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This was meant as an essay, but since only Yoda can post them I'm just making a good ol' thread for it instead.
The problem I have with some romantic comedies is the assumption that just because you have two attractive people as the leads, that automatically means you can make them do and say any ridiculous things and put them in unbelievable scenarios hoping the audience will buy it. And if the humor isn't strong enough, it'll become a real chore to watch.
Frankie And Johnny takes more of a dirt bar approach, where you take two regular-looking people who connect with each other in a small town. That's not to say Michelle Pfeiffer is unattractive, absolutely not. I think she's beautiful. What I mean is that she feels like someone nice and pretty that you'd meet during normal circumstances, who doesn't have to look like a supermodel in every frame.
First, they make sure that the way Frankie and Johnny meet each other is uncomplicated. They start working at the same café together. Sweet and simple. Johnny tries to form a romance with Frankie, but she won't open up about herself.
I love how honest this movie is about how hard it can be to start a relationship when the conditions aren't equal. Johnny is an open book while Frankie is afraid to tell the truth about herself in fear of tearing up a wound trying to heal. We often don't know the whole picture when we first meet someone, and until we know their entire story a potential relationship might be on shaky ground at best. And Johnny's efforts in trying to pursue her isn't merely portrayed as cute, it's also kinda sad and painful. Having gone through a divorce before meeting her, it hurts twice as much when she rejects him since he already knows how it feels like to fail at love. He feels so lonely and desperate for the kind of meaningful romance he dreams of that he confesses to contemplating suicide. His motivation for trying to win her affection is portrayed with such brutal honesty.
The scenes where they bond with each other (since despite the secret eating up inside her, Frankie genuinely does find Johnny likable and charming) are full of heart without trying too hard to convince the audience they have chemistry. The amusing, down-to-earth conversations feel just like how they might go down in real life, with dead-air small talk and a tinge of nervousness and curiosity about each other.
Even the midact conflict, which is usually expected in this genre, feels like it comes naturally out of the characters' hardships rather than some contrived situation forcing it. And the ending is sweet without any need of some big finale confession that "you're the greatest thing in my life, I love you forever, have my babies" and so forth. Instead, it's just the characters finally gaining each others' trust. They're aware of the flaws and haunted memories they both have, but are ready to give it a go anyway.
God, I adore this film.
The problem I have with some romantic comedies is the assumption that just because you have two attractive people as the leads, that automatically means you can make them do and say any ridiculous things and put them in unbelievable scenarios hoping the audience will buy it. And if the humor isn't strong enough, it'll become a real chore to watch.
Frankie And Johnny takes more of a dirt bar approach, where you take two regular-looking people who connect with each other in a small town. That's not to say Michelle Pfeiffer is unattractive, absolutely not. I think she's beautiful. What I mean is that she feels like someone nice and pretty that you'd meet during normal circumstances, who doesn't have to look like a supermodel in every frame.
First, they make sure that the way Frankie and Johnny meet each other is uncomplicated. They start working at the same café together. Sweet and simple. Johnny tries to form a romance with Frankie, but she won't open up about herself.
I love how honest this movie is about how hard it can be to start a relationship when the conditions aren't equal. Johnny is an open book while Frankie is afraid to tell the truth about herself in fear of tearing up a wound trying to heal. We often don't know the whole picture when we first meet someone, and until we know their entire story a potential relationship might be on shaky ground at best. And Johnny's efforts in trying to pursue her isn't merely portrayed as cute, it's also kinda sad and painful. Having gone through a divorce before meeting her, it hurts twice as much when she rejects him since he already knows how it feels like to fail at love. He feels so lonely and desperate for the kind of meaningful romance he dreams of that he confesses to contemplating suicide. His motivation for trying to win her affection is portrayed with such brutal honesty.
The scenes where they bond with each other (since despite the secret eating up inside her, Frankie genuinely does find Johnny likable and charming) are full of heart without trying too hard to convince the audience they have chemistry. The amusing, down-to-earth conversations feel just like how they might go down in real life, with dead-air small talk and a tinge of nervousness and curiosity about each other.
Even the midact conflict, which is usually expected in this genre, feels like it comes naturally out of the characters' hardships rather than some contrived situation forcing it. And the ending is sweet without any need of some big finale confession that "you're the greatest thing in my life, I love you forever, have my babies" and so forth. Instead, it's just the characters finally gaining each others' trust. They're aware of the flaws and haunted memories they both have, but are ready to give it a go anyway.
God, I adore this film.
Last edited by mattiasflgrtll6; 11-18-19 at 10:01 PM.
