the Plot:
Six years ago, Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) introduced her best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson) to Dex (Colin Egglesfield), Rachel's fellow law student, whom she has a crush on but thinks he'd never be interested in her. Now Darcy and Dex are engaged, with Rachel the maid of honour, but an offhand remark from Rachel in which she admits having had a crush on Dex during law school, leads to Dex admitting similar feelings and the two end up having a guilty affair. it all starts when Rachel attends her 30th birthday party that is being thrown for her by her best friend since 5th grade, Darcy. We quickly learn that Darcy is the loud, confident, party girl while Rachel is the quiet, demure, self deprecating girl. Darcy is engaged to Dex, Rachel’s friend and crush from law school. By the end of the night Rachel and Dex have slept together and the questions about love and friendship begin for this small group of 30-something New Yorkers.
the Riviu:
i love this movie dem too much. it was heart rendering and unique. though the moral issue of an affair with your best friend's fiance should have been rendered in a negative light, in so many little ways, i was brought to understand both Rachel and Dex's position. they used to have feelings for each other but due to Rachel's insecurity, she walked away too often from her true love. as for Dex, he was raised to do the right thing, to fulfill what is expected of him and to make everyone's happy.
at times, Rachel does hesitate and does not insist on any commitment from Dex. but at other times, the fighter in her does erupt to let Dex know that she's none too happy watching Darcy with him after they come clean about each other's feelings. her feelings are on her sleeves and Darcy being the selfish and self-centered person, failed to recognise it. Only Ethan (John Krasinski), the delightfully sarcastic childhood friend of both Rachel and Darcy notices the actual happenings and catches Rachel on her secret.
there is this character, Claire (Ashley Williams) who's obssessed with Ethan. her unrelenting pursuit and eagerness are disdainly scoffed at by Ethan. it was a pity to be in the girl's shoe. so optimistic for nothing. but she left with a quip worth thinking about: "at least i tried"
Ethan is always cynical and scathingly sarcastic around Darcy. he saw who she really was and their sparks made me think that there is something between them. to my disappointment, Darcy cheated on Dex with Marcus (Steve Howey), a hippy womaniser. and Ethan packed his bags off to England, without so much care about attending Darcy and Dex's wedding.
and what really earned this movie its 5 stars was Rachel and Dex. they are both good people with missed chances and terrible timing. it taught me to not hide my true feelings if i want something. the night Rachel let Darcy wins Dex, it was the mistake of her life. as she cried, hiding her tears in smiles, i cried too. it was so sad.. and when in the morning of the 4th of July when they spend some time together, trying to figure out what they really have together, it touched my heart when Dex says "i love you" when Rachel wakes up.
they then walked to the park and Dex wanted to hold Rachel's hand but she refused, feeling it's not right to show some intimacy in public. good enough because they ran into Dex's parents. noticing there is something between Rachel and Dex, his father warned him off the affair. Dex was told to stop seeing Rachel and do what's right i.e. marry Darcy.
being the obedient son, Dex walked Rachel home. at the door, he asked Rachel to remember what he had said in the morning, and that he meant it. after that he simply walked away and resolved to go through with the wedding.
however, it was easier said than done, on both parties. when Rachel again walked away from Dex in the rain, she remembered that it was her fault that Dex now belongs to Darcy. she walked away from him so many times, hiding her true feelings, and gave away for Darcy's happiness. She ran back to Dex and asked him to call off the wedding. Dex simply stared at her and said that it was too late.. broken hearted, what with Darcy admitting that she cheated on Dex with a friend and Rachel unable to use that info to cancel Dex and Darcy's wedding, she decides to jet off to England to see Ethan a week before the wedding.
