“Under monopoly all mass culture is
identical, and the lines of its artificial framework begin to show through.”
Lets talk about the how every chick flick is the same, or close to.
Lets start with... The Notebook
The Last Song
Twilight
The Vow
Safe Haven
The Lucky One
Endless Love
Friends with Benefits
...anddd you get the point.
...anddd you get the point.
Don't get me wrong, I'm always down for a cute, sappy love story but why? Its the same story, boy meets girl... parents don't like boy, ex boyfriend gets involved etc... then the boy gets the girl and they live happily ever after. Every year a new epic chick flick comes out around Valentines Day and every year we beg our boyfriends to take us, or make sure we are at the premier with our girlfriends because it just looks so good. Watching it on redbox just won't do. People have the previous on every radio station, its in every youtube ad and if you go to the movie theater a lot you've probably seen that same preview in every single movie you went to see. They make it a huge deal with every single one.
I will totally admit it, I'm that girl that criticizes the ending and have an input on how terrible a movie was.
Endless love? Awful. Totally predictable and boring.
The Vow? I almost fell asleep. Don't get me wrong, Channing is nice to look at but it was just blah.
The Lucky One? It was okay. I didn't have to see it a second time but I didn't have anything bad to say about it either.
The Last Song? I loved. The ending was out of nowhere. Yes, some of the parts were cliched but it made me think. It even made me cry and question whether they were going to end up together or not.
So, what about the movies that don't fit the cliche? What about the movies that don't get put on every radio stations and don't have the top actresses? Those are always the best ones. Those movies make you think, they make you feel and relate because they're scenarios that actually could happen. They aren't about random girls moving into a new city and finding love for the first time. They are about the things that are real.
My top 3 favorite under-appreciated films:
*only watch if you're okay with rated R movies*
#1 Stuck in Love: This is by far, hands down the best movie I have ever seen. It is so deep and real. It tells the story of divorced parents and the ripple affect it has on their kids. The daughter despises her mother and has the worst trust issues in relationships due to watching her father completely destroyed after the divorce. There are kids doing drugs and struggling with addiction at a young age and it shows how much your first love will impact you. All things people can relate to, or know someone who can relate.
*only watch if you're okay with rated R movies*
#2 The Spectacular Now: This movie shows the truth about the struggles of high school and how scary the future can be and how everyone copes with uncertainty differently. Just because Mr. Popular gets invited to all the parties and everyone knows who he is doesn't mean he's gonna pass all of his classes and graduate. It shows how hard it is on the kids who only have one parent and having to worry for themselves if their parent is gonna be able to pay the bills this month. They show why parents lie in order to protect us, not hurt us. Two polar opposites fall in love, and give each other different strengths. It shows that no matter how much you say something isn't going to happen because you don't want it to, life and feelings get in the way and can change everything.
#3 LOL: This movie captures high school life perfectly. It portrays what a big deal sex is to some people and how it can be completely meaningless to others. It shows the struggles of being a girl and the double standard there is at that age. It shows the bond between a mother and a daughter; one day she's your best friend and the next shes your worst enemy. It demonstrates how much of an impact social media has and how much kids really do lie to their parents. It shows what its like being the black sheep of your family and how hard it is having different dreams from your parents.
They are all movies that make you think, cry and ask yourself questions. They were so well made that you forget about the boy meets girl cliche.
I think it's great that you pointed out The Spectacular Now. It is so very raw and realistic, in a way that few coming of age films are. It isn't a sweeping romance, but it does manage to touch the audience, because, as in real life, it is so difficult and unclear and there are so many other tough decisions to make in the meantime. It reveals the ugliness of alcoholism, the mess of financial struggles, and the bewildered and frightening uncertainty of the future. Also, I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the dialogue is entirely improvised, because there is such a realistically awkward flow to the characters' conversations. For all of these reasons, I'd go as far as to claim that The Spectacular Now is quite original. Excellent example!
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