The golden age of Julia Roberts is long gone, but Hollywood rom-coms have never faded out of sight. A classic representation of '90s Hollywood romantic comedy, "My Best Friend's Wedding" showcases the classic pattern of female coming-of-age stories .
If the male growth type is teaching us how to be a real social person, then the female growth type is teaching us how to be a real lover. Why should dating be real? Because only an honest relationship leads to a truly happy marriage and family, in response to the basic family unit of parent and child as preached by mainstream American values.
Whether you admit it or not, the female protagonist in almost all growth types has one and only one final destination: to complete the role transition from an ignorant girl to a good wife and mother, and grow from a girl to a woman . With a budget of 38 million US dollars, the global box office was close to 300 million, and the first weekend box office was 21 million US dollars. After that, it ranked in the top ten at the box office for six consecutive weeks. "My Best Friend's Wedding" ranked 9th at the box office in North America in 1997. Its story is in the end What's the charm?
overture
00:00:00-00:03:23
In front of the pink gaudy backdrop, cabaret performers are giving exaggerated stage speeches. The lyrics are teaching flashy love tactics:
Make a wish every day, look forward to praying, dream, and you won't get his heart. You have to let him know that you care, you have to show it with your actions, and then you'll be his.
The truth is empty, the fantasy is pink, and the dream is the opposite. Implemented into specific life, it is a mess without a clue.
This is the message conveyed in the opening, popular and effective.
Act 1
debut
00:03:24-00:10:18
Six and a half minutes for the opening of genre films, Magic Time. Three scenes throw heroine Jules a life conundrum.
The restaurant scene is minimally configured - a group of men are preparing food in the back kitchen, and they praised Bo Jules. Big girl theme material, the first shot is given.
Next, a table and two people explained Jules' specific personalities: a well-known food critic, a talkative editor, George, and a long-lasting blue-eyed confidant, Michael, on the horizon. There are also countless potential flower messengers hidden in it. Jules lives in the sense of superiority of the stars holding the moon. Her evaluation of cooking: innovative and confident is also her judgment of her own personality. How can such a creative and confident girl reflect on her own problems? Why don't you date all men for more than a week? Why go for a walk with Michael, but the repair can't be successful? Could it be because of her biased understanding of love? But at this time, she didn't think so. She thought she and Michael were about to settle down.
The hotel scene is even more minimalist - one phone and one person, quickly turning a no-suspense romance into a serious life problem: Michael is getting married, and the bride is not her! At the same time, Michael's character design is also ready to be revealed: a sports column critic who travels all over the world, and falls in love with the daughter who is the most unlikely to like. He shows a family-like dependence on Jules, inviting her to the wedding scene to accompany him through the most important moments of his life.
Jules is stupid.
In the car heading for the airport, Jules lit a cigarette symbolizing an independent modern woman with trembling hands, and declared to George: I must take back my Michael!
Three scenes to construct a very typical growing type of heroine: she has a wrong understanding of her real relationship with Michael, so she has been living in a false "loved by Michael" feeling, and feels good. And that's where she's immature: she doesn't understand love. She's the masked, self-defeating girl when it comes to how to build intimacy.
The life problem of the story design precisely hits her seven inches: she is so proud and indomitable in love, so let the person who reassures her the most to marry someone else!
bedding
00:10:19-00:18:27
Foreshadowing 1: The gradually forming triangular relationship
Airport scene + bridal shop scene + elevator scene, presenting a triangular relationship - emphasizing the triangular relationship - defining the triangular relationship, its built-in logic is:
At the airport, Jules and Michael's intimacy is real, and Michael and his fiancée Kimmy's wedding is real, but the wedding is more real than intimacy, so Kimmy is better; at the bridal shop, Michael's smile and smile on Jules make Jules want to , Jules' superiority picks up where Kimmy can't see. In the elevator, Kimmy breaks the triangle as Michael is a man, Kimmy is a woman, and Jules is a god. What was Jules' reaction? Her claustrophobic attacks, full of wanting to escape, represent a rejection of this triangular position.
This position holds Jules generously and ruthlessly overhead. Although man worships God, man cannot be united with God. When it comes to love, God has to stand aside.
