I agree with all your thoughts so much oh god, and you brought up things that I didn't think about much, even. How the whole point in the end isn't the kids, but the person you choose to have the kids with. Ugh I just love this movie so much. And yes about the last part - I know a lot of people were disappointed that he realized he was attracted to Julie due to a dirty dream, but it was that on top of losing her and on top of his immature male fantasy BS failing on him. He realized that his typical type didn't do anything for him in the end. Also I mean. I've had cases where a certain dream has made me feel a different way about a person. And I think dreaming it means it HAS been on his mind.
interesting, I didn't really think about the dream factoring in much at all. It seemed like even dating back to when they were in the delivery room together, the way he looked at her didn't feel entirely platonic, and it was just a matter of him growing up and recognizing it. And yeah, the dream is more just a symptom of what's happening, not a reason.
You know, I've been seeing tiny glimpses of negativity about this movie on tumblr for months, but I knew how much you loved it, and I was really clinging to that because I had such high hopes and I usually agree with your opinions on things. And I'm just so happy that carried over to this, because I really wanted to love this movie.
By the way, I went looking for your FWK thoughts, but I have no idea how to find anything on your tumblr. Is there a way to find a particular post without scrolling through pages? I remember a post in which you were defending the movie from some criticisms, and I was really curious, but I didn't read it because of spoilers.
oh god, I have like the least organized tumblr EVER and it'll be impossible to find, or it'll at least take forever. i doubt i tagged it as anything :(
I agree with pretty much all of this. Especially about wanting less of Jason's crass talk--I felt a little bit of that went a long way and the "Jason is a jerk" characterization was a bit much at one point.
Another thing I felt is that you could really tell that Adam Scott has young children--his interactions with the kids in the movie always felt completely natural.
Thanks, I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on tumblr today too! You made good points about the development of a few minor characters, particularly Kurt. And about the acting ability of Adam Scott's forearms and faceparts. I can't imagine anyone else making the character work as well.
Haven't seen it yet, because, y'know, four kids including one 6-month old.
(Some mornings I wake up with my mind still spinning over the thought that my whole family will no longer fit in a normal car.)
But your review makes me more interested than most other reviews have, especially this bit: I really loved the idea at the end of "that's the romantic part"--being with someone day in and day out, knowing everything about that person, going through the hard things together, sharing values and a sense of humor. That is totally the romantic part! because that's exactly how I feel about my marriage.
Now I think I'll have to rent it sometime. My husband and I rarely go to movies in theaters, partly because of babysitting expenses and partly because he'd rather play video games then go to a movie almost any day. But at least we enjoy tv together!
Totally understand--I rarely make it out for movies, but I abandoned my family for this one. But I would definitely recommend renting it. And then whenever that is, come back and let me know what you think, because I'm curious how other parents saw it.
I didn't like the movie, but I like your analysis! I had a lot of issues with it that I'm not going to get into here, but I can see how lots of viewers connected to Jason and Julie's journey from friends to estranged friends to a committed couple.
Sorry to hear you didn't like it. I'm a sucker for romantic comedies in general, so chances were that I was going to love it, but I can see how there are issues to be had with it, and it might not be everyone's cup of tea. Thanks for commenting!
Yes, yes, yes! This is exactly how I felt about the movie and your first point in particular is the reason I think I loved it so much. (And this is coming from someone who is unmarried and childless
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Oooo, that's really interesting--I wonder why they cut that. That does give a different texture to it, and if Julie knows things he'd rather forget, it's easier to understand the difficulty he had in facing all that. I did like the little hints we got about how well and how long they had known each other, but that little line adds another layer.
After thinking about it for a while, I wonder if maybe "they" (Jen Westfeldt?) cut that line because they feared it made Jason seem too desperate at the end, like maybe he was latching onto Julie simply because he was miserable and vulnerable and not because he'd finally realized how much he needed and wanted her. I can sort of see that, or at least see how the possibility of that interpretation could be a genuine concern
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I was thinking about it some more too, and I thought maybe they might have cut it because the movie didn't show how he got past that. As it aired, leaving that question unanswered, it felt like one of the steps to Jason realizing that he should be with Julie. If he answered it with "Because I hate myself," then it doesn't seem like it makes sense for him to change his mind about that so soon afterward. But the way you're describing how it was delivered ... maybe I'm wrong about that?
You're right, it would make his character seem sadder, though, and I think if it had been left in, I might have been disappointed that we didn't see that part of his personality explored anywhere else in the movie.
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You know, I've been seeing tiny glimpses of negativity about this movie on tumblr for months, but I knew how much you loved it, and I was really clinging to that because I had such high hopes and I usually agree with your opinions on things. And I'm just so happy that carried over to this, because I really wanted to love this movie.
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Another thing I felt is that you could really tell that Adam Scott has young children--his interactions with the kids in the movie always felt completely natural.
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(Some mornings I wake up with my mind still spinning over the thought that my whole family will no longer fit in a normal car.)
But your review makes me more interested than most other reviews have, especially this bit: I really loved the idea at the end of "that's the romantic part"--being with someone day in and day out, knowing everything about that person, going through the hard things together, sharing values and a sense of humor. That is totally the romantic part! because that's exactly how I feel about my marriage.
Now I think I'll have to rent it sometime. My husband and I rarely go to movies in theaters, partly because of babysitting expenses and partly because he'd rather play video games then go to a movie almost any day. But at least we enjoy tv together!
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You're right, it would make his character seem sadder, though, and I think if it had been left in, I might have been disappointed that we didn't see that part of his personality explored anywhere else in the movie.
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