Romantic Comedies

Lately I have taken a slight interest in romantic comedies, yet I can't seem to figure out exactly why. I normally hate predictable movies, and romantic comedies are always predictable. There is always at least one guy and one girl who either have great chemistry or they think they hate each other; there is always some random problem that involves those two people; and in the end, they always end up together. The actors may use language to equivocate viewers into thinking something bad is going to happen, or there is some ruse that tricks most people for at least a few seconds. However, we all know that the final scene is going to be just fine, peachy in fact. 

So why so much interest in these cliche movies? 

No matter what time period, whether it's the late 18th century or present day, the feeling of love is always the same. It doesn't matter whether the setting takes place in some baroque building or in the middle of a deserted island because the viewer knows that there's some connection being made between the characters. It shows that love has no limits, and this is exactly what viewers want. Viewers want the feeling of extreme happiness even during the worst times or want to view the strife and hardships in order to achieve happiness. We want to watch a parvenu on screen who has risen from the dirt to the highest ranking in society, and we want to see that person find true love. 

The funny thing is, we do not think about what COULD happen after the story ends. We are left with a small hint that the couple falls in love and that they live happily ever after. We never think that a character could fall out of love. We do not think that there could be a divorce of some sort because of one character's perfidy. Viewers live to dream of such a perfect scenario; a scene that most likely would never come true. We want to watch something happen in a movie that wouldn't happen in real life; it is some sort of escape for everyone.

Sometimes I wonder how people can come up with so many different scenarios that all results in the same, happy ending. I've seen movies involving people who could make just about anything comestible (since they were chefs), and I've seen a movie where even an anathema is able to find love; she may be cursed, but somehow she still finds her soul mate. Weird, right?

In my opinion, there needs to be a moratorium of romantic comedies; maybe just for about half a year. There have been too many movies produced with predictable endings and feel-good finales. We need to realize that scenarios such as those will never really happen, and we need to produce movies that are more realistic. We shouldn't watch movies where there is always a happy ending because, well, life just isn't like that. Not at all. (But who am I to give such a suggestion? Whether I like to admit it or not, I enjoy watching these movies.)

I'm not trying to deprecate romantic comedies, since I know I'm guilty of watching them pretty frequently. I love the feeling of knowing that everything turned out right in the end, and I love seeing how random the scenes can get before the man and woman are finally together. I like watching how a man proposes in a surreptitious manner or when a person's choler (typically a woman) is completely gone after meeting the love of his or her life. I can't really disparage romantic comedies since I enjoy watching them; it would be like insulting my own interests. I enjoy seeing characters exorciate each other, but at the same time it only brings them closer together somehow. 

So what is my take on these movies? They may all seem similar, but I can't help but enjoy them. They're the typical "chick flicks" that we love watching, and we just can't get enough of them. Those moments where a major problem erupts and we find the characters in a seemingly implacable situation, just grabs the viewer. We all just want a little taste of a dream; even if it means watching it acted out on screen. 

Life

Let's all pretend for just one moment that cliques never existed, and we lived in a society in which everyone got along. Everyone would smile and laugh together...no, I can't even imagine such a place. Each and every person is too unique, too different, and in some cases, too alike. While one person may appear tawdry, another could be defined as a hector. There is always some cachet that defines one group from another, or a special argot only spoken by each group.

Some are annoying sycophants while others are malcontents. Those with whom we associate ourselves with would typically be called our "friends", but are they really? Do we define ourselves by whom we hang out with, by how we associate ourselves with one another, or by who we actually claim to be?

In my opinion, having a friend is almost like having a stepping stone. No, I don't mean it in the terms of "let's take advantage of our friends". It's something more cryptic. It should be seen more along the lines of social interaction and learning how to deal with the "uniqueness" of others. I think they call it"social interaction". It could be seen as some sort of test to see how high we can climb up the ladder in the social pyramid. 

But is life really about social interactions and cultural differences? I think everyone reaches the nadir of their life when they slowly realize what it means to be alive. It seems somewhat depressing, but I believe a person reaches the lowest point in their life when they finally realize just how short life really is. They begin to question their purpose in being here and some sort of reason they came to be here. They look for explanations that would solve the mystery of what exactly happens when we pass away, but there only answer would be result in fear. Would this be the time in our lives when we've fully maturely developed? Is this when we finally begin to gain wisdom? When people realize just how little time they have left, will they still be capricious?

There are two ways to deal with this point in your life. One either pretends to be ebullient, or they fall into a slump. When one falls into a slump, they tend to be laconic when answering questions or become withdrawn. Well, that's how I think of it anyway. I've seen people laugh about it, cry about it, and ponder about it. No one can stop it; it's as if someone or maybe something usurps our life. It is never fair, but we can never fight it or against it. 

So how does this tie in with thoughts about friends? Making friends and having fun, I think this is all just something to pass the limited time we have. We are forced to deal with society and live in it; we need to be a part of it. We learn to deal with our fears of death by remembering that everyone must give up their life (willingly or not). We ease our fears by thinking that we're all in the same boat. No matter who you are, where you're from, what you are, we all ultimately have the same fait. Death isn't meant to beguile us, but it does. 

We are taught to believe that there is a Heaven and Hell, and that our good or bad actions will determine where we go. How are we really to know? Who is to say? No one can come back and tell us where they have gone. No one has passed through the "pearly white gates" and came back (none that we know of anyway). It is all merely fantasy and dreams. We want to know that there is something beyond now. Something beyond, even all of us. 

With all of my thoughts on this sensitive subject, one could castigate me, but they could never prove me wrong; just like how I could never prove them right. Someone may strongly believe in one thing, while I strongly believe in another. We say the Bible is evidence enough to know there is a God, but where did that one book come from? Atheists, Agnostics, Christians, Jewish, Muslims, whoever or whatever you claim to be, no one can take that away from you. No one could really disprove your beliefs, but try backing them up with some substantial proof. Show me someone who's come back from the dead and can tell me where we all go when we pass. 

I feel as if I've been straying off topic, but it all seems somewhat relative (in a twisted sort of way). I am not trying to equivocate anyone into thinking or believing something other than what they believe. I merely believe I speak the truth, whatever the truth may actually be.