All tagged Romance
The current trend of coming-of-age LGBT teen comedies is creating real and relevant change for millennial teens, and it does my heart good. In the same vein as the recent release Love, Simon, the story focuses on the point-of-view of a closeted teenager.
Sick-lit has become a formidable genre of YA ever since the blockbuster success of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. It’s spawned similar books, films, and television shows, and there’s generally an element of romance attached.
The film touches on many themes, the central one being desperation. Each wants to leave town, start a new life, and be bigger than their claimed identities. When they’re not together it’s intensely depressing, and as an audience member you’re constantly gripped by panic and subtle strains of hope.
Trying to have a little self-awareness, I can say that I fit some of the stereotypes of this film, and with a humble attitude, I can also say I agree with some of this patronizing spoonfed morality. That being said, this film still sucks.
Allen has always had an interest in vintage 1920s appeal, whether it’s the detective novels of Raymond Chandler (The Curse of the Jade Scorpion) or the literary scene of Paris (Midnight in Paris), or the glamour and sophistication of Hollywood’s golden age (Café Society).
Field’s performance as Doris is simply joyful. She is a woman who is beginning again, blissfully innocent to the world around her, and yet she has suffered for decades, as she gave up her life to take care of her mother.
This film kind of peters out on its main theme (though it's about love addiction not sex addiction) immediately, in order to explore the characters and really focus on their relationship rather than making this a social issue film.
These flashbacks center around Mia’s on-again-off-again relationship with boyfriend Adam (Blackley), which pushes the film more towards relationship drama than supernatural drama. Though much of what makes this a tearjerker lies in Mia's ties to her family (and is the main conflict within the film) the action keeps coming back to this relationship.
This was an interesting film in terms of the chemistry between Russell and her leading men. Right after getting to the manor she meets and falls for a servant of the resort (McKenzie) who she messes around with while she is supposed to be engaged in other activities, like knitting and horseback riding. Halfway through the film I was unimpressed by this quick plot point, since it seemed a much better idea for them to slowly fall in love, build tension, and make the romance that much more intriguing.
It's not that the book is bad, but it often gets caught up in trying to be deeper than it need be. Though the book is unlike a lot of other fairly known teenage comedies, everything feels inauthentic, from the trashy dialogue to the meandering plot.
I’m not sure why we are rooting for them as a couple, especially when her ex has a new girlfriend, one that he seems to care about. He even tries to connect with his new girlfriend by having her meet his parents, and tells her her jealousy issues are ridiculous.
The characters are really well written and their romantic, as well as familial, relationships move the plot forward steadily. Still, there is very little that actually happens onscreen.
The overall concept is brilliant, and this is coming from someone who constantly talks to herself without another person on the other side. The execution is also great, except when it comes to Becky's overbearing husband.
