One of the few movies that I can re-watch over and over again✨.
For me it falls into category of movies that manage through quite humorous situations and witty dialogues to actually (in other words - comedy) deliver not so festive topics, but you still manage to digest them even if they're not shoved right into your face, which would have happened if this movie was shot in a complete dramatic way.
Honestly, I love movies back from '90s, the scripts were simple but wonderful, the dialogues and passing jokes here are still making you laugh, though they're not obvious jokes.
The opening scene is very contrasting and probably one of very few tragic events, when we see four young women graduating, but full of hope for the future and switch to now mature Cynthia, who was always most proactive between the four (we don't see it, but it's delievered in the dialogue), yet now she's completely shaken by the betrayal of her husband (again the dialogue which is short and concise allows us to know the situation), who was supported by his wife, but separated from her believing that now he has success he doesn't need his current wife and can find love with a younger woman. Thus being completely drunk and heart-broken Cynthia commits suicide. In such a short scene we see her sending letters to her past girlfriends, through her gifting of a necklace we know maybe she wanted to pass it on, she also doesn't look devasted like any housewife, she wears expensive clothes and comes out in a fur coat, but it's as if all these things are not compared to the unhappiness and loneliness. So I think the movie does a really good job in such small details through out the whole film to set characters.
The sad event, which is Cynthia's funeral, brings now separated by life the three women. They obviously had absolutely different careers and paths in lives, but this day they rekindled their friendship. It's interesting to see how at the beginning no one said bad things about their lives or shared what happened to them before few drinks. This dialogue also demonstrates the three personalities. Brenda is the outspoken one and doesn't shy from asking questions, currently divorced from her husband who found a younger lover for himself, her situation is closer to Cynthia, since she helped her husband when starting the business, but she was basically brushed off and never shared the happiness of it. Elise became a movie star, through dialogue we know she enjoys her status, loves compliments and does not recognize her aging, but she is one who is going through a divorce, similar situation of having raised a husband who had a nerve to even ask for alimony, but also similarly to Brenda's husband found a new younger lover. Annie is least offensive, never wanting to hurt anybody, as we find is not yet divorced, but they live separately from her husband and she goes to a therapist to fix her own problems, the two have a (gay) daughter. And Annie is the only one shown with her parent. As we later find out her husband is actually together with her therapist. These truths surfaced after few drinks and wanting to share their troubles to others who they feel are going through the same unhappiness.
What happens in the next scenes is what really rubs the salt. Brenda meets her ex-husband who shops with his new lover, while convincing her that he has no money, especially to pay alimony, but at the same time can spend all the money on his current woman. What makes Brenda most hurt is the spat from the lover that she should buy in bigger sizes, while it's obvious that Brenda cares that she aged and her figure is not as good as before, years changed her. With Elise she meets the lawyer and finds out about her husband's plan to divide property and demand for alimony, she wanted to try for a role, but what hit her most is that director wanted her to play the mother of the heroine, this led to her getting drunk in the bar and being unhappy, though it also brought one of the funniest quotes.
Sean Connery is Monique's mother. No-no-no I take that back, Sean Connery is Monique's boyfriend. He's three hundred years old, but he's still a stud.
Annie on the other hand receives a call from her husband, she thinks that he finally is ready to resume their relationship, they have lovely evening and even make love, but after all this with his happy and intoxicated face he asks for a divorce. We also find out that the therapist she's been visiting is now with her husband. Which totally breaks her.
What absolutely brings them together was actually a letter from Cynthia that arrived and it's most important line.
Most of all I wish I still had our friendship. Perhaps he's not the problem, perhaps the loneliness is.
Their conversation let them pour out a lot of dissatisfaction from the spent years, letting men they cared about walk a smoother path, but being cast aside when not needed, which sparked the three to search for something that would bring the three men to justice. This started the operation. Annie hired her daughter who readily agreed to spy on her father in the company. Elise got rid off entire stuff collected throughout the marriage according to the lawyers demand and literally pulled the rug under his feet. Brenda's uncle gave them info that her husband's stuff in first year were not clean goods.
Honestly, the following events can be called hysterical, they're simply fun with how Elise suggested the idea of how they can use the decorator to get into their apartment and actually find the documents they need, even borrowing the help of their friend Gunilla Garson-Goldberg (played by wonderful Maggie Smith, any movie she looks the same).
What is adorable is how the two get back earlier and our three girls had to get out somehow so they choose the extreme way, but anyway it was shot nicely and even if the events are exciting it manages to be full of humor.
Unfortunately, here came the crack in the established relationship. Due to inability to find anything on Elise's husband, Elise was very upset and was loaded and said some hurtful things, which started the conflict and got out of control and let all three say bad things about each other. After a figth the three broke up unhappily.
While Annie thought that things fell apart and nothing will help get things together, Elise was thinking over things and accusations of being a drunk (she actually is shown to get loaded or having a drink whenever) and the last thing Brenda said to her about Cynthia being drunk before her dive on Park Ave. She also came to Brenda for a close talk and asking for help. Which made them overview their previous goals, which were no better and they should make men not only regret, but pay, yet pay for a better cause and that is - helping to build a center where women could get a consultation and help. They managed to find things that helped to grab all three men by the balls.
I find this movie truly amazing. It's a story of three women who were bitter by their personal relationships, bitter because of their age, but managed to get together, help each other out, pull each other out and by this experience started to help others too.
As a result Brenda got back together with her ex-husband, who was completely disappointed with his younger lover, while the difference became too obvious. Elise was dating a younger actor. Annie's husband wanted to get back together, but she told him to drop dead. And life is still good.
No comments:
Post a Comment