where: CINE ARTS @ PLEASANT HILL in Pleasant Hill, CA
when: Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
show: 7:00 pm
costs: $10.00 Ticket + $3.75 small Diet/Zero Coke = $13.75
auditorium: 1, The Cine Dome
seat: 7th row, 24th column
synopsis: Goofy girl meets nerdy boy.
In this pseudo-documentary, Charlyne Yi travels across the United States to interview people about Love. Never been in an actual "Love Relationship," she embarks on this personal quest to familiarize herself with this subject. In the process, we see a low-key, fresh and tender take on the Romance Movie genre.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) Kermit, the frog, and Miss Piggy; 2.) First boyfriend; 3.) The divorced man; 4.) Texas State University professors; 5.) First meeting with Michael Cera; 6.) Las Vegas wedding chapels; 7.) Oklahoma biker bar; 8.) L. A. Zoo; 9.) High school sweethearts in a long term marriage; 10.) The music store; 11.) Sunset walk at the beach; 12.) N. Y. gay couple; 13.) Amarillo, Texas judge and lawyer couple; 14.) The First Kiss; 15.) Psychic Ana; 16.) Get a Harley Davidson; 17.) Atlanta, Georgia kid's playground interview; 18.) The break-up; 19.) Paris, France; 20.) Toronto, Canada; and 21.) The chase.
audience reaction: The audience, mostly female, enjoyed this movie.
recommendation: This is an 180-degree turn from Sascha Baron Cohen's brand of pseudo-documentary. In as such, it turns out to be quite a refreshing change. It's got comedy, romance and a "feel-good" ending, what's there not to like ...? So, if you're looking for something new in the "Chick Flick" category, here's a good one to consider.
spoiler alert! In her interviews with strangers, Charlyne comes across as unpresentable, ill at ease and lacking the confidence to command attention. But, then again, this could all be just a part of her schtick.
fyi: When I studied Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology and Biology in College, I made a Pathetic Discovery about the whole of Humanity in all those field study movies on Animal Behavior which I, along with my fellow students, was required to watch: We are not evolved beings; we are all just lowly beasts when it comes to courtship and mating rituals! This is what I observed. The next time that you see someone "picking-up" or courting or seducing another, just think of animal behavior. Likewise, the process of mate selection among Humans is no different from that which I observed in the Animal Kingdom: Different Actors, Same Script!
The three lowest common denominators since Time-Immemorial have always been 1.) Self-preservation of one's own DNA; 2.) Sense of security/assurance if and whenever faced with Life's Uncertainties through collective strength and number ( i.e. mate, pack, tribe, resources, etc. ); and 3.) Preservation of the species. I've listed these three in their respective order of importance. Of course, this observation is based solely on heterosexual matings. But, even in homosexual unions, it is clear that the number two denominator, at the very least, holds sway and, in some cases, the other two denominators are re-introduced into the equation when some such couples opt for artificial insemination and/or adoption.
In my above-written objective exposition, I never once used the word, Love, because it is an abstract concept that cannot be dissected, quantified or labeled since it is subject to myriad interpretations. In other words, Love does not exist from a scientific point of view.
What about the other kinds of "Love" observed among couples ...?
Unconditional Love = I'm your "personal doormat"; please walk all over me as much as you'd like to. Thank you very much. You're always welcome, you know.
Unconfined Love = I love you enough to set you free and should you decide to come back, I shall be here waiting for you because I'm such a Big Loser.
True Love = Don't wake me up from my dream 'cause the world is such a nightmare.
May/December Love = I am exploiting you just as much as you are exploiting me.
One & Only Love = I can't have someone better so I guess I'm stuck with you.
Blind Love = I am so desperate that I guess you will just have to do.
Love At First Sight = I'm horny and you're horny so let's do it.
Obsessive Love = You're great in bed so keep it coming.
Unrequited Love = You ain't good enough for me.
Possessive Love = You're mine, Bitch!
Rejected Love = Don't stalk me!
Compulsive Love = Date rape.
Serial Love = I'm Da Playah.
I could just go on and on ....
I'm sorry for waxing so professorial but ... had Charlyne come to me first, I would have saved her so much in terms of Time and Gas Money!
Should I ever get married some day, such a marriage will be solely based on the above-mentioned denominators--and I'm willing to bet on this! ( P.S. I had a dream last week in which I'm supposed to get married sometime next year--it was a nightmare! This is more worrisome for me than the foreboding approach of December 21st, 2012. )
word of advice: Love can be Blind to All the Five senses, as well as to Reason. Think about it!
Leave only after Elvis, himself, has left the building ( in the very last scene ).
tidbits: My alternate title suggestion for this movie would be: PAPER CUT. Because paper, like Love, is not suppose to hurt but hurts a lot when it does!
The sexual allure of an Harley Davidson motorcycle is easy enough to demystify: It hums like a Giant Vibrator On Wheels!
Why does Miss Piggy douche with vinegar and water? Because Kermit, the frog, loves to eat Sweet and Sour Pork!