00:18:28-00:28:08
Foreshadowing 2: The unshakable triangle relationship
A brief banquet scene introduces the supporting female characters who are secondary to the theatrical mission, and then Jules arrives at her home, with a baseball game scene and a karaoke scene as the arena, with two probing questions for Michael and Kimmy, respectively. They are: Has Michael's feelings for Jules changed? And is Kimmy really worthy of love?
With Michael, Jules' strategy is to strike at the west. By showing his honest and lovely side in front of all the male guests, Jules showed his charm, and found that Michael's feelings for her have not changed, and he is still doting and appreciating. So Jules sent a frantic signal to Michael: I'm not the timid girl I used to be, I can accept love now. Michael's reply was meaningful: you are still the same you you were, you haven't changed.
To Kimmy, Jules posed as a competitor, vying for favor with Michael. She put Kimmy in the background in the frame, deliberately used acronyms to talk to Michael, and then pushed Kimmy, who was speechless, onto the stage.
Kimmy seems clumsily caught in a trap designed by Jules, but something magical happens. Everyone cheered for Kimmy's brave voice. Michael is even more fascinated by his fiancée's little gaffe. Jules woke up from the short-lived superiority, and finally reluctantly contributed his own applause. This scene precisely shapes Kimmy's true and Jules' false. Jules' love for Michael is skillful, and Kimmy's love for Michael is natural. Not only did Kimmy win her, but she was eating her too. From schadenfreude, to stunned, to applauding her uncontrollably, Kimmy's truth is constantly breaking through Jules' inner defenses - such a true goddess is much more difficult to deal with than a scheming bitch.
After this temptation, Jules realized that a tough battle was going to be fought next.
00:28:09-00:34:30
Foreshadowing 3: The Unbreakable Triangle
Jules begins to use ideological weapons to divide the lovers. There are still two scenes that are broken each:
For Michael, she chose an exterior staircase scene that symbolizes freedom and openness (the stairs imply hierarchy). She reminds Michael to keep his civilian status in mind and be prepared to lose his freedom by joining a consortium; for Kimmy, she chooses an interior mall scene that symbolizes materialism and vanity (porcelain symbolizes fragile and fragile relationships). She suggested that Kimmy use her father's authority to help Michael take off.
Your honey, my arsenic, as long as it is used correctly, sweetness can kill people. Jules grasps the point of class differences, a pair of lovers who are to be separated in minutes.
The result acceptance scene is in a restaurant. Jules' appearance is like a black swan, and the smoky makeup and little black dress are the shirts of vengeful women. At first, everything was expected.
Kimmy made an offer, Michael was furious, and the breakup was imminent. But it fell short because Kimmy was too "weak", she quickly gave up the proposal, Michael's anger disappeared, and the two quickly reconciled, leaving Jules confused.
What just happened?
In fact, here is a hint of the answer to an important question:
Why did they reconcile so easily?
Because they are in love.
If you understand this simple truth, Jules will know that he can't win. But at this stage, she still can't see through all this. She had to go through the unscrupulousness of the second act to realize this.
Act II
Rescue comes on stage
00:34:31-00:38:47
The appearance of George adds a very special touch to the whole story. On the one hand, he has to push Jules to complete the growth path; on the other hand, he is talking about the concept of "best friend". He is demonstrating another best friend form besides Michael.
What is a best friend?
Jules, do you really love him, or is it just about winning or losing? seriously.
Tell him you love him for 9 years. But you are afraid of love. Tell him you are afraid of belonging to someone. Then, let him choose.
George is sober and kind. For Jules, he did his best friend duty. However, how could Jules, who has never been in love, have an epiphany just because of George's words? While the logic is correct, it is not easy to implement. Saying and doing are not the same thing at all.
The story that follows shows how Jules unwittingly twists George's proposal to make things worse.
Rescue soldiers
00:38:48-00:52:34
If Jules is used to retreating in love, then this inertia will inevitably lie in her social mode. This led to her faltering confession to Michael eventually developing into a dislocated show of affection with George, and then expropriating George as the role of her fiancé, playing a good show with Jules and telling a white lie.
This setting is not only to increase the entertainment by means of role-playing, but also to follow the personality of the characters - a girl like Jules is never afraid of comparison, so if you are not good at love scenes, then turn them into competition scenes It was the most comfortable way for her to face it.
