Monday, August 29, 2011

reality check



I've got loads of movies. It's a bit of a problem. Often I'll find a movie that I haven't seen, but am interested in watching... so I buy the movie. Most of the time, I end up enjoying the movie.. since most of the movies I buy are chick flicks and have happy endings. I'm a sucker for "Happily Ever After."


There have been a few times that I've purchased a movie, watched it, and hated it! I always give movies a chance. I'll watch it once, but I don't need to see it again after that. Sometimes the movie has got to grow on me, and when I'm forced to watch it again and again, I can start to appreciate it.


In my mind, a good movie is based off the ending. Granted, the plot of the movie can't be entirely awful and mind-numbing, but generally, if the antagonist of the movie gets caught, the protagonist and his love interest end up together, and the couple has a Fairytale ending, that movie is alright by me.


Recently, I was uprooted. Jane Austen. By my movie definition, her books/movies are perfect. "Becoming Jane." Great! I love Jane Austen movies. I heard it was good. It's $5. Sold! I put it on and prepared myself for a love story. Oh it was a love story, but it had the worst ending ever!!!


SPOILER ALERT


This movie was like a docu-drama of Jane Austen. She had a love story and I was loving where things were going. It had the classic... Guy 1 wants to marry her. She doesn't love him. Guy 2 wants to marry her. She wants to marry him. They love each other! Due to finances, it doesn't work and Guy 2 finds some other rich chick. He can't go through with it. He loves Jane! They plan to run away together. Here's where I started getting upset: Jane realizes Guy 2 would never be able to provide for her and all his siblings. He wants to work it out with her. She leaves him. She never gets married. Guy 2 does. He names his first daughter Jane.


You can see my frustration. I expected love and happiness. This was a literal love story. Many people enjoy these movies because they're able to relate. I say... Life can be crappy enough. Love is hard enough to find. I don't want to watch more hard life with no love.


After this movie, I was in a contemplative, slightly depressive mood. I couldn't shake the movie! It made me wonder, "Is real love out there?" "Can a perfect love even exist??" In the movie, Jane began writing "Pride and Prejudice." 


Her sister asks: How does it begin?
Jane: Bad
Sister: Then?
Jane: It gets worse.


I don't recall the direct quote, but Jane had referenced the characters in her books as getting everything they wanted. Jane's life was rocky. She had a chance for fortune. She turned it down. She had a chance for love. She turned it down. Jane did not get everything she wanted. It made me think... we're in control of what we get. We must live for today. Yesterday already happened. We can't change that. We never know what tomorrow will bring, or if it will even come. We can't live on maybes and ifs. IF these 2 stayed together and toughed out the hardships of life, maybe they still would have ended up in their prominent positions. Maybe they wouldn't have. It didn't seem like either of them were super happy or satisfied with where their lives had taken them.


My life began. Then it got worse and is continuing to do so. But I WILL end up with everything I want.

1 comment:

  1. I agree that "Becoming Jane" is not your typical feel good, happily ever after movie, but look how much it made you think. I like a movie that does that for me every now and then. (I just bought that one the other day too). Like you said, we can't change the past but you are in control of your future (at least to an extent). Miss you!

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