"Notting Hill"

Preface:
With Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize today and Nancy Pelosi discussing the potential for a Federal Tax to accompany State taxes on all goods and services you would think this entry could have the potential to be the most inflammatory and offensive entry yet. Thus, I have decided to go the other direction and hammer out something a little lighter today, after all its Friday. While my day so far has been a complete disaster and I have already gotten into 3 verbal altercations (before lunch) I fear that if I allow myself to sink into the depths of Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, I might never mentally regain coherence.

I figured since my queerer side has been hanging around this last week watching chick flicks (actually just “The Wedding Date” once and “Notting Hill” about 5 times) it might be fun to dissect that a little.

Plot:
“Every man's dream comes true for William Thacker, an unsuccessful Notting Hill bookstore owner, when Anna Scott, the world's most beautiful woman and best-liked actress, enters his shop. A little later, he still can't believe it himself, William runs into her again - this time spilling orange juice over her. Anna accepts his offer to change in his nearby apartment, and thanks him with a kiss, which seems to surprise her even more than him. Eventually, Anna and William get to know each other better over the months, but being together with the world's most wanted woman is not easy - neither around your closest friends, nor in front of the all-devouring press.”

Internal Argument:
Basically, I had never seen this movie until Sunday October 3, 2009 but upon watching it, I immediately took a liking to it (quite obviously as I rented it 2 days later). It got me thinking, I have always liked romantic comedies far more than any straight man should willingly admit, but why? And why this one in particular? I don’t fancy Julia Roberts much, Hugh Grant always struck me as an English Prick and in the movie Julia Roberts character has a boyfriend, albeit a questionable boyfriend, when she kisses Grant’s character (something that in theory would probably dissuade me from enjoying the movie from that point forward. But still, there remained something that kept me watching and following it intensely, perhaps the crazy idea of a complete hard-body showing up on my porch looking for love or the idea that some dimwitted nobody lands a total ace. Neither of those things typically appeal to me, so what gives?

When I start looking through my DVD closet which is oddly filled with either old Westerns, violent Action-films, typically centered around vengeance and Romantic Comedies – and not much in-between. As is with just about every other thing in my life (movies especially) there is a common theme, whether it’s the actor or the plot being based around a single motive. As mentioned above, 99% of my action films are based on vengeance, all my westerns are about man’s search for righteousness or hard nosed ethics, and my romantic comedies are no different. They all have a common theme and its typically being the underdog and a modest character.

In Actuality:
I think I relate my art to myself a great deal. I really don’t enjoy art (movies, music or books) that I cannot absolutely relate my life to. For example, I am a person who probably holds grudges and turns negative attention into my motivation or in some cases my obsession. So the idea that vengeance films would relate to me is no surprise. Westerns, specifically Clint Eastwood movies have been a family obsession since I can remember, even my grandfather sat and watched them any chance he got, the same for my uncles and now apparently for me. There is something about the modesty in the man and his pursuit for righteousness and freedom of judgment that really makes me feel alive. I suppose I have tried to pattern my life off of many of the same principles as good old “Josey Wales” or “Harry Callahan” or any other gritty character who fights for the meaning of his words. The same goes for music and books, I don’t like reading fiction nor do I like music with nondescript lyrics. I like music to tell a story, thus Jazz and classical music really relates to me. When I listen to it, I feel like I have gained from it. I saved Romantic Comedies for the last because it is the furthest from reality as I go. It is the most fictional and “fairytale-like” that I can tolerate. The interesting thing is, I am picky about my romantic comedies too, not just any will do, and that doesn’t mean they have to be any good critically either. In fact, most tend to be garbage in the eyes of most viewers (not sure that helps my creditability). Again, in these movies I like modesty and things understated, the romance specifically. I don’t enjoy watching clingy irritating relationships unfold nor do I like over the top characters being portrayed. To me I think this is why I so related to “Notting Hill”, While being the biggest movie star on Earth “Anna Scott” frequently reminds the world that she is just a girl, the fame isn’t real and that in reality she isn’t even a great actor, just a figment of peoples diluted imagination and obsession. Likewise, William Thacker is just a book store owner and while he isn’t a wealthy man, he is very well read and seemingly well educated. He doesn’t overstate nor pretend to be anymore than he is, but still has the confidence to not take less than a man of honorable intentions should receive. I like that. I can relate to that. There is something about that modesty in love that I find very refreshing, probably because I see it so rarely in today’s society that I basically have turned to theatrics to find that peace of mind. The last commonality that I mentioned is understatement of things, what I mean is not just the emotion (which in this movie, and others I enjoy, is portrayed more in subtle gestures and in eye contact – another words rarely vocalized). The dress attire and displays of affection whether in public or in the bedroom are very subdued and not “erotic”. They are very gentle innuendos that would lead the viewer to believe this couple has a very comfortable sexual relationship, very conventional and not disgustingly experimental. To me there is nothing sensual or romantic about two people banging it out on screen in some red-light district production. It ruins the tone and for me, the entire movie. The movies that show subtle nudity and more emotional connection are the ones I can watch repeatedly and really relate to the characters and enjoy the movie. Much like my home is to me from society, movies are a similar sanctuary to me. Relationships today are so over the top and people go at it in public then fight then make up then break up then bang then cheat then whatever else you can even think of, and it feels like it’s all right there in front of you. It doesn’t even feel at times like there is any romance left for people. So, I guess yet again, I turn to an old-fashion concept in the form of theatrics to recreate the spark or to manufacture hope, I am not sure of which.