Thus, the tailor shop scene + taxi scene + church scene + dinner scene smoothly shows how Jules self-defeated and set off a self-centered emotional storm. Although the joyous and honest George contributed a great performance in this paragraph, creating a harmonious dinner resonance, but with the goal of catching Michael back, Jules' plan completely deviated. With George around, Jules couldn't think independently, couldn't act without permission, and under the bondage of kind advice, she couldn't even do it herself.
Rescue soldiers must leave the scene. Before leaving, George once again left a golden message: Don't have any illusions and do the right thing.
However, how can Jules at this stage give up? She hasn't played all the cards in her hand yet. What's more, she is about to feel a false victory.
false victory
00:52:35-00:57:53
After the false high, fell into the abyss of nothing. The cool thing about drama is this gap.
Here, the false victory is achieved in two steps, the first being Michael's attitude.
When actually writing or directing, how to present Michael's reaction in a decent and honest manner is a test of measure. From the logical point of view of writing, facing Jules's sudden marriage news, Michael couldn't be unresponsive, but if you want to write this reaction clearly, the road is extremely difficult and dangerous.
Is Michael jealous or not? Not jealous, the proof is not enough love. But what about jealousy, does jealousy make the character seem half-hearted?
Michael's jealousy is reasonable. How to control his jealousy within a reasonable range without appearing wretched, the play uses a time machine. As long as the deep love is sealed in the past, then this love is moral. The afternoon time when the two spent alone together strictly stayed in the memory of the past. They danced on the bow to the duo's theme song, Someday, and Michael emphasised that this was the last time they were together. Bachelor Day, no problem.
However, no matter how decent the intention is, it does not mean that it can be conveyed 100%. Michael's reluctant farewell, in Jules' understanding, is a signal of opportunity! Here, the moods of the two characters are vastly different, but each has its own rationale: Michael bids farewell to the past and rushes to a new life; Jules is inspired and will do whatever he can.
00:57:54-01:11:33
The so-called ultimate destruction, its weapon must be the progression of the previous strategy, not a new trick. The audience is tired and excited when they see it here. What they need is not freshness, but comparison. They only care about how the fate of the existing characters repeats the drama of "When is the time for retribution" in a form of reincarnation.
Old ways, class differences. But the tool man can no longer use Kimmy, Kimmy is too weak. Jules directly used Kimmy's father's email to kill Michael's job.
The protagonist does evil, and once again tests the sense of proportion. Executing confidently and waiting nonchalantly are both deducting actions. So Jules was hesitant to save the draft for the execution, and then rushed back to the company overnight to regret it. Finally, because the secretary sent all the draft emails, Jules could not be recovered. Change the direct evil to indirect, desperately emphasizing the emotion of remorse, and you know how conservative the Hollywood genre is in dealing with moral boundaries. It is absolutely impossible for the protagonist to actively press the send button, because it is related to the core values of the United States. (Who said that Hollywood is not dogmatic, it's just that people are not too dogmatic to hate it.)
In short, Michael lost his job, thought of breaking up, and Jules unexpectedly won.
This is the second step in a false victory. However, at the moment of success, she immediately ushered in a big loss and collapse in the spiritual world.
The passing waiter is moving as an idle pen. The stranger gave Jules a vital outlet, and by taking a puff of the cigarette that she couldn't, the man took her pain on himself like a responsibility, and a sense of shared sympathy hung over the two Characters with disparate theatrical tasks. To a certain extent, it is calling for the empathy of the audience: the passer-by can forgive her regardless of right or wrong, so we might as well let her go.
The door to the hotel room opened behind her, and she collapsed in front of Michael's eyes. In the next paragraphs, every detail is wildly suggesting the direction of the story: Jules is no drama, no drama, no drama. Although the fact that Michael was disheartened was in front of his eyes, he filtered out the wedding ring, refused to accompany him, and left alone. What it all implies: Jules isn't the kind of partner he'll be able to get through his loss.
But Jules still didn't wake up. She hated herself for doing bad things, and repented of her actions. But if she really wanted to stop all this and put Michael down, she was still not reconciled. Her growth is still one step away: confirming her sincerity.
The so-called sincerity is exchanged for sincerity. If Jules does not give up his true self, Michael's sincerity will not be fully understood.
Act Three
01:11:34-01:21:08
Forcing out the real self usually requires a reasonable situation. Here, the rational situation is the unstoppable wedding process. Jules' ultimate estrangement turned into a joke in a grand wedding. This is a reasonable situation. Michael and Kimmy are a true couple she can't separate.
