Last class we discussed
the many different television show themes that networks have been producing
lately. Specifically, I remember Mindy Kaling mentioning the “Superhero Before”
genre because it makes up a large portion of what I like to watch, but also
because it has been ridiculously overdone. Then, we moved on to how Romcoms are
usually marketed toward women because of the societal norm suggesting that
women are more emotional than men, or at least, that women feel more
comfortable expressing their emotions than men. I agree with this, but I do
know that there are some guys out there, like myself, who are movie buffs and
are just searching for a good movie. (Also, was Forrest Gump a Romcom
marketed toward men? Seems pretty close to me.)
When I was younger, probably around fifteen or sixteen, I
realized that I have an affinity for movies. For about a month, instead of my
regularly scheduled Netflix binge series, I looked up the 100 best movies of
all time, took a look, and if I liked it, I watched it. One of those movies
that popped up as very highly rated was Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I didn’t
know anything about it other than that there was a great song written about it by
Deep Blue Something. I watched it when I was probably around seventeen, and
absolutely hated it. SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT: I thought it was so boring. I couldn’t
stand that there was this woman who was so clearly in love with the main
character, but still decided to chase after men with money because she was a
wild animal and “couldn’t be put in a cage” up until literally the very end. I swore
off the movie up until I think it was Tuesday of this week. I watched it again with
my suitemate Daniel. I liked it much better this time, not because Holly, the
main female character, seemed more morally sound, but because it had something
to say that I liked, and I’m not sure if it’s been lost in time, having come
out in 1961.
The movie uses a cat as a metaphor. The cat lives at Holly’s
apartment and they seem to have a pretty close relationship, yet she never
gives the cat a name. Toward the end of the movie, Holly decides to run away
seeking a rich lover from South America. The main male character joins her in
her cab. He says something along the lines of “Holly, you can’t go. I love you
and you belong to me!” I really loved this part because it begs a question
about relationships. If two people love each other, do they belong to each
other? Sadly, I have to say that in this day and age, the answer seems to be
no. With the rise of individuality, there has been a huge decrease in the quality
of marriage. Divorce completely ruins the purpose of marriage. “For better or
for worse.” The increased divorce rate indicates to me that something has
changed in our society so that we do not believe in love anymore. I have also
noticed that there are far fewer happy endings in movies as there were in
movies produced in the mid to late 1900s. Do we just not trust each other
anymore? I loved that we have progressed in our culture toward individuality
being seen as a virtue, but the hopeless romantic in me yearns for a day when
we still can “belong to each other” in a sense. Or does that defeat the purpose
of individuality? I hope not.
Other Romcom
recommendations from yours truly:
10 Things I Hate About
You
Crazy Rich Asians
To All the Boys I’ve Loved
Before
For starters, just wanted to mention that my parents named all their kids (except the youngest) after Audrey Hepburn characters...and I was named after this movie. :P
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I respect your opinion about movies. While I still haven't seen Breakfast at Tiffany's, it's true that plenty of movies nowadays have steered away from the typical "happy endings". I think it does reflect the fact that not every relationship ends all happily ever after with the increased prevalence of divorces and break-ups and affairs.
Finally, I love your passion for movies! I've seen all of your RomCom recommendations (although I've never considered myself a romcom buff - those recommendations are just so popular and so good). Also, your comment about the top movies of all time makes me want to watch Citizen Kane now.
I love that you took what we were reading and connected it to movies. I haven't seen Breakfast at Tiffany's but you made me want to watch it. I completely agree with you about the decrease in the quality of marriage. As someone who is also a hopeless romantic, it makes me extremely sad to watch people throw away relationships they've put so much time and effort into. I don't believe it's possible to fall out of love, I think people just give up trying to put the kind of effort in it takes to maintain a relationship. Also you could not have ended your post better. 10 Things I Hate About You is my second favorite movie of all time, right behind Dirty Dancing. I can tell from that recommendation you have great taste in movies.
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