The last component of romantic comedies that I really like to see in order to relate and follow is the characters dress code. I think dress code is make or break, and that especially of a girl. Whether a girl is lounging in her comfortable clothing or dressed for a Gala in her full length dress or even just a casual outfit, it is important that she not be too revealing nor nunnery-inspired. Her clothing will be what creates that composure that can make a beautiful woman so eye-catching, almost asphyxiating. Nothing ruins my attraction to a girl quite like when they show too much or seem to rely on their physical attributes to look “Beautiful”. A truly gorgeous woman doesn’t need to hike a skirt up to her thighs or yank her hammers out of her shirt to look stunning, in most cases, its effects are just the opposite. The elegant style and poise she delivers will carry her much further and for longer than the raunchy appeal of skin-mags and debauchery. That is something I think has been lost over the years. I think the dress code today for “going out” has gotten to the point that its basically all Christmas Presents running around without their wrapping paper on. What fun would Christmas day be if for the entire month of December all your toys sat exposed under a rotting Colorado Spruce? Imagine how utterly thrilled I am when I see a beautiful girl turnaround and half her ass is hanging out (OK, yes for a moment it is rather exhilarating – but it thereafter turns into disappointment). All the same can be said about the men and their attire as well, I have never understood the reason people would respond positively to a man showing his bare chest or had he tailored his clothing to expose his muscles before anything else. How is it not as amazingly disruptive to others as it is to me, that a guy is standing there in my eyes dressed like he is going on stage in some offbeat circus show? I don’t understand how potential suitors wouldn’t immediately recognize the fact that the gentleman has such reservations about other features of himself (most typically his mental aptitude) that he would so blatantly attempt to cover it up with a muscle shirt or some Guido gold foil necklace and 4 missing shirt buttons. Proper attire for a man in any casual setting is a pair of well fit jeans and a collared shirt or anything activity appropriate, and no matter what any style guru attempts to trailblaze he will never accomplish equaling the impact of a man in a well tailored suit.

In Conclusion:
I guess the case I just made was perhaps more to myself than anyone else, but it did clearly illustrate that my reasoning for selecting certain films repeatedly (specifically romantic comedies that fit the build of “Notting Hill”), is the evolution of characters whom display; both modesty and eloquence above all else, dress in classical and refined style that is neither boring nor despicable, and their displayed affection be simple and understated. Thus, providing the viewer with just a glimpse of the couples shared exposure to help unify the interest, but not so much as to make the relationship feel cheap. In the end, I guess I am not sure if I repeatedly watch these movies because they are so detail specific to the way in which I live my life or as some sort of imaginative solace for what is so clearly lacking among the relationships I view today.