(Spoiler Alert)
I knew she'd end up with the poor guy because it's a very popular moral that's pushed on women in movies like this, to not take money into account when choosing a mate. The equivelent for men would be for them to give up the georgous woman and go for plain Jane. Right now I can't think of any movies where that happens.
I definitely see your point but, to me, there's a little more to it than that. She shouldn't take up with the millionaire just because he's a millionaire. He seems a little bit like a jerk to me. And though Tom seems like a nice enough guy, he's maybe a bit too focused on his work. Whereas it's pretty clear that Harry will love her and take care of her in every way.
And I can think of only one movie off the top of my head where the guy ends up choosing the plain Jane: "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" with Janeane Garofolo, though even there he chooses Uma Thurman first. Not to get all feminist, but I think that has something to do with the male fantasy that the only women worth being with have to look like supermodels. I figure most male audience members probably thought, "why in the world would any guy choose Garofolo over Uma Thurman?!" even though they're the better match.
Good point on The Truth About Cats and Dogs. About the choosing of Harry, didn't she worry that he wasn't responsible enough? It's important that women marry reliable men who will be good providers. It's just too bad she couldn't combine all three men into one.
shareI don't remember specifically if she worried about it out loud. I know that her dreams were all about how he wasn't going to work and he didn't care about money and all that. In the "real life" moments though, he didn't seem that irresponsible to me. I think she was so fixated on him not being that ambitious that she thought he would never amount to anything, though that really isn't the way I saw it. I thought Harry made it clear that he wanted to do well enough to support himself (and her) but didn't want his career to be all-consuming. Also, she talks about him not being able to afford a new car but he says he paid cash for his scooter, so I kind of took that as him being pretty responsible with his money (not being in debt).
Yeah, I think all three men had the one thing that the others were lacking. Tom had the ambition, Dick had the money, and Harry had the romance. Put all those things together and you'd have a perfect guy...though you wouldn't have a movie. :)
I think the story that gets pushed on impressionable young women by Hollywood,
cheap romance novels, soap operas, etc., especially in the "pre-feminist" era,
is that a poor woman will meet a rich man who will save her from her ordinary
life and take her away to a fantasy world of endless luxury. That's exactly the
plot of the movie she and Tom are watching at the beginning of this film, which
makes her believe that such a thing happens all the time. She almost ends up
settling for Tom, whom she's not in love with (the only bells she hears when they
kiss are those of the ice-cream man) but she's willing to marry him because
he would give her a good marriage and provide her with an endless supply of
appliances. Then she nearly runs off with the rich guy because she's been told,
by the silly movies she watches, that this is the opportunity that every girl
should seize.
It's a romantic, "feel-good" comedy; would anyone really feel good about her
if she ran off with the rich guy purely for money and leave cute Harry behind?
Noooooooo.
I'm not crying, you fool, I'm laughing!
Good analysis! And I would have been one of the audience members screaming "NOOOOOO" at the screen if she had ended up with Dick.
shareI think you're refering to the Cinderella complex. Yeah, that's the ultimate female fantasy, finding a romantic, loving rich husband so you'll never have to do menial labor again. This movie, OTOH, is more of a poor guy's fantasy, finding a gorgeous woman who loves you, even though most of these women tend to go for men who will be better providers (middle-upper class).
In reality, I'd prefer her to know all three of them well before she made her decision. I don't think anyone should marry someone they just met.
The reason why we want her to end up with Harry is because he promises to make her happy. And happiness trumps money....or so they say.
shareIts the typical situation of most women.
They think they deserve the rich guy
They are offered a future with the hard working guy
They choose the loser who doesn't work
The plot of Spike Lee's first movie"She's Gotta Have It" is very similar to this one. But Nola doesn't marry any of them at the end.
share