Lightning never strikes twice in the same place? Only in Alabama.
This film is a good example of the differences between the tastes of critics and normal people. Critics tore the film apart and gave it poor reviews, but it was a box office smash and has become an enduring favorite. Since I consider myself a normal person, not a critic, I side with the viewing public.
So what do the critics hate? Romantic comedies are a film genre that's already cast in stone with basic rules that aren't deviated from. They're predictable. They're told from a woman's perspective, and we know from the beginning who she will end up with, however many disappointments and setbacks there might be on the way. Maybe, objectively speaking, this is a reason to criticise this film and the whole genre it belongs to. But moviegoers enjoy a feel-good film with a happy ending.
Melanie Smooter and Jake Perry are childhood sweethearts in Pigeon Creek, Alabama. They grow up and get married, but the fairytale romance doesn't work out. Melanie runs away to New York, changes her name to Melanie Carmichael and becomes a successful fashion designer. She dates the city's most eligible bachelor, the son of the New York mayor. When he proposes to her she rushes back to Alabama to clean up a loose end: she's still married to Jake.
Of course, as soon as Melanie and Jake get together we see the chemistry and know they'll reunite. Only someone who's never seen a romantic comedy before wouldn't see it coming. Predictable, but I'm not complaining. The film's strength isn't only in the romance itself. It contrasts the life of the big city and the small town. It contrasts the life of the North and the South. The North/South divide in the USA is something I never truly understood before I lived in America. The South may have lost the Civil War, but the nostalgia for the pre-war days is still strong 150 years later. Melanie finds herself realising how much she's missed when she treds the soil of Alabama for the first time in seven years.
Click here to view the trailer.
Incidentally, Charlize Theron was originally signed to play Melanie, but she jumped out at the last moment. This was lucky. I can't imagine anyone but Reese Witherspoone in the role.
When I mentioned this movie, I in no way expected that you would actually watch it, much less enjoy it. I am pleased to know there are actually guys out there who get the purpose of a romantic comedy. They are designed for us women without a doubt, but on the rare occasion that one comes along that we can watch with a man it becomes an instant classic. I like that you picked up on the contrast between the North and the South. Growing up as a child in the south was something that you have to experience to understand. I moved to the north as a teenager and have seen the contrasts first hand. It's nice that they were able to portray these contrasts so well in this movie. I was particularly surprised to learn about the casting change for the part of Melanie. This movie even with its well written storyline would not have captured my heart the way it has without Reese in the starring role. She made every one of us girls that watched this movie think, "Hey true love does exist."
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Dakota, and thank you for recommending this film that I greatly enjoyed. I hope you'll comment a lot in future. I look forward to hearing from you. I post almost every day, so keep checking back.
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