when there, Ethan confessed that he might be in love with Rachel (it broke my heart somewhat) but he downplayed it to missing her so much. Rachel was very gracious that in turn Ethan admits that in Rachel's heart, Dex is still there. after the credits of this movie, it was showed that Darcy had seek Ethan at London. which means the future romance of Ethan and Darcy is still on in the sequel: Something Blue :)
even though one may say that adultery is a bad thing, two timing your fiance with her best friend is much worse, i couldn't help but root for both Dex and Rachel. Rachel is innately a good person, a good friend who really means goodness for others. she didn't mean to hurt Darcy who was actually somewhat of a guilty party too, what with her affair with Marcus and having his child but intending to marry Dex nonetheless. it's a good thing that Dex calls off the wedding. otherwise it would have been rotten for Darcy will not disclose the info to him.
i also love the ending of this movie. after realising that it was Rachel whom Dex is leaving her for, Darcy rages on and vows not to speak to Rachel ever again. but two months after that they bump into each other in the streets. Darcy seems miserable and less of a sunny wild girl she once was. they talk a bit and Rachel apologises, not for having a relationship with Dex but for hurting Darcy. Darcy then walks away and waves Rachel goodbye.
Rachel walks on and met Dex who was waiting for her around the corner. taking the stuffs she's carrying, they then walk off together, holding hands~ it was so sweet and heart-rendering.
the many Pix:
the 2 best friends
Darcy epitomises her party girl status
Dex introduces Marcus to Rachel
that night, Rachel admits her feelings for Dex back in law school
the night years ago when Darcy first met Dex and Rachel forsake her feelings for him
Rachel felt uneasy after her slip of tongue whilst Dex was processing the info. As a result, they made out in the cab
Rachel woke up to find Dex in her bed. as Darcy's calls screamed for
their attention, Dex, though in panic, assures Rachel that the one night
stand is a mutual thing, she was not alone in making the jump into bed
Darcy teases Rachel about Marcus whom she thought Rachel is being intimate with. Dex squirms, no less
the four Friends spending summer weekends at the Hamptons
Claire with all the signals zooming towards Ethan, had failed to recognise Ethan's disdain for her lavish attention
Ethan rather confessed that he's gay instead of telling Claire the truth
claire, supporting Ethan's quest of gayness :)
Dex and Rachel's first attempt at holding hands
Dex and Rachel spend the 4th of July together to get to the bottom of their feelings
Rachel woke up to "I love you"
it hurts Rachel to watch Dex with Darcy, after she and Dex both confessed their feelings for each other
Darcy is so dense that she gets Rachel to compose her wedding vows instead
Ethan was mad at Rachel for not realising that he's the only one who cares about her welfare
Rachel, drenched after she ran out in the rain and then came back to ask
Dex to be with her instead. he however regretfully said that it's too
late
Darcy, alone and pregnant. she and Rachel make amends somewhat
the Plot:
this movie, a modern twist on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, is a romantic comedy story of two spoiled sisters: Nora (Camilla Belle), a law student, and Mary (Alexa Vega), an undergrad party girl, living with their father in a luxurious mansion in Beverly Hills.
Mary has become so "90210" she refuses to admit she is of Mexican descent.
When their Dad suddenly passes away, their posh lives are turned upside down.
at the funeral, they found out that they actually have an older half-brother, Gabe (Pablo Cruz Guerrero) who came with his snooty wife, Olivia (April Bowlby). Gabe was the son that their father never mentioned. and he too was clueless of the father he had.
Nora and Mary discovered they have been left penniless and Gabe offered to buy the house to settle their father's debt. Gabe invited the sisters to stay there but Olivia made their lives as inconvenienced as she could while the major renovation works were carried out. later, Edward Ferris (Nicholas D'Agosto), Olivia's brother came for a lunch and set his eyes on Nora.
Mary showed up intoxicated and after being insulted by Olivia's incessant snide remarks, Nora hauled Mary out of the house into their estranged maternal aunt Aurelia's (Adriana Barraza) modest but lively home in the Latino-centric Boyle Heights neighborhood of East LA.
