Day 10 - Hitch

First Impressions:

"Hitch" offers classic rom-com fare in easy bites.  It's the kind of movie you can take a significant washroom break without missing much of the plot.

Who is this movie for?  Men?  Women?  I thought men because Hitch offers all sorts of strategies for how to win women.  But as a genre, rom-com is mainly for women.  "He's Just Not That Into You" is undoubtedly for women.  "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is for both.  I'm not sure about "Hitch".

Eva Mendes is married to Ryan Gosling.

Personal Reflections:

"90% of what you say doesn't come out of your mouth."

I am not sure how statistically sound many of the figures thrown around are.  I found myself questioning facts like 8 out of 10 women believe that the first kiss tells them about the relationship.  Possibly I am part of the 20%.  If you feel drawn to kiss someone, wouldn't you already be attracted to them and have an idea about the relationship?

"Any man can sweep any woman off her feet." I felt like this was a very bold statement.  Hitch clearly does not believe in the Ladder Theory.  In the movie Kevin James attains the affections of unattainable Allegra Cole, proving that even a clumsy man with no game can win at love.  Allegra Cole finds his blunders endearing and reads them as his way to make her feel more at ease.  I remain unconvinced love is as formulaic as the recipe for a rom-com.

Perhaps following a heavy tome like "He's Just Not That Into You", there wasn't much new ground tread here.  The story is based on Jane Austen classic, Emma in which the matchmaking protagonist ends up falling in love herself.  Drawing from the master herself, there is nothing glaringly WRONG about "Hitch".  The movie simply fails to take any chances, choosing instead to recycle the male body-waxing scene from "40 Year Old Virgin" without paying due credit.

The plot is simplistic and lacks any real depth.  It's a "Netflix and Chill" kind of movie.

Rom-Com Tropes:

1. Ends with a wedding.
2. Woman convinced she would rather be alone changes her mind when she finds a man who excites and challenges her.
3. There is someone perfect waiting for you.  It might be the rich and hot grandson of a woman choking on an olive at a friend's wedding.

Soundtrack:

1. One Thing by Amerie

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 23 - What Happens In Vegas

First Impressions: "What Happens in Vegas" in many ways is another formulaic rom-com, except that it incorporates an interesting construct in its plot.  If not for the framework of the prisoner's dilemma simmering beneath a medley of pranks, parties, and therapy sessions, this movie would be completely forgettable and a waste of time. Personal Reflections: "There are days I want to light [my wife] on fire, but I don't because I love her, and it's illegal." "What Happens in Vegas" offers a look at the transactional nature of marriage as well as how arranged marriages can be surprisingly functional, if not better than the alternative.  Joy and Jack are opposites - she's a detail-oriented trader on the stock exchange floor and he is an immature man-child fired from the carpentry company his father runs.  Fueled by alcohol and Vegas, they marry and win $3 million together.  When they try to divorce, the judge sentences them to 6 mont...
Read more

Day 22 - Under The Tuscan Sun

First Impressions: Diane Lane made "Under The Tuscan Sun" worth watching. Diversity!  Rather than the usual all-white cast (maybe a token black/gay bff), we have Sandra Oh as Frances' best friend and half of a lesbian couple.  The gay best friend trope is not entirely applicable here since Sandra Oh's character encounters her own drama when her partner leaves her while she is pregnant.  There was also an East Indian waiter.  I think there were Middle Eastern sales people in "The 40 Year Old Virigin". Personal Reflections: "Even though I'm old, my heart still aches." Like "As Good As It Gets", I was confused as to whom Frances would be with by the end of the movie, but unlike "As Good As It Gets", that was the point.  (If this was a murder mystery I would have been disappointed because it's the equivalent of someone you have never seen being the murderer.)  The point is that you don't need to run around cha...
Read more

Day 28 - Bridget Jones's Diary

First Impressions: "Bridget Jones's Diary" is a 200 level course with a prerequisite in Rom-Com 102 which is Jane Austen's contributions to the genre.  Drawing from " Pride and Prejudice" and starring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth, "Bridget Jones's Diary" just works. And not solely because it ends with a song by Van Morrison. Bridget works at 'Pemberley Press" and Colin Firth's character is Mark Darcy.  A surge of triumph for all the Jane Austen fans out there. "Bridget Jones's Diary" shows that sticking to an upbeat soundtrack full of motown classics is the way to go.  Pay heed, "Crazy, Stupid, Love". Personal Reflections: "I like you very much — just as you are" Like "Love Actually" Hugh Grant enjoys relationships with subordinates.  According to some psychologists, women prefer 'alpha males', men in positions of power or control who possess what are...
Read more