Last night, I extended a spur of the moment invitation to N to meet at Greenbelt. I was finishing an office-sponsored dinner at Chili’s and had no wish to head home just yet as I had a lot of corn and rice to digest. N lives across the street from one side of Greenbelt, so I wasn’t surprised that she responded quickly and agreed to meet.
We didn’t have an agenda, and we found ourselves walking. We wondered why some dessert places close early, and if we would spend 499 pesos per head for videoke, given that we only wanted to sing for an hour. We made a snap decision to watch a movie, and decided on the late-release Mrs. Pettigrew Lives A Day. We figured a Frances McDormand - Amy Adams movie would be entertaining.
Though I thought the movie was inaudible at times, and N had nodded off more than once, we both agreed that the movie was indeed entertaining. It’s probably simplistic to say so, but I will say that the movie seemed like a Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris marriage to Nanny McPhee. We are always charmed when the ugly teach the uppity how to behave like proper human beings.
The actors in this movie were caricatures of characters they are famous for portraying effortlessly. Frances McDormand is lonely and unloved. Amy Adams is either cute or tiresome, depending on the mood you’re in. Shirley Henderson, who plays the corrosive Edythe, knows how to curve her spine and gaze at the camera just so that I am torn between loving her perpetually unhappy look or laughing at her face. I think this was the intended effect anyway.
There are enough good lines in the movie, and I would have caught more if I had paid more attention. Here is one that affected me in the viewing:
Guinevere Pettigrew: “You people, with your green drinks and your parties and your subterfuges! You're all playing at love. One minute her, the next minute someone else, flit, flit, flit! We'll, I'm not playing. Love is not a game.” (courtesy IMDB.com)
* * *
We didn’t spend much time going over the movie after it was over. I walked N to her corner and I took the 3 minute cab ride home.
2 comments:
well said.
---------
"If I didn't care would it be the same? Would my ev'ry prayer begin and end with just your name? And would I be sure that this is love beyond compare? Would all this be true if I didn't care for you?"
-----------
i love the rendition in the movie :)
That was a good song wasn't it?
Post a Comment