He's Just Not That Into You: Great movie until the last 10 minutes

 Credit: wikipedia

 
We can’t help but feel intrigued when Hollywood attempts to give us the inconvenient harsh truth. Most of what Hollywood produces give the audience unrealistic expectations about love and life. When a movie comes forward and delivers something other than a happy perfect ending, it comes as a painful refreshment. We don’t feel good about the story, but our perspectives are opened as a result.

He’s Just Not That Into You is based off a book by the same name. The book did not have a storyline but instead provided structured details as to how men react to women and why they go running in the opposite direction. The punchline for each scenario is, of course, that he’s just not that into you.

Based off all these “men interpretations,” the movie revolves around the lives of several modern Baltimore couples who are all connected in some way. The characters cover the spectrum from serial first dates girl to the married couple who met in college, presumptively so that everyone in the audience will be able to relate to at least one of the characters.

We have seen our fair share of romantic comedies, and this one certainly tops the list in humor. Most of the laughs come at the expense of Gigi, the girl who goes on dates with lots of men but never for more than one date. Why? Because they become just not that into her right off the bat. Every embarrassing remark or act by her causes viewers to squirm. For once, Hollywood is showing how real girls find love: they stumble without grace.  

There is cheating among the married couple, undoubtedly one of the most prevalent causes of the end of all marriages in the U.S. There is a couple that has been dating for nearly a decade, but one does not believe in marriage. Take a second and think that over. Can one truly fault that way of thinking? If over half of marriages end in divorce, doesn’t that necessarily mean that between two siblings, one will be divorced?

So in a nutshell, the movie does a great job delivering performances of the struggles and tensions among modern couples. It appears that gone are the days where love came organically at a young age and would last for a lifetime.

Then, the movie abruptly changes gears and gives most characters a happy ending, destroying the “harsh realities” theme that made the movie so appealing in the first place. We generally liked the movie, but it would have been more profound had the Hollywood endings been nixed.

How many toasters do two people need?

credit: bridalsmakeup.blogspot.com

Save-the-dates inform you - not so subtly - that you are to procure a preselected wedding present from a preselected venue the happy couple deems appropriate. Infallibly, the registry is bursting with knives, colanders, and dishtowels. My first foray into the wedding gift world came late in college aka I had not had to purchase a wedding gift until after I had seen several high budget Hollywood movies. By that point I was under the impression that appropriate wedding gifts consisted of crystal wine glasses or silver candelabras. Imagine my confusion when I opened the first registry and saw the couple had requested napkin rings at $3 a pop. I was horrified. Won't I be morbidly embarrassed coming with $18 worth of napkin rings?! I sought out the most expensive gift on the list - a $60 version of the George Foreman grill. When I showed up with it they were stunned at the extravagance. Their reaction was touching but also puzzling to me - I thought you were supposed to give fancy, extravagant gifts for the wedding? No? Okay...

Later, independent of this wedding I was informed that wedding gifts serve to start off the couple's life together. That is the reasoning behind all the everyday items like dishrags. This made sense to me and I made peace with the notion of buying practical gifts.

Then came the mid-20s avalanche of weddings and I found myself buying tons of glasses and toasters all the while thinking that I am contributing to the couple having a tastier breakfast with some warm bread. Along comes the next rude awakening! Turns out couples in their mid-to late twenties generally have all the stuff they need for living. Not only that but it is quite likely that they have two of everything because they merged their stuff (I know this because thanks to this process I have acquired a toaster). So why, I then ask myself, would anyone register for a third toaster? Are wedding gifts becoming obsolete in a time when people marry later in life? What about giving personal items - for instance a purse the bride wants? Or are you of the traditional school of thought and believe that we should stick to household items because they signify the couple's joint life rather than her vacuum, his iron? 

April Fools 2012

"APRIL FOOLS!" This is a phrase that gets increasingly more obnoxious as the day goes on. Here are a few pranks that caught our attention.
1. “We’re engaged!”

Congrats. Your distant relatives, former classmates, and current colleagues all like your status and photo and post congratulatory messages on your wall. Then you tell everyone it’s a joke. Don’t be surprised if you actually get engaged and no one wishes you well. It’s like the boy who cried wolf.

 credit: Glamour magazine

2. “I’m pregnant!”

Not the worst joke in the world, but could result in the following slap in the face:

3. Changing your relationship status to “Single” on Facebook...without your sig. other knowing.

Unless you are dating the most laid back person in the world, chances are you will find yourself in hot water.

4. Tabloids with fake stories.


 Jessica Simpson did not actually give birth to octuplets, and since she is a celebrity, we are willing to bet she will bounce back in shape after a few months. The winner of the Mega Millions lottery on Friday is not some corrupt sleaze in Maryland. But it was quite amusing to see how gullible people were.

5. Messing with food.

Never underestimate the extent of human creativity, especially when it comes to a good prank. Just when we thought we had seen it all, this guy delivers the best food-related prank ever.