Friends with Benefits (2011)

I should be doing things of consequence now (you know, utilize my time better) but this is what movie buffs do when they get some time. They watch movies! And so, I watched "Friends with Benefits" starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. This is another romantic comedy which does not deviate from the template that most romantic comedies follow. The concept of friends allowing each other to be unattached lovers is not new this year. It has already been explored in "No Strings Attached" which wasn't vastly entertaining either. There, I have slyly told you what my opinion on this movie is. Still, I am not unhappy at having watched it once.

I think a friend could make a great partner in a romantic relationship even if it turns out to be a fleeting romance. I think it's healthy for people to explore possibilities (i.e. relationships) with real friends. Because, if you don't experience, couldn't you end up on a long march towards "till death do us part"?

One Fine Day (1996)

One fine day, a man and a woman meet. At first, they dislike each other only to "like" each other very much, a few hours later. However, these aren't two single people as you usually see them in romantic comedies. Luckily for these characters, they are both recently divorced and have a child each. I think, this is a great package. Sure, they come with some emotional baggage. But, at least, they've learnt a thing or two from a previous marriage and are less likely to commit the same mistakes. Right?

Why is it that female protagonists are almost always written to be control freaks and men are depicted as carefree and childlike? Because, it is true? But, is this how couples always are in relationships? Opposites of each other, at least in certain matters? Anyway, I think this polar difference is quite annoying if you have to live with it. Why did God bring men from Mars and women from Venus? Why!
Coming back to the movie, it's a fine romantic comedy. Michelle Pfeiffer is beautiful and Clooney is extremely charming. I'd seen this movie a long time ago. But, I saw it through experienced eyes recently and hence, the review of this 1996 movie. If you haven't seen it before or if you are hunting for a virtual romance, try this one.

Norma Rae (1979)

I read the article "30 Must See Movies for B-School Student" on The Economic Times (6 August 2011) and I was intrigued. I thought "Wow, I can learn something from watching movies? Super!".

So, I'm starting with "Norma Rae", for which, Sally Field won the Academy award among others. You can learn that sometimes it takes one person such as Norma Rae, a young mother with two children and a string of bad boyfriends, to help form a union for the stressed workers of a textile company in a small town. It takes perseverance and grit to lead the way. Anyone can shake things up and be a leader if they had the stomach for it. It also helped that Norma had a supportive family behind her while she did what she felt was right (in the case of the union) and what she felt like she wanted (in the case of her relationships). This was a time when women were not considered quite equal and a (bad) reputation sticks for life. I like the scene when her tired dad tells her that he'd come over and take her for a nice dinner since they hadn't seen each other for a while. I like the scene when Norma tells her young children about her past and their respective dads knowing that tongues would wag after her night at jail. I like the scene when Norma's husband tells her that he is going to watch her grow old if she'd gotten herself in jail and had made her only call to somebody else.
The movie initially reminded me of "North County", which is about the happenings of a woman in a male dominated industry, but the subject was quite different. Norma Rae made a good movie on a quiet, rainy afternoon. Enjoy it, if you can.