August 13, 2013
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When You Get a Chance, See Blue Valentine
I would just like most of you to know that I, as a man, don't have anything against romantic movies. I have nothing against ones that make you cry or the ones that warm your heart or the ones that are depressing. Except that, I like the romantic comedies to actually be funny and the stories to be a little less saccharine.This goes against my appreciation for fiction, but I guess I like love stories to be realistic. That's why one of my favorite movies having to do with romance teeter totters between The Last Kiss, The Best Man, and Shortbus (well, that doesn't count as a romantic comedy much, but it does make some bit of sense to me). The female vision of the perfect guy or them tripping like crazy trying to get him just doesn't do it so much for me. I need either some truth or some actual warmth. Blue Valentine goes so far as to give me it all.
If anyone has ever seen the movie, I would understand their vision of it being kind of cynical about love in general. It actually isn't. Just a meditation of how what can feel like love now, later may be a series of sticks into the spokes. Yes, there are some sex scenes that look a lot like they weren't simulated, but those parts of the movie are slightly significant to the story. Ryan Gosling plays a mover named Dean who meets Michelle Williams' Cindy through moving some people's stuff into their homes. Cindy was taking care of her ill mother, and Dean was basically looking to drag her out of a relationship rut. The story teeter totters between them at the peak of their relationship and their relationship in, say, 5 years.
That's only the middle story, before that, you get to see Cindy's story of her romantic failures, insinuating that the girls tend to give up on the likely thing because of their run of men that weren't for them. Basically, what Blue Valentine seems to be is a view of their past, present and futures in love. I would explain more, but to actually understand, you may have to see the movie.
I really enjoyed watching the movie because, as a person who is constantly interested in learning about love and what to expect from it, this movie pulls no punches with their story (dang near a social documentary) about love from now to later, and the lesson that some love starts off sweet and charming, but it doesn't always continue sweetly.
Comments (7)
Welcome back BlueSky. Long time no datingish! how are you? (and it's good to see you)
@DenimPants@xanga - Thanks, man! I've been pretty uninspired these days. Trying to get back into blogging, but my thoughts have been pretty clouded, especially in the topic of love and relationships. These blogs are hella old, though! Heh! Now that I am in a relationship, I can think of plenty of more things to write about now. Stay tuned!
It was an okay movie overall, but relative to Gosling's other films, it was one of his best. It illustrates the anatomy of a failed relationship very well, but the characters are too one dimensional and highly underdeveloped. I really don't like how they demonized Cindy's character and made her into some perpetually grouchy high maintenance bitch who gets angry over petty nothings, while Gosling's character is this ever devoted hopelessly in love blue collar worker with one slight character flaw of jealousy. Come to think of it, most of his roles have been mostly the same: he always portray the gray anti-hero hopeless romantic underdog from lower social class with a bad boy persona. Sometimes he's a player (crazy stupid love), sometimes he's on the sideline working for criminals (drive), but all his character always have some psychologially wounded core masked by a bad boy appearance. Yawn. I hope his manager/publicist takes note and encourage him to break out of the typecasted roles and do some more diverse flicks with his talent.
@nepenthium - Have you ever seen Lars and the Real Girl?
It was her grandma not mom. I'm pretty positive. Also about a persistent young man who got the affections of a young woman who when she got pregnant, do what most people do and decided to get married. He was so in love with her and she didn't want to be alone. And here was this guy saying he'd take care of them all. So she takes a safe route to decide about 8 years later she isn't happy with this guy who has no ambition for himself. She is the breadwinner and in the end she is taking care of him. She's falling out of love with him. So the movie is about relationships and their natural struggles. Say like falling out of love with an ambitionless man. It is a great movie. However painful. That there is more to relationships than the perfect beginnings. For this movie, that getting knocked up and married to someone you're unsure of just cuz you're scared is stupid. She ended up being so repulsed by this man in the end.
@Jenny_Wren@xanga - yep. pretty good movie but still very gosling-style (though he is the village idiot instead of a bad boy there). Come to think of it the story is too selfish. The town people were so nice and kind to him throughout his delusional stage but what does he really do in return? by merely existing as himself, the loveable bumbling idiot? Potentially a great plot but poorly executed
@nepenthium - I came away thinking that the point of the movie was unconditional love for people who desperately need it. It wasn't so much about Lars, as it was about the towns people and how they are so gracious and merciful toward him. I came away wanting to be like them.
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