there is no real risk to either. It's a foregone conclusion that, once Rachel gets it across to Luce that her marriage is over, they will end up together, even if Luce does manage to leave town for a couple of months.
No matter what Parker does to try to ramp things up (and I would argue his efforts are ineffective) the simple fact of the matter is — there is no tension left to play out. There is no reason for Luce to reject Rachel at this point and no chance that she will. The climax of the movie is, in fact, the confrontation between Rachel and Heck, the moment where we wonder if Heck will decide to stay in the marriage despite Rachel's indiscretion or end it, thus setting Rachel free to pursue true love. And that scene is so remarkably underplayed and undervalued by the writer/director that it comes and goes almost without notice. Whatever tension the viewer might have felt is left completely untapped.
All of that being said, Imagine Me & You is still a decent little movie. I know, I know. I'm a sucker for romcoms. I think Perabo and Headey have a nice chemistry so I'm willing to like this film. It's no Kissing Jessica Stein, to be sure, but it's still a pretty good deal for $5.