The wife and I had a rarity this past weekend, a date. With three kids, one of which is a newborn, adult time usually amounts to washing dishes, making lunches, brushing our teeth and crawling into bed. So this date was well deserved, and enjoyed. We did the "dinner-and-a-movie" bit. We ended up watching "Morning Glory" with Rachel McAdams, Patrick Wilson, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton. It's a romantic-comedy with some funny moments. What it lacked was real relationships.
Initially I thought the romantic relationship between Becky (McAdams) and Adam (Wilson) was going to be endearing and realistic. Instead, moments after proclaiming they would take things slow, they hop into bed.
Here are two characters who clearly want to be known. Becky is afraid a man will leave her when he realizes how focused she is on her work, even a little neurotic. Adam is pigeon holed by his looks and upbringing. They're hoping someone will look beyond the exterior and see them for who they are inside. So the screenwriter and the director respond with having them sleep together. Don't get me wrong, I understand their reasons. Sex is good and for those moments you feel close to someone. It doesn't create a foundation for any lasting relationship.
I'd like to see couples deal with differences, learn to have healthy disagreements or, and more importantly, how to forgive and be forgiven. These are the elements of a relationship I want to see. A good example is "The American President" with Michael Douglas and Annette Benning. Yes, they do sleep together but I think the screenwriter and director did a great job showing their relationship grow.
I know it's hard to write such stories, to conceive of good characters and well developed arcs. It takes time, and time means lost wages. But aren't we risking a lot in the name of profits?