From the third act, love acts as the most important trial force, pushing the progress of the situation with the momentum of the top of the mountain. True love decides the end. The element of love is the trump card that has been paved for a long time. In the second act, it briefly stalemates Michael and Kimmy, but then quickly reconciles; this time, love keeps their Cold War in name only.
Comedy appeared. Jules was eliminated from the competition and reduced to a voice for both sides of the love. True love is beginning to show its power, and Jules doesn't even have the strength to provoke. The triangle begins to crumble, and the original romantic relationship crowds out the intervenor.
In desperation, Jules confessed.
This confession was too late to say today that it has become the wrong solution to the problem. Jules confessed loudly and took the initiative to offer a kiss, but only passed his own level and pierced his love idealism. But doing so is inappropriate because it is too egoistic.
There is a very correct value output here: sincerity is not enough to reveal oneself on a whim, sincerity must also include consideration for the situation of others and consideration for everyone's feelings. Therefore, Jules' confession did not wait for a positive response, and Michael went after Kimmy.
The lens language constantly reiterates the essence of the triangular relationship - in the picture with Kimmy as the main body, Michael is chasing after the background; in the picture with Michael as the main body, Jules is in pursuit; in the picture with Jules as the main body , with no one behind her. And her running is suggesting that her self-growth is rapidly achieved in this chase.
solution
01:21:09-01:37:21
At a critical moment, George stepped forward and admonished: You are not Michael's only one, you have to make sure that Michael's happiness is not bad in your hands.
Take responsibility for the mistakes you make.
Admitting mistakes is done in two scenarios.
To Michael, the protagonist Jules bravely admits his failure and shame. The sitting posture of the two in the waiting hall of Grand Central Station reflects their rapidly changing character relationship, from alliance to hostility to reconciliation. The reward she received was not only Michael's forgiveness. That's the goal of the drama, but it's not what the show is all about.
This scene also lays a delicate way of teaching: Jules chases to the platform, and Michael runs out of the car. The surface plot is that Jules is looking for Michael, but the actual purpose is to show the audience the love scene where Michael proposed to Kimmy. , a scene pun. When Michael talked about it, the platform scene just now turned into a marriage proposal scene in the audience's mind.
And Jules heard the story, and it was her reward for admitting wrong, because this story represents what love really looks like. The so-called real performance of people when they are moved by their true feelings, she heard and understood.
From this, she gave birth to the correct action goal: to find Kimmy, admit her wrong, and save everything. The scene where the two women reconcile is set in the women's restroom. It's a women's-only space that also smells of comedy (and pop). The crazy woman in the toilet was like a loudspeaker, attracting a vote of melon-eating female audience. Everyone barrages the stories of the two in real time.
01:31:41-01:37:21
The wedding went on as planned, and as George had predicted, the best thing Jules could do was to tell his love and show up at the wedding on time, holding a bouquet and kissing his best friend goodbye.
The hug in the crowd and a soft goodbye at the end are the testimony of a best friend. What is best friend? It was my best moment, and I will never forget you. You shared our original song with my marriage, and I also gave you my last farewell. This is the unspeakable tacit understanding between best friends. Friends, like lovers, are equally precious relationships.
end
01:37:22-01:40:56
This ending is a stroke of genius. The appearance of George completely restored Jules' low ending and perfectly echoed the theme of the story: best friends.
What is Jules' greatest happiness? It was she who really had a "best friend". Michael is, George is. George made his debut at the end, telling all the audience: the best friend, will be happy with what you are happy, worry about what you are worried about, have a heart-to-heart, and not delusional possession.
The concept of best friends runs through the whole story, and ends with the main characters being the best friends in pairs, and everyone is happy.
Let's review George's epilogue again:
Whatever it is, life goes on. No marriage, no sex, but we can dance!
This is the best friend. Michael's story is over, but the best friend's story isn't over. Jules wasn't a useless girl, she just couldn't love. Therefore, she once fell in love, so what, her goodness can bring her other happiness after all. This is what growing up tells us:
Life is chaotic, we don't know what we are looking for, and we only slowly realize what that little bit of sadness and joy means in the middle of gains and losses. And the true self is always the light that pierces the fog of life.
The End
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