Thursday, February 11, 2021

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
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10 comments:

  1. Ruth4:40 PM

    I've only seen One Day as I like Lone Scherfig's work. It's a good movie but it's so sad... man, that ending!!

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  2. Dell6:11 PM

    You got me on this one. I haven't seen any of them. That said, I have been meaning to see Made of Honor at some point.

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  3. Cinematic Delights12:27 AM

    Wow - If Lucy Fell sounds intense! What happened to the old 'we'll marry each other' instead of 'jump to our deaths'! I thought that was Bradley Cooper before I read it was Eric Schaffer.

    I haven't seen Made of Honour but One Day is a nice film. It feels very cliched in parts, like you say, but the soundtrack is lovely.

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  4. Sara5:37 AM

    I was One Day in the theater. I hated the ending! D:

    I just watched Made of Honor though. Decent.

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  5. Brittani Burnham8:25 AM

    I'm fairly sure I've seen One Day but I don't remember a thing about it.

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  6. SJHoneywell8:35 AM

    I haven't seen any of these.

    However, I did once win a Made of Honor poster at a midnight movie showing, so there's that.

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  7. Katy1:34 PM

    I didn't Patrick and Michelle were in a movie together. They're both good performers. I'll have to check it out, and haven't seen One Day yet either but I love Anne Hathaway.

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  8. Sonia Cerca7:20 AM

    One Day is the only I've seen and I hated the film as much as I hated the book.

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  9. Jay12:21 PM

    I've only seen the last one. I have too much dignity for the second and it sounds like I can continue to safely skip the first.

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  10. thevoid9910:10 PM

    @Ruth-It's an alright film though Scherfig has done better films. Italian for Beginners is a great example and a rare Dogme 95 that is well-made.

    @Wendell-Made of Honor is just one of those typical rom-com films but it's got its charm.

    @Cinematic Delights-It is a terrible film and the premise is awful as I wonder how the fuck as someone as untalented as Schaffer gets all of these people for these awful films.

    @Sara-Made of Honor is decent and fun.

    @SJHoneywell-Well, you could do worse except for anything Eric Schaffer does.

    @Katy-I love Queen Anne too and fuck all of her haters though she needs to be in better films.

    @Sonia-So the book was that bad?

    @Jay-Definitely skip it unless you want to see a young Scar-Jo 3:16.

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