Winter Films - 6

Did you get a chance to see Love Actually this last week or have you spent the time in an after- Christmas stupor, done in by too many cookies and too many relatives?

Hopefully you got a little lift from Love Actually and had the chance to reflect on the love that’s all around in your own life. Because whether this has been a year of breaking up with someone or coming together with someone, the film is a great reminder that things can turn on a dime, so if you have that special person in your life, don’t take them for granted. And if you want a special person in your life, look around and take a chance or two… he or she could be around the next corner, on the next stool at Starbucks, or sitting in the movies a couple of rows behind you. I said ‘behind’ and not ‘in front’ because it can be easy to see what’s in front of you. Knowing what’s behind you requires a little more effort—you have to consciously turn and look!

So what’s up next? Yikes. Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve. Wahooo or yuck—depending on your POV. So let’s not look at something too depressing—we need an uplift at the end of the year, right? And as most of us are thinking about relationships in one way or another here at the end of the year, why not a relationship movie? And I have one that’s perfect for us, and it even ends on New Year’s Eve!

Written by Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally, tells the story, over about ten years, of the relationship between, guess who, Harry and Sally. And given your foray into multiple stories last week, you’ll also be glad to hear that we also follow the story of Harry’s best friend and of Sally’s best friend.

This film is considered to be one of the most classic rom-coms in the genre. Why is that? What makes it so iconic? The answer—good writing.

For a start, each character is funny, and uniquely funny. No two characters are funny in the same way. So it’s quirkiness meets quirkiness, and each character gets their own unique quirks. The film is also relatable. It begins at the end of college and takes the characters to new cities, now jobs and new relationships. We see some of these relationships play out in snippets over several years, and the film does a good job of keeping us guessing as to just how everything’s going to work out.

And dialogue. Take a look at this script—study the dialogue. See what makes for truly great comedic dialogue.

And meaning. So many comedies do a great job of making us laugh but then they try and throw in some deep meaning at the end or something to presumably elevate the film to a higher level. When Harry Met Sally is different. There is deep meaning in so many places along the way as we track these relationships. And that’s a big part of what makes it great. It doesn’t play it all for laughs, it plays a lot of it for heart.

And, as I say, it ends on New Year’s Eve. So if you have nothing special to do tomorrow night, watch this film. Maybe it will inspire you to write your own wintery rom-com. And on the plus side? It can’t help but let you end your year on a high.

Copyright © Diane Lake

30Dec18

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com