just a couple thoughts


this is a lovely, mainly credible little summer fling of a movie that i'm not at all ashamed to admit to liking a fairly great deal. (this, "They" say, is exactly my problem. f--k 'em!) - my favourite films are titles like "Heat", "Apocalypse Now" and other such violent, "manly" ruminations of treachery and malice; but, like with music, i really do genuinely like all kinds. Which brings us to this lovely...carefree... and very vanilla comedy that, as it stands right at this moment (it only just hit the credits, not five minutes ago) is among the very best i've seen from the genre... which, admittedly, i am not an expert of. Hell, MOST movies that are labelled as "romantic comedies" are pretty much nigh un-BEARABLE to me; especially latter-day ones that say, star Katherine Heigl or The One From "Friends"... or whoever.

What this movie has is a good heart, a good lead a GREAT setting. i mean... Tuscany + Point + Shoot = a beautiful film - it's just about that simple.

My only complaint? i sincerely think it sells itself far, far too short with it's climax. i'm talking about That Big Last Shot - the one that a good ninety percent of all films labelled as "romantic comedies" end on; everybody (EVERY. BODY.) sitting around a huge f--king table, and a romance, no matter how last minute or how unlikely, for EVERY SODDING CHARACTER IN THE DAMN THING. (That One Creepy worker who mumbled un-printable Polish exclamations of lust while staring at Lane? Check. We see him give a flower to some entirely random lady at the wedding.) And our resilient Hero? Who literally just said she got everything she wanted! and where the movie COULD have struck out on a comparatively bold path and left it at that: the complete reintegration of our protagonist into life, emboldened with new friends, family, everything... EXCEPT a man... but no. At the literal last minute, she meets a blandly handsome guy, and they immediately hit it off right there. and i GUESS he's handsome...'cause while i'm not at all above admitting so if a man is good looking or whatever; i have to leave the question of his appearance to the ladies, because THAT guy, in my mind at least, was very likely cast SPECIFICALLY for his entirely inoffensive, SAFE screen presence. James Dean he is not.

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Some good thoughts you have. She should have been by herself a while. But trust me when I say, the guy at the end.... VERY HOT!

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Don't forget, there was no happy romantic ending for Patty (woman w/baby), nor the crazy blonde. I think it's just Hollywood to end a movie with hope, especially for the lead. To be honest, I doubt Marcello had a happy ending, bouncing from fling to fling. Maybe great for him, but not truly fulfilling.

(And I thought the American writer at the end, Ed, was handsome. Thankfully woman go for substance, not outward appearances, anyway.)

-Jane

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Don't forget, there was no happy romantic ending for Patty (woman w/baby)


I think it was implied that Patti's new baby was her new-found love. This was demonstrated in the scene where Frances goes to see if Patti (and the baby) wanted to go into town with her, and she caught Patti lovingly dancing and singing to Alexandra. Frances chose not to interrupt, because it was a beautiful moment, and Frances realized then that henceforth Alexandra would always be the love of Patti's life. A romantic relationship down the road would just be icing on the cake.

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Don't forget, there was no happy romantic ending for Patty (woman w/baby), nor the crazy blonde.


I'm not going to give a movie credit for pairing up virtually everyone at the end, except for the gay character.

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Good review.

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