This isn't some after-school special from yours truly, and I am no puritanical morality police when it comes to entertainment... but once I saw the trend, I couldn't unsee it. The movie that was the culprit was "Something Borrowed." For those that have not seen this movie, let me give a quick recap: woman is in love with her best friend's fiance... has an affair with him... ultimately leading to friend and fiance breaking up and fiance getting together with woman, ruining friendship in the process. But, hey, everyone's happy!? It's ok because friend and fiance obviously were not meant to be together and woman really loved fiance more than friend did. Turns out friend was also cheating on fiance with his friend. All is well! Hooray! Happily ever after!
Wait, what?! Was I seriously identifying with and rooting for the protagonist in this situation? I was rooting for the woman to steal her best friend's fiance. Because, after all, it's true love! I felt kind of icky after this one, and then I realized that this movie is not the only one pushing the moral boundaries. In fact, it's more of the "rule" than the "exception." I seriously thought to myself, "in real life, all women would hate the friend who stole her best friend's fiance and would judge her and shun her." I mean, think about it. Who roots for adultery... except the adulterers...? Hollywood is really twisting people's minds here. When I thought about it, there are a ton of morally questionable chick flicks. I decided to make a list, of course.
1. The Wedding Planner. This may actually be the worst sounding in real life. "Groom falls in love with wedding planner." Enough. Said.
2. My Best Friend's Wedding. I know, they don't actually get together. But, the thought of someone trying to sabotage her best friend's wedding doesn't sit well with me. I am glad this one actually turned out realistically... like, "hey you're being a crazy person!"
3. Made of Honor. Notice a wedding theme? Yet another friend who is trying to sabotage a wedding. Though, successfully here. And, after everyone traveled to Scotland! The shame!
4. Sweet Home Alabama. So... there is so much going on in this one. Woman is engaged to someone who doesn't know that she's already married. So, technically, fiance is the "other man." But, then, she falls back in love with and leaves fiance for husband. Thus, husband becomes the "other man"... though actually he's not. When the husband is the "other man" that you are rooting for, something is seriously messed up.
5. You've Got Mail. Meet man on internet... you both have significant others. You continue to chat via flirty emails. Serendipitously (more on this later), you both break up with significant others for unrelated reasons and then can finally meet and be together. Granted, this wasn't "adultery" per se, but you were rooting for them both to leave their partners and get together. Same thing.
6. The Notebook. Just think about how happy you were when they got back together... when she was engaged to someone else. Mm hmm. Epic romance! Not so epic for that fiance... but, then, he's not Ryan Gosling.
7. Love Actually. This presents a nice dichotomy of adultery for the viewer. On the one hand, there is the sleazy boss/employee storyline of Alan Rickman's character. But, on the other hand... who wasn't kind of rooting a bit for the friend who was in love with his friend's wife? His friend could have been the nicest guy in the world (who knows?), but you were sure rooting for the friend.
8. Serendipity. It's the name of the movie! Some things are just "meant to be." Who cares if you have a fiance or whatever? This is your soul mate we are talking about here!
9. Dear John. I bet there wasn't a woman watching this movie who didn't want the girl to break up with her husband the second Channing Tatum strolls back into the picture. Heck, I would venture that you were actively hoping the husband would hurry up and die already. Death! You are wishing death upon people to advance the love story of two other characters! You can admit it. I can.
10. Leap Year. Perhaps you haven't seen this hidden gem. It is a cute film, to be sure. Who wouldn't succumb to that fake Irish accent (after knowing him for, like, two days)? Even if you are on your way to propose to your boyfriend... who then proposes to you, who you then dump to go back to Ireland. Poor guy can't catch a break. I hope he got to keep that fancy apartment.
Ten is a good round number, and you know how much I love round numbers... now, go feel ashamed of yourselves for feeling happy at the ends of these movies! Hahaha.
