The ordinary provides an unexplainable comfort. We like to know how things will end and the stories that provide us with familiarity.
THREE TYPICAL PLOTS
“Stuck in Love” is by no means an original storyline. It follows three typical plots with characters who are not what one would call mold breakers. Yet, I enjoyed the movie because it did not attempt to show something Hollywood has not seen before and instead remained realistic and authentic. Stories with the cookie cutter plots are popular because they portray normal life on the big screen. It reminds us that amidst fantasy movies and unrealistic action blockbusters, a mediocre life is actually beautiful in its simplicity.
STILL HUNG UP
Bill Borgens, played by actor Greg Kinnear, is a husband still hung up on his ex-wife Erica, played by actress Jennifer Connelly . The cynical daughter, Samantha, is played by actress Lily Collins. The son, Rusty is played by actor Nat Wolff and spends his days pining over the popular girl. The lives of the Borgens’ reflect the movie’s central theme — a writer is the sum of their experiences. As a result, I could tell where the movie was going in the first 20 minutes. This did not deter me from finishing the film, though.
SOMETHING SATISYING
Josh Boone’s 2012 “Stuck in Love” easily could have fallen flat if it were not for its cast who turned an average script into something that still evoked fresh emotions. My heart warmed when Bill and Erica reconciled, when Rusty got his girl and then lost her and when Samantha fell in love — even though none of these developments surprised me.
Maybe it is because I am a writer and I love the idea of a dad paying his children to journal daily and that practice resulting in book deals, despite the fact their ages for such an accomplishment is highly unrealistic. Or, maybe it is because I like the small happy endings that happen in daily life. Whatever the reason, when the film was on its last scene and the credits rolled, I had a smile on my face. There is just something satisfying about watching relationships mend and cynics proven wrong that will never get old for me.
