Day 21 - The Wedding Singer
First Impressions:
I've always held a special place in my heart for "The Wedding Singer" and this viewing was no exception.
I wonder if it's the music. I saw "Atomic Blonde" and absolutely loved it, though upon leaving the theatre realized the soundtrack played a pivotal role in my rave estimations. I love stylized violence set to music I like; it was even better than "John Wick". "Atomic Blonde" was the amuse-bouche I needed to crack the top 10 of this list.
Does "The Wedding Singer" remain timeless like "The Notebook" because it was written looking back at a decade that has passed? Nothing will change in terms of technology and fashion whereas setting something 'now' can make a movie feel dated 10 years down the line from whenever 'now' was - I'm looking at "He's Just Not That Into You" with the MySpace reference. Hindsight allows gems like, "...Please get out of my Van Halen t-shirt before you jinx the band and they break up" to shine, or the drama-ntic irony of the photographer who knows that couples will be together forever, like Donald and Ivanna, or Woody and Mia.
Personal Reflections:
"If you find somebody you can love, you can't let that get away."
"The Wedding Singer" places marriage as the ultimate goal, with both Robbie and Julia heading the direction of matrimonial bliss at the beginning of the movie. Sammy says despite appearances, he is looking for marriage because he wants someone to hold him and tell him everything will be alright. He adds that, marriage makes sense because, "...no one wants to see a fifty-year-old guy hitting on chicks." Despite marriage being a goal, this didn't have the pressure of "He's Just Not That Into You" where the characters are trying to snare a man into marriage. Marriage is synonymous with finding the right person. The person who lets you have the window seat during a plane ride. The person you want to grow old with.
"The Wedding Singer" feels like a meditation on how you know someone is the right person. Rosie adds, "You'll know when you meet the right girl because it's not about how you feel about her but how she makes you feel about yourself." In my core of cores I feel like these are atomic truths. This is a movie you watch when you're not sure if you're with Glenn or Robbie. Another thing to consider: you also may not want to be Julia Guglia. I knew Glenn wasn't right when he said he planned the wedding in summer so 'Miami Vice' would be in re-runs.
Glenn has a viewpoint similar to Bradley Cooper in "He's Just Not That Into You": he wants to marry Julia because he doesn't want to break up. She has paid her dues and been with him for 4 years AND before he made his money. We're back in the debate of 'meant to be' versus 'security'. Julia and Robbie choose 'meant to be'. Glenn, Linda, and Holly choose security.
Glenn and Linda are 'Left Soles' but we don't feel sorry for them because they are not sensitive romantics like Robbie and Julia. I didn't really wonder what happened to Glenn and Linda; Glenn would likely become the fifty-year-old guy hitting on chicks in his Don-Johnson-gull-wing-door getup. Linda would end up in a loveless marriage, shackled with some kids, cheating on her husband with a guy like Glenn. I believe they will add great texture to the sad souls of 'Left Soles'.
Maybe I'm getting old, but what made me say 'awww' was Robbie's relationship with elderly women. Adam Sandler has always had a grandma in his movies, which isn't so common and his characters have really sweet connections with these women who are wise and surprise us with their sexuality. I'm going to add to the list that a guy who has a good relationship with his grandma is a keeper. This is a guy who is aware of what growing old entails and promises to "...carr[y] you around when your arthritis is bad." How romantic is that? They didn't show it in the movie, but I suspect Noah may have been close to his Grandma in "The Notebook".
Rom-Com Tropes:
1. Ends with a wedding.
2. If her fiancee is a jerk, stealing her away is strongly advised.
3. Grand gesture - Tracking down a girl and then playing a song you wrote on Billy Idol's guitar while Billy Idol blocks her fiancee from trying to pummel you.
Soundtrack:
A++. 'Grow Old With You' must be on the list of most-played wedding songs. It's eloquent and surprisingly challenging to play. I haven't yet mastered the B#m to C#m chord change.
