Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Spoiler Warning

Okay so I saw The Holiday for the first time last night. And it's been bothering me ever since.
It wasn't the fact that it was a chick flick, or that it was a terrible movie. In fact, this movie had a lot of really great things going for it -- Kate Winslet and her whole story, the fact that Jude Law is a dad and not a player, Kate Winslet, the old man, the settings of Surrey and Los Angeles (England and LA in one film.. love it).... all good things that I really enjoyed. Most impressive was the realistic (in a sense -- how "real" are chickflicks anyway) nature of Kate Winslet and Jack Black's story and how they don't immediately fall into bed, but grow in their relationship... really refreshing and wonderful roles for both Winslet and Black.
So that's all good.... but what irked (urked? erked?) me was the other story line -- between Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Graham (Jude Law). On their first encounter, they jump immediately into bed because she says that he's drunk, really attractive, and probably won't remember her so why not just have sex? What kind of screwed up logic is that? Then they sleep together again (but not have sex)..... after this, they decide that they might want to start a relationship. Then after making out through most of the movie, they have sex again, after which Graham tells her that he loves her. She never really says that she loves him back. And in the end, she stays in London for New Years and they're a happy couple and we're all supposed to be happy for them that it's going to work out and they're going to be a wonderful couple.. Granted, one should be used to misguided morals in chickflicks and it should be no surprise that sex is involved (and it isn't).. but maybe what got me frustrated was that this story was right along side the other one, which was so healthy in its portrayal, and both were presented as good "this-is-all-going-to-work-out" relationships.. I mean, for heaven's sake, Amanda actually cries over Graham!! It's got to mean that it's going to work!! :S But how messed up is the relationship between these two?? I mean, before they even are in a relationship or acknowledge that they'd like to start one, they've had sex... and when he finally says that he loves her, they've already had sex a number of times and slept together a number of times. And this relationship is supposed to be complicated, but healthy??? I know that this is normal in our society, and I guess I wouldn't be so frustrated with it if the other relationship wasn't alongside of this one... but it made me mad. What kind of model are they presenting here?
Okay, I should stop and work on my presentation for class. But I just needed to vent.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Completely agreed.

The whole cameron diaz/jude law storyline was bogus and awful and is to blame for the movie being so bad. Aside from the perks of seeing the British countryside in the flick because of that storyline, the whole movie should have focused on Kate Winslet and Jack Black and the old man. That was purely delightful.

I do not understand what the filmakers were on when they released this movie. Did they actually think it was good??????

This film had served as fodder for many a heated and frustrated discussion with with my girlfriends and I...don't you just love bashing bad movies?!?!

Anonymous said...

I second that!
sonja took the words right out of my mouth...
cathy