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.