They were terrified to leave their world of privilege; neither Nora nor Mary speak Spanish or have ever had to take on actual responsibility. The girls gradually adapted to their new environment; their BMW and Prius were traded for the public bus and a used car. Nora chose to defer her law class for a while to work. whilst Mary had to finish her studies.
one day, Edward dropped by at the neighbourhood with the Dominguez's stuffs from the house.
it was really thoughtful of him and the girls were grateful.
upon knowing that Nora is looking for a job, Edward offered a position at his office. Nora refused but ended up applying a post at a law firm that turned out to be Edward's.
Mary was mesmerised by Rodrigo (Kuno Becker), her English Teaching Assistant. She was totally oblivious of Bruno's feelings for her. to make it even worse, she had to lie about her home and the dire straits that she was in to make Rodrigo stay interested in her.
the girls successfully adapt to their new lives.
Mary kept sparring with Bruno.
on the night of a party held by Aunt Aurelia, Mary finally admitted to Rodrigo that she's actually living with her aunt and not that posh. Rodrigo didn't seem to mind as he was introduced to the family by Mary.
as for Nora, she invited Edward to celebrate winning a pro bono case for the people in the neighbourhood. intoxicated by tequila, Nora was kissed by Edward. to Edward's profession of love, Nora backed out and refused to admit her own feelings. incensed, Edward left.
whilst Mary was so happy with Rodrigo that she didn't notice how much Bruno was pining over her. she later left the party to spend the night at Rodrigo's. after that night, Rodrigo then left the neighbourhood and evaded answering calls and keep postponing from meeting Mary.
on Nora's end, she was promoted to another office as a way for Edward to avoid seeing her. disappointed, Nora quit.
life became strained and the sisters snapped at each other. until a letter of invitation from Olivia came asking the sisters to attend the engagement party for Edward and a girl picked by Olivia.
the girls agreed to come as to see the outcome of the house renovation. the staffs, whom are dear to them were still working there.
when Nora saw Edward was engaged to another girl, she was upset and left to be alone. Edward followed her and when alone together, Nora confessed that her initial refusal was not due to lack of love, but an instinctive reaction to protect her heart. they were interrupted and Edward left for his fiancee.
Mary on the other hand, requested for some time alone with Gabe. once without Olivia, Mary gave Gabe their father's letters addressed to him. once done, she mingled around and spotted Rodrigo with another woman whom he later introduced as his wife. the wife was chatty and inadvertantly revealed that Rodrigo tempted her with the house that Mary had earlier on suggested to Rodrigo. broken hearted, Mary left the party and was later involved in an accident that left her scarred, hand and leg casted. her injury was so much so that she had to use a wheelchair and convalesce at home.
as she looked back and noticing the small, small details that Bruno did for her, fixing her car, installing the ramp for her wheelchair, protecting her from bullies in town etc, she was truly touched and went over to Bruno's house across the street.
there she found Bruno's teaching the kids to paint. Mary finally admitted her feelings for Bruno and they kissed.
as the family rejoice, Edward came to the house with a much bigger u-haul van, packed with his stuffs. he requested Nora to sign a lease for the home across the street, fulfilling Nora's quip that the next best home to move into would be the one across the street in the same neighbourhood.
the family on Edward and Nora's wedding. Gabe had earlier confided that he had left Olivia as he couldn't tolerate her anymore.
the Riviu:
the story is a very nice adaptation of Sense and Sensebility. though it was set at present time, the essence of the story was kept and simply translated into a modern society. for example, Edward was free to end his engagement and seek Nora's hands in marriage. in the original story, Edward Ferrars was an honourable man who only seek Elinor's hands after his intended marry his younger brother.
and i really like the chemistry between Nora and Mary. their affection for each other is obvious and believable. there are fights, silent war and all that but at the end of the day, they really love each other.
most of it, i definitely fell for the chemistry between Bruno and Mary. the scene where Mary addmitted her feelings for Bruno was so sweet. the timbre, the smile, the charm oozing from all ends of a macho guy named Bruno before he kissed her alone earned my 3 bintang :)
