My Photo

FAVE FILM OF LATE

Stats & Etc.

  • All written content (c) 2005-2021 Billy Mernit, all rights reserved.

« Great Moments in Romantic Comedy #104 | Main | Room-splitters: Amelie at 10 »

Comments

J

I saw this movie in the theaters this weekend - mostly because I plan to marry Ryan Gosling - and while it was enjoyable, the Gosling / Stone storyline didn't do it for me.

There was nothing there...a sweet, vague storyline where neither of the characters are really fleshed out (except for Gosling's character's all-too-easy explanation for why he is who he is)...everything happened so easily for them. At the risk of sounding like a screenwriting shrew, I just really wanted MORE. Even one one long scene with them, hashing out something worthwhile.

I know the Carrel storyline was the "most important" - but as a young adult, I wanted something to grab onto with the secondary characters - but I couldn't. They just seemed so LUCKY...even in their "unhappiness," they weren't that unhappy...

I'd still cut off my left pinky to marry him, though.

mernitman

J, You just want Ryan for yourself! It's like, so obvious.

I agree that it's all a bit too easy. That's what makes it a Hollywood mooooovie...

Scott

Great post. I think the tone of the film also told us that we're going to have some fun here - remember the music-building slo-mo shots? - so just go with it, coincidences and all.

Screenwriter Dan Fogelman seemed to be saying, "A little latitude, your Honor, and ye shall be rewarded." And I was.

Scott

Christina

I read the script when it hit the tracking boards with big buzz about its price tag - I think Fogelman sold this for over a million, or something. I TOTALLY enjoyed the script. It had an element that is missing from today's rom coms - well-developed farce. The awesome third-act set piece finally showed me what a good set piece does - build or pay off a bunch of story lines in one comic chain of events. The script has a long setup but it all pays off in the end. I'm relieved to hear it worked for you, and I can't wait to see it in the theater.

Christina

I was wrong - I just read an interview on the WGA website with Dan Fogelman. They paid him $2.5 million for that script. HOLY COW!

mernitman

Scott: Yeah, I though the directors did a good job with enhancing and capturing the tone of the script. As For Mr. Fogelman's other good luck, see Christina comments.

Christina: Dept. of You've Got to Be F--king Kidding Me... 2.5?! Did he also hand over his first born child? That's just insane. Meanwhile, yeah, that third act pile-up was impressive. Maybe that's where the point-five came in?

ASFan

So how many truisms do you have?

mernitman

ASFan: How many you want? Seriously, though, I'm figuring to go a minimum of ten with this ongoing series, but it could end up as high as 20+.

ASFan

I'm just wondering because you did the first few of them within a close time of each other that I thought at certain time gaps between them that you did them. I'm not saying I don't enjoy them at all because I do.

Regarding the ensemble romcom idea, I don't consider this to be in the same league as Love Actually or those other ones because while the characters may have connections with characters in separate story arcs, their arcs don't collide in those.

Rob in L.A.

I saw “Crazy, Stupid, Love” yesterday and enjoyed it very much (hey, it’s a rom-com!).

I especially liked the scene where Cal (Steve Carell) helped Emily (Julianne Moore) to re-light the house furnace.

mernitman

ASFan: Arc collisions or no, it all feels ensemble to me, i.e. these are movies with multiple story lines involving disparate characters.

Rob: Yeah, that was a nice moment, especially in that it didn't have to lead to some gag or specific climactic plot point - it just did what it did, and resonated throughout what followed.

Rachel Hauck

Billy, do a post summing up all your truisms to date. I'm trying to follow them and remember!

Appreciate your insights.

Rachel

mernitman

Rachel: Thanks for the suggestion. Think I'll wait till I've hit #10, though, so that the list has a handier shape - I'm guessing you can can hang in there a little longer.

The comments to this entry are closed.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Billy's Books

Blog powered by Typepad
Member since 06/2005