Okay, so recently I watched the movie Stuck In Love. Basically, I chose it because Nat Wolff was bringing back his acting career, and I was the biggest Naked Brothers Band fan growing up--no shame. We've met before, it's casual. I was feeling unsure about watching the entire movie on Netflix, because let's be honest Netflix is best used for catching up on TV shows that were popular four years ago. However, as soon as Lily Collins appeared, I was more interested (she dated a Jonas Brother, you know?). And then the opening credits rolled in with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros song Home, and I was hooked. I loved it. And I'm a girl who hates love stories. Nicholas Sparks makes me barf. So I raved about it to all of my gushy-boy-obsessed friends, and then casually checked the rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and disappointingly found it at a measly 59%, and to that I say boo. Let me tell you why.
So Josh Boone makes his hollywood directing debut with this movie full of parallels, and cycles, and love and loss. We start with the family traditions of Thanksgiving, the routine that this tight knit family must do every year. The family is a common 21st century family: single dad, with his college student daughter, and stoner son. However, there are four places set at this table, which is beautiful cinematography foreshadowing to the ending scene. Okay but please, just remember this scene in your head. Imagine it.
So the syhuzet is fairly simple. The three members of this family all fall in love within the course of a year. Three types of love: unrequited love, young love, and an odd sort of unconditional love. Basically three simple love stories, intertwining in one movie, making it one very dynamic love story. And of course, as any typical Hollywood love story, they all go through a traumatic argument, but not everyone gets back together. Which brings out the harsh reality of love: sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. And yeah, being surrounded by happy people sucks, but you learn to be happy for them, instead of sad for yourself. However, that is not the only lesson in this movie, because that's only one outcome from the love stories. The other meanings are just as simple: no matter how hard it is, you never give up on the person you love, and that loving someone means putting their needs before yours. All beautiful and useful themes, that come into play in every love story, overlapping, to show the importance. I think this is important, because you can write it off as just another love story, with a sorta-kinda-allaround happy ending, but there is a lot of deeper meaning. And love sells. Look at all the desperate teenage girls flocking to the movie theaters to see Endless Love this weekend, and we all know that's going to be a shit show.
So back to the cinematography. This movie was just so nice to look at. The rule of thirds came into play with shots of settings and props. My eyes were drawn towards what the director and cinematographer wanted me to look at. Not only that, but I watched this movie once, three weeks ago, and the first and last scene have been stuck in my head. Remember the image of the three people at the Thanksgiving table? Well, the movie comes full circle, and we're back at Thanksgiving dinner, but the end scene ends with five people at the table. Not an even six, because not every couple ended up together. The image itself made me realize how much can change in a year, for better and for worse, but some things stay constant. Like the love of your family. It's always unconditional.
So I mean I'm really excited to see what Josh Boone does with Nat Wolff in The Fault In Our Stars, and if this is a precursor to the cinematography in that movie, I am so excited.
OKAY THAT'S IT GO WATCH IT.
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