Jul. 18, 2004 - 8:27 pm
i hadn't had a huge urge to see this previously, but i knew when i walked into Blockbuster yesterday I was going to rent this movie. this and one other one in particular if they had it. by the way i do usually despise Blockbuster because of their lack of hometown atmosphere and unwillingness to bend in any situation. plus they charge an exhorbitant amount to rent videos. Jill and I are considering now going with the whole Netflix phenomenon, but we want to read up on it a bit more. it seems like a pretty sweet deal. you know, if you aren't getting free rentals from a library and whatnot.
so Something's Gotta Give. yes. this movie is basically a romantic comedy. it stars Jack Nicholson as a bachelor who even at 63 years old has never been married and still manages to date dozens of beautiful women between the ages of 20 and 30. unrealistic? probably, but he is the owner of a hip-hop record label and a few other businesses so that helps with the believability factor i think. he goes out to his young girlfriend's beach house and meets her mother, played by Diane Keaton. they are both fairly disgusted by each other but they end up having to spend a lot of time together when Nicholson's character, Harry, has a heart attack and is told by his doctor that he can't travel. Erica, played by Keaton, is a famous playwright and had previously resigned herself to being a lonely divorcee. the unusual manner of Harry and his keen interest in her seem to break down those walls she had built up and she ends up falling in love with him. Harry starts to fall in love with her too and it scares him because it threatens the lifestyle he loves so much, as well as his usual picture of the "ideal" woman for him. it takes everyone a while to figure out exactly what they want in life sometimes.
i liked the fact that these characters were written with Keaton and Nicholson in mind. it definitely shows in their performances. i did actually have to stop for a moment during the movie and marvel at just how well Diane Keaton was doing. her character is wonderfully rich and complex and has so many different thoughts and emotions going through her at different points in the story. she expresses them all flawlessly. i'm not surprised that she won the Golden Globe for her performance in this film.
i would say that this film presents the traditional romantic comedy plot in a non-traditional manner. it mixes characters of very different age groups and types. it questions power roles in relationships as well as other traditions. it's a movie that makes you think and then calls you an idiot for thinking about things too hard. it's a fun movie to watch and i think most people will get a kick out of the characters as well as a lot of the dialogue. it's good stuff.
in other news, the movie Garden State is coming out in August. when will it arrive to smaller cities like Knoxville and Colorado Springs? that remains to be seen. hopefully Jill and i will get to see it during my trip to the Springs early in the month. in case anyone's interested, Natalie Portman will be appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman (as usual) on July 29th. we should all be sure to watch. i know i will.