The Love Letter

From the opening song, "I'm in the mood for Love" by Louis Armstrong, this movie captured my heart.  The  story takes place in the charming seaside town of Loblolly by the Sea.  It is a town where people are a little quirky, but pretty ordinary.  They go about their quiet, simple lives and it seems like it's going to be an ordinary summer, but then a letter is discovered.  It's addressed to "Dearest" and signed "Yours" and so of course everyone who finds the letter fantasizes that it's for them and tries to figure out who its from.  It causes all kinds of mischief and reveals how differently we see someone through the eyes of love.  It's pretty much one of my top ten movies of all time, and if I could, I'd move there instantly and be friends with all the characters.  I'd spend my mornings at the beach, and wave to Helen as she runs by.  I'd have breakfast at the cafe, and discuss condiments with Janet.  I'd cruise the bookstore, flirt with George, and spend my evenings peeling oranges on someone's porch.  Good life.

Dearest,
Do you know how much in love with you I am?

What would you do if you found a letter that started like that?  Would you think it was for you?  Who would you want it to be from?  When Helen finds the letter, she imagines it being from Janet, then George, and then finally decides its from Johnny.  He finds the letter and thinks its from her, and they begin a summer fling.

Janet has a brief encounter with George, which has no meaning until she finds the love letter, and thinking it's to her from him, reads into everything that just happened.
It's been proven that finding out someone is interested in you makes you more interested in them.  Have you ever noticed this in your relationships?  She rushes over to share her excitement with Helen, who makes her upset.  Meanwhile, Helen is pushing Johnny away, and he tries to use Jennifer to make her jealous.  However, she is too busy on her "first official" date with George to notice.

Jennifer walks in with a shaved head, and my favorite line from the entire movie commences:
"No one knows what they want, Jennifer, that's the human condition."
"Some people know what they want.  I mean, they might not know how to get it, but they know what they want."

This is just the motivational line Johnny needs to passionately pursue Helen, who despite her best efforts, can no longer resist him.  The fling goes into full swing.  "I love you," he blurts out.  Oh the power those words have...  But what do they actually mean?  This is something I've thought about a lot, especially this time of year.

There are twists, turns, and hurt hearts all over this town.  Sometimes what we want to be endless love is just a summer fling, and sometimes even though we are meant to be with someone, the timing isn't right.  Maybe there are things we need to learn, ways we need to grow, before we can live "happily ever after."

Most of all I think this movie is about being brave- it's about telling the ones you love how you really feel and seizing every moment to love and be loved.

The Lake House

To be honest, I don't care for Keanu Reeves, but I LOVE Sandra Bulloch, and so this movie makes my romantic movies list.  It's about two people who are living very solitary, somewhat lonely lives.  The one thing they have in common is the lake house.  As Kate (Sandra) moves out, she leaves a note in the mailbox, welcoming him to the house and asking him to forward any straggling mail that comes for her.  When Alex (Keanu) moves in, he finds her note, but is confused because as far as he knows, the house has been empty for years.  Through correspondence, they learn that they are actually living two years apart, that is, Kate's character is two years in the future.  Confusing, I know, but an interesting complication for the two, who are quickly falling for each other.  When Kate discovers that in the two years that separate them, he dies, she struggles to change the past (his future).  What does this movie teach us about life, and love?

1. Sometimes you have to wait.  For some people it seems that love comes easily, even frequently.  But for many of us, love is elusive.  We catch small glimpses of it, have a few magical moments where it seems like everything is coming together, only to have love steal itself away again.  But we have to keep believing that when we are ready, love will find us... and stay.

2. Sometimes you get a second chance.  Like the lovers in Persuasion, Kate and Alex have several encounters and attempts at love with each other before things finally come together, about three years later.  When the first attempt fails, Kate is very discouraged and wonders if it means things just aren't meant to be.  Fortunately, she gives him a second chance, and things work out.  We never know what the future holds, but if we are lucky, it holds love.

Ever After

Well, it is February... or as I like to call it, Single Awareness Month.  And so of course this month I am covering some of my favorite "romantic" movies.  First on the list, "Ever After," because that's what it's all about, right?  Falling in love and living happily ever after.

First of all, I LOVE Drew Barrymore.  I'm pretty sure we are going to be best friends some day.  Oh yes, it's gonna happen.

This is one of the many Cinderella stories in existence, but I think this one probably tries the hardest as far as historical reality.  It's the story of a girl who has lost her parents and her status, and is humbled to work as a servant in her own home.  Unlike many damsels in distress, Danielle is passionate, brave, and takes matters into her own hands.  In the end she isn't rescued, but rescues herself.  I like this woman.  And so does Prince Henry.  What does this movie show us?


1. Sometimes Princes are stupid.  As he himself points out, he offered her the world, and then at the first test of his love, he failed her.  The older I get, the more I believe "love" is not something you fall into.  It doesn't happen "at first sight."  Love is not just a feeling.  It is something you show.

"I left a glass slipper and a business card, in case the prince is really dumb." -Lorelai, Gilmore Girls


2. "A life without love is no life at all."  Money can't buy happiness, but it appears that love can.  In the end, the Prince must set aside his ideas of nobility and duty to embrace the only thing that will give him a fulfilled life- love.


3. Don't wait for someone to rescue you.  Some people seem to find love easily.  But most of us have to wait, and wait, and wait.  What do we do while we're waiting?  We rescue ourselves.  We don't wait for someone to come along and make us feel loved and of worth.  We learn to love ourselves, and make ourselves of worth.  We improve our talents, broaden our minds, and try to serve and uplift those around us.  And if we're lucky, love will come in the right time and place.

Danielle: A bird may love a fish, Signore, but where would they live? 
Leonardo da Vinci: Then I shall just have to build you wings!