It's all about embarrasing moments, but in a way I thought most awkward moments were triggered by Meris's inability to socialize.
shareI think even if she would have been friendlier the differences would have been too great and the friends still wouldn't have been her friend. It might have worked at first, but eventually it would have waned.
shareNot really....and not sure why a guy like Mitch would be attracted to someone as socially stunted a Meris....They had nothing in common, she is not very attractive, does nothing to make herself pretty....she acts like a 6 year old painfully shy child. Hiding in the shadows. Doesn't appear to have any education, no social skills, and doesn't appear to have any motivation to change her pitiful life around.
shareyeah I didn't think it was realistic that he'd marry his weirdo secretary.
shareNot really....and not sure why a guy like Mitch would be attracted to someone as socially stunted a Meris
I felt a lot of empathy for Meris. I was in a long distance relationship for a couple years and got along great. Later I moved to where my significant other lived, and being around her friends really damaged the relationship. People act differently when they are around their friends, and it doesn't necessarily bring out the best in people. I can also relate very much to Meris' behavior - she's obviously pretty shy and introverted, or perhaps suffers from social anxiety or autism - but I can very much relate to her reaction. I thought that after a long trip in the car, it was a very unwelcome surprise to be greeted by a houseful of strangers when she would be tired and worn out from the drive. It immediately cast her as an outsider. First impressions can be difficult to overcome. I think she was also repulsed by the friends, and for someone who is a sincere person it can be very difficult to fake the sort of interaction the friends expected. Overall very realistic portrayal.
shareAt first, I didn't like the Meris character and completely liked the husband character. I found her off-putting, painfully shy persona to be cold and un-relate-able, but he seemed charming, sweet, and humble. However, as soon as she had that awkward "meeting-of-the-friends" interaction, I instantly empathized with her and hated him. How horrible to just leave her standing alone, practically outside the room, as a symbolical and literal "outsider" while he bro-ed out with his douchey friends, and left her to the pack of female wolves gnawing at her with random questions while the poor thing just stood there looking like a lost baby deer.
Lets be honest, that was a tough situation to navigate even if she had been Mrs.Charming. Not to mention the overwhelming fact of being "surprised ambushed" by a group of people SHE considers strangers. The husband should have been, yes excited and welcoming to his buddies, but understanding that his OBVIOUSLY shy/introverted wife was probably going to be dealing with it not-so-well, and maybe should have, I don't know, at the very least, had his arm around her, steering the ship away from the iceberg of social awkwardness!
I began to understand her more as a true introvert, and less as just a "Awkward/weird" girl, because she was capable of human interaction, just not like how some/or most do. Just because someone is a introvert, doesn't mean they aren't capable of intelligent/meaningful social interactions. Lot of reviewers said that the marriage between her and the husband was "out of place" like the two would never in a million years fall for each other. I disagree, I could see her being a really wonderful person to have a one-on-one conversation with, in a calm setting. She was always building him up, doing what she could to make him feel good, the dotting wife, great cook...it's not a stretch to think he would see her as that classic wife-role and fall for her to make himself feel good.
I just think any disdain felt toward her should be mostly blamed on him. He really didn't do anything (beside a few bedroom comments to basically shut her up about feeling so out of place) to help her ease herself into the group, and it was pretty selfish in the first place to put that insane amount of pressure on her to fit in with the old gang from high school.
Honestly though, did anyone really like a single person in that group? Don't think she was missing much.
Honestly though, did anyone really like a single person in that group? Don't think she was missing much.
Ummmm...yeah? I think this was the point of the film?
Great movie!