Wicker Park

[Hazelita]

I rented this movie on DVD to watch during the blizzard last night. All I have to say is ... Wow! Not what I expected at all ... but loved all the little twists and turns. I thought for sure someone would go berserk and kill somebody.

Basically, there's this guy who's in love with this girl (#1). Unknown to either of them there's another girl (#2) who's in love with him. She schemes to keep them apart, quite successfully. So, thinking his true love (#1) has abandoned him he leaves Chicago to take a job in New York. Then meets yet another girl (#3) and moves back to Chicago with her two years later.

Stuck in a job he doesn't seem to care much about, with a woman he respects but has no real affection for ... this guy is understandably confused and dissatisfied.

Then a weird thing happens. He thinks he's seen girl #1 by chance in a restaurant in Chicago. He can't chase her because he's with girl #3. He blows off a very important business trip, lies to his girlfriend, and stalks girl #1 all over town, but she keeps eluding him. That is, until he breaks into her apartment, and finds ... you guessed it ... girl #2!!! Instead of having him arrested she tries to seduce him. Ha! It didn't take much effort on her part and in a moment of stupidity he sleeps with her. Are you getting confused yet??? LOL!

Anyway, it turns out girl #2 is seeing his friend (let's call him guy#2). Guy #1 discovers her charade but doesn't blow the whistle on her to guy #2. Girl #2, in a gesture I never expected (what I kept expecting was for her to go postal and kill somebody), confesses to girl #1 (oh, did I mention that the #1 and #2 are friends?) The airport reunion of guy# 1 and girl #1 ... well, let's just say ... I used a couple if tissues ... it was so touching. Without saying a word they spoke volumes. It was beautiful, man. <sniff, sniff>

[Captain Gary]

Great review Hazel! You're right, I had to read it twice to keep the characters straight. Did you have to pay close attention during the movie or else lose the whole plot?

You should write guest columns for Jake's other website. He could set up a seperate area just for 'Chick Flicks'. ;D

Gary

[Chicago Jake]

Great review, baby! I think you liked it more than I did. Of course, it IS a chick-flick, after all.

I like your idea too, Gary. That would work.

Anyway, here's what I posted at my movie review site after seeing"Whicker Park":

paul mcguigan's "wicker park" (josh hartnett, rose byrne, matthew "shaggy" lillard, and diane kruger). hey, I only saw this movie because I thought it would be a thriller with intrigue, crimes, chase scenes, and maybe even some gratuitous head-loppings. boy was I wrong: it turned out to be more of a romantic melodrama mystery with lots of flashbacks. [okay, I also went to see it for the chicago locations, which were cool (when they weren't faked by montreal or toronto or wherever the hell it was)]. as far as the real movie goes, it was pretty okay: a guy puts his up-and-coming life and career on hold because he thinks he has a chance to find his long-lost true love. but an incredible series of coincidences turns it into a love triangle, and then a love quadrangle, and then it starts getting complicated! it was enjoyable enough on its own terms, I guess, if you like this sort of thing. personally, I thought the high quotient of improbable coincidences seemed more suited to a romantic comedy (a la tom hanks and meg ryan, maybe) or a slapstick farce (a la cary grant and katharine hepburn) than a straight drama. oh yeah, one more coincidence: both lead chicks were in "troy" earlier this year!

[Hazelita]

Gary said:

You're right, I had to read it twice to keep the characters straight. Did you have to pay close attention during the movie or else lose the whole plot?

Gary ... I admit there were a few times when I was shocked by the plot twists but it wasn't too difficult to keep track. There were moments when I wanted to throw my hands up in the air, suck my teeth, and say ... That is ridiculous! NOBODY does this kind of shit!

But then, what do I know? There are stories in the news all the time about stalkers. They just don't have happy endings like this flick did. Like I said ... not what I expected. But still very good.

Yes, Jake ... I think I liked the movie more than you did. So-called "chick flicks" are my guilty pleasure.