Thursday Movie Picks: Friends to Lovers (Romance Tropes Edition)

 

For the sixth week of 2021 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We go into the second week of the Romance Tropes Edition of the series on the subject of friends to lovers as it’s a typical narrative where two people are longtime friends and then fall in love with each other. Here are my three picks:

1. If Lucy Fell

I have no clue on how Eric Schaffer even gets funding for anything he does as none of his projects are any good including this film from 1996 that he co-wrote, directed, and co-star as the lead with Sarah Jessica Parker as two lifelong friends who both make a pact to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge to their death if they don’t find their true love by the time they reach 30. Schaffer’s character finds himself being with Elle MacPherson of all people while Parker starts to date Ben Stiller as this quirky artist. The film also features an early film appearance from a young Scarlett Johansson who is one of the few bright spots in a really awful film.

2. Made of Honor

A silly rom-com that has Patrick Dempsey as a lifelong playboy whose best friend is Michelle Monaghan as he becomes tired of his playboy lifestyle while realizing he’s in love with Monaghan who leaves for Scotland for work only to comeback engaged to a wealthy Scotsman. Adding to the turmoil is that Monaghan asks Dempsey to be her maid of honor and hilarity ensues. It’s a harmless film that is funny while it also has Dempsey and his guy friends dealing with the chaos that women have to go through in being bridesmaids and maids of honor yet Dempsey’s character refuses to quit in professing his love for Monaghan.

3. One Day

Based on the novel by David Nicholls who also wrote the film and directed by Lone Scherfig is a film with a unique concept as it takes place mainly on a certain date of the year as it tells the story of a friendship that spans 18 years. Starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, it’s a film that has its moments though it does play into some of the worst rom-com clichés as they can’t stand each other at times while they also endure bad haircuts, awful relationships with other people, and eventually get together. Hathaway and Sturgess are good as is Patricia Clarkson as the latter’s mother though it’s a film that had a unique idea but plays it too safely.

© thevoid99 2021