I've always held a special place in my heart for "The Wedding Singer" and this viewing was no exception.
I wonder if it's the music. I saw "Atomic Blonde" and absolutely loved it, though upon leaving the theatre realized the soundtrack played a pivotal role in my rave estimations. I love stylized violence set to music I like; it was even better than "John Wick". "Atomic Blonde" was the amuse-bouche I needed to crack the top 10 of this list.
Does "The Wedding Singer" remain timeless like "The Notebook" because it was written looking back at a decade that has passed? Nothing will change in terms of technology and fashion whereas setting something 'now' can make a movie feel dated 10 years down the line from whenever 'now' was - I'm looking at "He's Just Not That Into You" with the MySpace reference. Hindsight allows gems like, "...Please get out of my Van Halen t-shirt before you jinx the band and they break up" to shine, or the drama-ntic irony of the photographer who knows that couples will be together forever, like Donald and Ivanna, or Woody and Mia.
Personal Reflections:
"If you find somebody you can love, you can't let that get away."
"The Wedding Singer" places marriage as the ultimate goal, with both Robbie and Julia heading the direction of matrimonial bliss at the beginning of the movie. Sammy says despite appearances, he is looking for marriage because he wants someone to hold him and tell him everything will be alright. He adds that, marriage makes sense because, "...no one wants to see a fifty-year-old guy hitting on chicks." Despite marriage being a goal, this didn't have the pressure of "He's Just Not That Into You" where the characters are trying to snare a man into marriage. Marriage is synonymous with finding the right person. The person who lets you have the window seat during a plane ride. The person you want to grow old with.
"The Wedding Singer" feels like a meditation on how you know someone is the right person. Rosie adds, "You'll know when you meet the right girl because it's not about how you feel about her but how she makes you feel about yourself." In my core of cores I feel like these are atomic truths. This is a movie you watch when you're not sure if you're with Glenn or Robbie. Another thing to consider: you also may not want to be Julia Guglia. I knew Glenn wasn't right when he said he planned the wedding in summer so 'Miami Vice' would be in re-runs.
Glenn has a viewpoint similar to Bradley Cooper in "He's Just Not That Into You": he wants to marry Julia because he doesn't want to break up. She has paid her dues and been with him for 4 years AND before he made his money. We're back in the debate of 'meant to be' versus 'security'. Julia and Robbie choose 'meant to be'. Glenn, Linda, and Holly choose security.
Glenn and Linda are 'Left Soles' but we don't feel sorry for them because they are not sensitive romantics like Robbie and Julia. I didn't really wonder what happened to Glenn and Linda; Glenn would likely become the fifty-year-old guy hitting on chicks in his Don-Johnson-gull-wing-door getup. Linda would end up in a loveless marriage, shackled with some kids, cheating on her husband with a guy like Glenn. I believe they will add great texture to the sad souls of 'Left Soles'.
Maybe I'm getting old, but what made me say 'awww' was Robbie's relationship with elderly women. Adam Sandler has always had a grandma in his movies, which isn't so common and his characters have really sweet connections with these women who are wise and surprise us with their sexuality. I'm going to add to the list that a guy who has a good relationship with his grandma is a keeper. This is a guy who is aware of what growing old entails and promises to "...carr[y] you around when your arthritis is bad." How romantic is that? They didn't show it in the movie, but I suspect Noah may have been close to his Grandma in "The Notebook".
Rom-Com Tropes:
1. Ends with a wedding.
2. If her fiancee is a jerk, stealing her away is strongly advised.
3. Grand gesture - Tracking down a girl and then playing a song you wrote on Billy Idol's guitar while Billy Idol blocks her fiancee from trying to pummel you.
Soundtrack:
A++. 'Grow Old With You' must be on the list of most-played wedding songs. It's eloquent and surprisingly challenging to play. I haven't yet mastered the B#m to C#m chord change.
Comments
Post a Comment