I must say my friend Cinema Chimp is a much better source of new movie reviews and news than I might be, but I actually saw a new movie in a theater yesterday. Seeing as how the only movie I planned on watching this year was Age of Ultron, this really came as a shock to me. (I really want to see Star Trek: Renegades too hint hint).
Normally, I do not like romantic movies. I like classic movies, action, and comedy primarily. Romantic movies are usually too formulaic. Two people meet, then the thing happens, they don't talk, then either the secret is revealed or they find the thing, they think the other person is with someone else, it rains, they met up in an unexpected or sudden manner, all is well and ride off into the sunset. This movie although it is a romantic movie, it also has an unexpectedly good story.
Adeline (Blake Lively) is not your typical woman. She also seems to know an awful lot about San Francisco from its history to a highly detailed street map in her head. It turns out she is in fact probably the city's oldest resident. She has a close family member (Ellen Burstyn) who she does not want to leave behind when she moves to Oregon in a few weeks.Adeline is also a women of secrets. Her story is told via voiceover narration that is reminiscent of Stranger Than Fiction. Before she is set to move Adeline falls in love with a man who jumps into her elevator. She is hesitant to enter a relationship with him based on her past. She agrees to visit his parents with him. His father is played by Harrison Ford. How does her boyfriend's father fit into her past?
This movie is excellent. One of my favorite scenes is a clever play on words. Adeline is given a gift of "flowers" Henry James's Daisy Miller, Bradbury's Dandelion Wine, and Janet Finch's White Oleander. I would love for a man to give me a bouquet like that. To understand Adeline's secret and how deeply it haunts her, there is a scene where she loses something very close to her. She looks through a photo album to ease her pain. When you see just how much she has lost you realise how long she has been living with deep emotional pain.
I also like the theme of running from life rather than divulge one's secrets. No matter how terrible the secrets we hold are, do we think those who love us will be frightened of them? Adeline must decide whether or not to share her deepest and darkest secret with a man after she decides she is tired of a lifetime of running.
This movie honestly was incredible. I cannot say enough good things about. I deliberately did not reveal Adeline's secret because it is a good one. The story unfolds through use of newsreels and flashbacks. There are some mild sex scenes so be mindful of younger viewers. This is a great date night or even girls night out movie.
The full cast and crew are listed here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655441/
