Si on s'aimait

Kind of funny for a romance movie. I shockingly actually liked the movie.

I recently saw this movie, starring Jeanne Tripplehorn and Dylan McDermott, for the second time on cable and I think it's a lot more interesting and original than critics gave it credit for. It does have a meandering nonlinear plot, and the lovers destined to be together don't meet until the end; these facts bother some who are used to a formula plot. It has been compared (unfavorably of course) with Sleepless In Seattle, but aside from the couple not meeting until the end, the two films are not at all similar; Sleepless (which I also liked) is much more conventional; every single scene is directly related to the inevitable conclusion.Til There Was You is actually more like You've Got Mail, where the predestined couple are foes before they meet. Til There Was You, however, is much more original and authentic.You do have to have patience with it; while it's part comedy, it's also a bit like real life; much of what happens is peripheral to the central plot. I liked this; you may not.It has several quirky characters, the most entertaining played by Sarah Jessica Parker.I am sorry that more people didn't like this; the harsh criticism will only encourage future screenwriters to go strictly by the book.

I've seen this movie about five times by now and I still find new things to like about it. Tripplehorn is great (especially at pratfalls) and the rest of the large cast is pretty good too. The movies takes swipes at modern architecture, smoking and relationships, and they are very funny for the most part.

I own a copy of this movie and loaned it out to various movie-loving coworkers, telling them nothing about it in advance and asking them to only to 'rate it on a scale of 1-10'. Sadly, of a group of 10 different viewers, it rated an average of '3'; most thought it was awful. Only one of the 10 recognized the brilliance of this title. The irony, the ongoing parallel construction, the 'pay attention to the details' element. I'm pretty sure this story will go on to be a sort of "It's a Wonderful Life" type of film; an initial box office disappointment that is rediscovered many years later. The running gag about cigarette smoking alone sets it apart from all other movies. It's a breath of fresh air in the formulaic approach of movie making. Quirky and odd as it may be, its message of 'love will find a way' (in spite of our disruption) registered a connection in me; "in the end it always works out; don't give up".

You know what is going to happen 15 minutes into the movie, unless you have had a lobotomy. The characters are kind of likeable. Still, it's just a happy ending, format driven, feel-good movie. I guess you can watch it with a date or something, otherwise skip it.