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Ted and I saw this together (yet apart) for our long-distance date night on Thursday (let me explain how that works for those of you unaware of our long-distance date nights: we try to catch dinner at the same restaurant and then catch a showing of the same movie roughly around the same time, but in different cities). I’d heard a few rumblings going into it, but mostly kept purposefully oblivious to any spoilers, synopsis, or trailers. I have a hard time sitting still through movies longer than a hour and a half, but even at two hours and ten minutes, this film, though slow, kept me on my toes and didn’t feel all that long. Having the English subtitles to concentrate on helped. It’s not a movie you “like.” It a hard film that deals with the difficulty of aging and the fear and pain and tough decisions that come with it, so saying “I liked it” isn’t exactly true. I mean, “I liked it,” but it wasn’t particularly enjoyable or relaxing. But at the same time it’s a really beautiful love story. The acting was great, the music was great, the cinematography was beautiful, and the story was one that needed to be told. There were a few moments of humor, and a few unexpected moments – some sad and some scary and some joyful as well – all of which I thought they did a good job with. Definitely worth a see with someone you love, but not one that I’d be likely to watch over and over again or one you want to watch alone with your spouse 500 miles away. You’ll likely find it playing in your small, local artsy film house.

This more mainstream flick I watched Saturday night. I’d been told I needed to see this by several people over the past few months. Finally, I had a free night to rent a Redbox, so after watching the trailer and deciding it sounded like a nice funny romantic comedy, I plunked it in my online cart, picked it up that evening, and sat down for a relaxing evening with this movie, a southern comfort & cherry coke, and a bowl of buttery popcorn. However, nice, funny, romantic comedy is not quite how I’d describe it after seeing it. Not that it wasn’t nice, or funny, or a romantic comedy, but it was also a little sadder, a little deeper, a little darker, a little more complex, and based on a true story, which always adds a certain intensity to a movie I think. In that way, I think the trailer that was kind of misleading, and while I get what the title means in context to the movie, I don’t think the title does a great job of describing the movie accurately either. I fully expected this to be a typical rom-com, and in some ways it was, but I was also surprised that it had some depth to it. Again, not necessarily a movie I’d choose to watch alone. I’d definitely watch it again. In fact, I’d like to own it. But it’s a nice one to see with someone you love. I’m a sucker for Rachel McAdams. Frankly, I just plain like her. She does really well with this type of role because she can do romantic comedy, but she can do emotional too. Furthermore, without giving away too much, I was pleasantly surprised that the movie didn’t end by tying up all the loose ends and wrapping it up in a pretty little bow, but that there was still uncertainty and an obvious journey ahead of them. I really felt for the characters, and I like the kind of movie that makes you think “what would I do if that were me?” If you haven’t seen it, pick it up for your next date night.

Have you seen any good movies lately?