She lost me when she whined about love actually not having everyone living happily ever after in the end. I think she missed the whole point of the movie & that the very thing she hates is what makes this movie, for all its flaws (which I know have already been discussed in depth here), so much more beloved than your average rom com. Emma Thompson breaking down while listening to Joni Mitchell is not supposed to be amusing. It's supposed to be powerful and I think one of the best scenes in the movie & her storyline probably one of the best on a whole. Yikes. No wonder she didn't like it.
She lost me in her discussion of the dinner in Notting Hill, where the friends compare the problems in their lives. They do all listen to Anna with interest, but I don't think they think her problems are worse than theirs, ultimately.
I'm certainly not going to defend Notting Hill, which I enjoy but is mostly a bunch of fun ideas and characters in search of a less insipid plot. However, the point of that scene is merely that everyone has his or her problems, even famous movie stars, and that books shouldn't be judged by their covers. She's a human being and being rich and beautiful doesn't make your life perfect - nor make you less insecure. The ending of the scene makes clear that they don't think she has it worse, but they do feel a little bad that they didn't even consider that she might have problems - and that she might envy them their love and close friendships.
That movie, by the way, is worth the price of admission for the gorgeous scene of Hugh Grant walking through the market as the seasons change, scored to "Ain't No Sunshine." Makes my top-5 list of uses of pre-existing songs in film.
She lost me when she whined about love actually not having everyone living happily ever after in the end. I think she missed the whole point of the movie & that the very thing she hates is what makes this movie, for all its flaws (which I know have already been discussed in depth here), so much more beloved than your average rom com. Emma Thompson breaking down while listening to Joni Mitchell is not supposed to be amusing. It's supposed to be powerful and I think one of the best scenes in the movie & her storyline probably one of the best on a whole. Yikes. No wonder she didn't like it.
ReplyDeleteShe lost me in her discussion of the dinner in Notting Hill, where the friends compare the problems in their lives. They do all listen to Anna with interest, but I don't think they think her problems are worse than theirs, ultimately.
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly not going to defend Notting Hill, which I enjoy but is mostly a bunch of fun ideas and characters in search of a less insipid plot. However, the point of that scene is merely that everyone has his or her problems, even famous movie stars, and that books shouldn't be judged by their covers. She's a human being and being rich and beautiful doesn't make your life perfect - nor make you less insecure. The ending of the scene makes clear that they don't think she has it worse, but they do feel a little bad that they didn't even consider that she might have problems - and that she might envy them their love and close friendships.
ReplyDeleteThat movie, by the way, is worth the price of admission for the gorgeous scene of Hugh Grant walking through the market as the seasons change, scored to "Ain't No Sunshine." Makes my top-5 list of uses of pre-existing songs in film.
The market scene is one of my absolute favorite "passage of time" scenes in a film.
ReplyDelete"They Came Together" did this better.
ReplyDelete