You know what's harder than getting over a break-up? Getting over a break-up between two characters you love and want to see together. Needless to say, these are the movies I'm focusing on for this week's
Thursday Movie Picks, films whose break-ups break my heart every time.
Casablanca (1942)
Rick Blaine (Humprey Bogart), a cynical American who runs a nightclub in Casablanca, Morocco during the early stages of War War II, finds himself in a dilemma when his former lover, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), shows up at his club with her husband, Czechoslovak underground leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), asking him for help to get them out of the country. | Although we meet them after the break-up, I cannot help but hopelessly hope Rick and Ilsa end up together.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Minds (2004)
Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) fall in love in a very short time. but after two years they breakup. Upon learning that Clementine had all her memories of their relationship erased, Joel is devastated and decides to undergo the procedure himself. | Joel and Clementine do end up together eventually but the process of them getting back together, especially seeing Joel like that, is beyond heart-wrenching.
La La Land (2016)
Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a dedicated jazz musician, meet while pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles, the city known for destroying hopes. | Mia and Sebastian need to be together and yet they don't end up together. That last glance between the two makes me cry all the time, and every time I hope that last part is just a terrible dream one of them had.
Casablanca is on my Blind Spot list this year, so it's the only one I haven't seen. I love the other two picks though. Mia and Sebastian not saying together always surprised me in La La Land.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read your thoughts about Casablanca. I hope you'll love it as much as I do.
DeleteI love Casablanca and was so close to pick that one since there are break-ups all over the place from the French bar gal to even Victor and ilse being separated. Heck, even the piano player and rick will be splitting up as one knows at the very end of the film. I still have to see your middle pick. La-La Land I was so hoping to really like because I love musicals but ...nope. Even this picture you show makes me cringe because of his awkwardly placed hand at top. I know it's supposed to be average people, who are not singers/dancers, who sing and dance but ughhh. Ryan can't dance too well and his singing is atrocious. The public were in an outcry when Russell Crowe sang is Les Mis but he did a much better job than Ryan. If one takes out the singing and dancing, it's a romance flick which is not my favourite genre. At least neither got a fatal disease and died though:)
ReplyDeleteYou just reminded me of Rick and Sam and now all I wanna do is cry...
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear you weren't a fan of La La Land as I loved that movie. Yes, Emma and Ryan aren't the best singers and dancers but for me that's what made the film and the characters more real.
I suppose why Crowe's voice is so criticized is because Les Misérables the movie is based on the musical, and people could compare him to other people who have played the role and they know what sort of voice that role requires and Crowe just doesn't have it. While La La Land is an original musical, Gosling was just making it his own, and like you said they weren't really going for that singer/dancer type.
DeleteI agree. Crowe's role demanded a more powerful voice. I didn't hate him though. I kinda liked him to be honest.
DeleteWe match on La La Land! I don't think any on-screen break-up upset me more than Mia and Seb, I so, so wanted them to have a happy ending together!
ReplyDeleteMe too! That ending shocked me so much! And keeps shocking me every time I rewatch the film.
DeleteOh I LOVE Casablanca!! It's one I can't help but stop and watch whenever I come across it. It's one I've also seen in a packed revival theatre which was a great experience since I was able to see how others react to it. It's rather funny that its so timeless since it was a constant work in progress during the entire production and endings with Isla choosing both men were filmed. But they chose the right one.
ReplyDeleteI know its a minority opinion but I hate Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I like the cast but the film annoyed me no end.
I was completely underwhelmed by La La Land. Perhaps I expected to much but it struck me as very ordinary.
So many ways to go with this, I chose two that dealt with the fall out of the break up for the woman and one that looks at the actual event.
An Unmarried Woman (1978)-Erica Benton (Jill Clayburgh) feels secure in her longtime marriage to husband Martin (Michael Murphy) and their comfortable life with their daughter in New York City. Then one day walking down the street Martin tells her that he’s leaving her for someone else. Blindsided we follow Erica as she grapples with the break-up, reassesses her opinion of herself and finds an identity that isn’t tied to being an extension of someone else’s self-worth. Jill Clayburgh was Oscar nominated for her work.
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)-After successful literary reviewer Frances Mayes (a luminous Diane Lane) is told her husband is cheating on her by a vengeful author she slides into a deep depression. In an effort to help her out of it her best friend, Patti (Sandra Oh), encourages Frances to take a tour of Italy. During the trip, Frances impulsively buys a rural, somewhat decrepit Tuscan villa and struggles to find her balance again. Surrounded by eccentric characters and the beauty of Tuscany (the cinematography is gorgeous) she discovers a new life and family.
The Break-Up (2006)-Art dealer Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) and tour bus driver Gary (Vince Vaughn) meet cute and despite being opposites soon find themselves deeply involved and sharing an apartment. When their myriad differences finally drive a wedge between them and they break-up neither wants to vacate their home. As each attempts to get the other out their bitterness towards the other grows. Not a great movie but it does have the courage of its convictions and doesn’t cheat the audience with an unrealistic ending.
NOOOOOO!!!! I'm sorry neither Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind nor La La Land worked for you.
DeleteAs for your picks, I've seen your second and third picks, and I almost picked the third one myself. I don't remember much about it as I was about 13 when I saw it but I was so much into rom-coms back then I was very disappointed with the ending. I'd probably love it today as it's very realistic, which is always something I look for in a rom-com.
That ending rescued La La Land a bit for me :D
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it didn't kill us all :)
Delete"Of all the bars in all the towns in all the world i wish the 17 year-old Pauline Hickey from 1985 would walk into mine", "The world will always welcome massive knockers as time goes by"
ReplyDeleteWe share a pick with Eternal. Great break-up film as is the other 2 picks.
ReplyDeleteExcellent choices. I can understand why they don't end up together, but in my head I give them a different ending.
ReplyDelete