It was just one of those random nights where I had nothing better to do but channel surf. And this movie popped onto my screen. I'd seen this before but I figured I'd watch the first ten minutes and then go watch paint dry in my room or something. But I ended up watching the whole thing.
Just to recap, the movie stars Jennifer Aniston (she is in disgustingly great shape here, dammit) and Vince Vaughn. It starts off with them meeting, and the next 4 minutes are 'photo clips' of them throughout the course of the relationship and then, of course, the inevitable break-up.
I don't know why, but I was so mesmerised throughout the film. With every cliched accusation ("I ask you to do one thing and you can't even do that right!") and painful revelation ("I deserve so much better than this - than you"), I felt myself flung back to every bad relationship moment. And eventhough it's supposed to be a 'romantic comedy' (but really, where is the romance and comedy in a break-up?), I found myself choking up. It's like watching a horrible train wreck happening right before you and there is nothing you can about it.
And the most poignant moment is of course when Jennifer's character is sobbing alone in her bedroom after her final attempt to make peace proves futile and Vince walks in - and for the first time, he doesn't act or look like a first class jerk. He just stands there, broken to see HER broken. And for a split second, you let out a little gasp and think, "omg, finally they realise how much they love each other!" Jen then bawls her head off and says what she should have said an hour a half of the movie earlier to avoid all the drama: "I feel unappreciated. I just wanted you to say thank you for once." And Vince goes, "Why didn't you just say so?" And she says, "I have been but you never seemed to get it!" (I'm ad libbing here but you guys catch my drift...).
That's when it made me realise: There's a great lesson to be learned here, both men and women.
Ladies, sometimes our diplomacy gets the better of us, especially when it comes to men. So be blunt for once and just say what you want right there and then. They're not mind-readers and dropping all the hints in the world is like stripping for a blind man - a waste of time.
And guys, stop being a class-A jerk sometimes and show some appreciation for your lady. It takes a simple thank you, a hug or even better, a shopping spree (haha). But seriously, what matters more is sincerely having that sense of appreciation for someone you love. You can't fake that - so don't even try.
Why don't we all just say what we mean and mean what we say? Why do so many women sell themselves short? Why do guys only appreciate things once they've lost them? Why did this movie bug me so much that I'm compelled to blog about it?
