MovieChat Forums > The Decoy Bride (2012) Discussion > I didn't see any legitimate reason for K...

I didn't see any legitimate reason for Katie to like James.

posted 11 years ago by Franco_Zed
8 replies | jump to latest

First of all, she barely knew him.

Second of all, he didn't do or say anything that showed he was a nice or fun person.

It made the story nonsensical, or portrayed Katie as being desperate: one or both of those things. If this is a romcom, then I think we're supposed to feel that they belong together at the end. If the ending is ironic and we're NOT supposed to believe that they belong together, that doesn't work for me either. This movie does not work for me as a film that is more complicated than a romcom, but if it's a romcom, it's a flawed one.

Other than that, I liked this movie. But I found it to be a rather large flaw.

My impression is that one of 2 things happened while writing and making this film:

1. They forgot to give Katie a reason(s) to be attracted to James.
OR
2. They were indecisive about what story they were telling.

Agree? Disagree? Other interpretations?

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[–] yogibear-3 11 years ago

Personally what I disliked was that the Lara seemed like a really sweet and lovely and well-rounded person who had genuine feelings for James. In a way it's refreshing because in most movies the woman the hero is with, who gets dumped for the heroine, is usually portrayed as such a bitch you wonder why the hero was with her in the first place. But considering the entire point of the movie is the audience watching and rooting for Lara's fiance to fall in love with and get together with another woman, and that the movie takes place almost entirely on her wedding day, it's a bit of a fail. I couldn't invest in James and Katie because I felt so bad for Lara.

[–] Franco_Zed 11 years ago

It's interesting that we have different complaints. I think our complaints may both stem from the movie being a little half-baked, or conceptually unfinished.

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[–] blaircam 10 years ago

I agree the dynamics of the relationships came off a bit under-done.
It was all so cute 'though I was prepared to forgive it.
Lara does come off as a nice person and I liked that part. She was a perfectly nice person (a bit weird for me and far too obsessed with the book) - but just wasn't right for James.

"They who... give up... liberty to obtain... safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

[–] nothingthere 10 years ago

Lara seemed more in love with the idea of James and not actually the man behind the book. She loved his book, so she felt that she was in love with him. And as the movie unfolds and keeps talking about how the book is a lie about Hegg, it parallels that Lara and James relationship was built on a lie of the book as well and reveals itself as the movie goes on as well.

"This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue about who killed who."

[–] nothingthere 10 years ago

I feel that the movie does go over this and gives some kind of reason as to why Katie likes James and the reason happens to be that James is her type. She even says that she goes for artsy-fartsy guys that are not exactly available, so of course she likes him. Perhaps she likes the challenge, but I think the movie explained it best that she does not want a simple life, she likes things a bit complicated and that is why she likes James and wanted to leave the island in the first place.

"This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue about who killed who."

[–] kay_cee_d 9 years ago

I really liked that Lara was kind of a great person. It made the feelings James had for Katie (who seems a bit odd) more genuine. Because love isn't just about who is a more awesome person, it is about who you love more. Lara may have been the "perfect" woman for James, but she wasn't the one that he felt that strong connection too.

[–] girlingreen 8 years ago

I felt sorry for Lara as she had built her "love" for James on a lie. She didn't know that he had made up the events of her favourite book. She would have resented James had they married and the lie was eventually exposed. She would have felt that she had put in so much effort to help with his writers block (the bunker, the quill shorts etc) that it might have made her bitter.
I'm not sure the photographer love interest is a good idea. He is infatuated with the idea of Lara, the glamorous figure in his shots. He takes private photos and listens to her voice. That's borderline stalker.

I liked David and Kelly's onscreen chemistry. Besides the shared Scottish brogue, they had a similar self deprecating sense of humour with killer zingers. They could be awkward yet comfortable around the other as well as cautiously sweet.

Much as I don't like the "falling in love in 2 days" trope, I'm glad that there wasn't the usual eye rolling sexual innuendo jokes or nudity flashes that tends to be the staple of romcoms these days. The characters were fleshed out even the secondary ones like the delightful inhabitants of Hegg.

Never confuse the impossible with the improbable

[–] Jes' Sayin' (5992) 4 months ago

Had exactly the same thought. Normally in these movies each half of the couple does something that really wins the heart of the other. Not here. It occurred to me that maybe the filmmakers think that we've all seen that so many times that they can just skip it and we'll get it. Maybe for some, but I think for a lot of us, that's kinda the heart of the story.