Teardrops on My VCR: Sex and the City: The Movie (2008)

I’m a girl. I like “Sex and the City”. Nay, I love “Sex and the City”. But it’s okay. It’s perfectly acceptable, because I’m a girl. It’s also perfectly acceptable to marathon the series at least once a year. And it’s perfectly acceptable that I saw the midnight showing of Sex and the City: The Movie on opening night. I was dressed up, too. Had I owned Manolos I would have strutted down the streets of Helena, Montana bitching to my girlfriends about how much I love being single but hate the wretched social stigma that comes along with it. I view the movie as a continuation of the series, therefore, it probably won’t ever get put on my Official Canonized Favorite Movies List. To fully appreciate the movie, you have to know and love the series. And since I know and love the series, I fully expected cry during the movie just as I had during so many episodes.

What made me cry…
Carrie Bradshaw had just been left at the altar (well, technically, she hadn’t yet made it to the altar yet) by her longtime boyfriend/fuck buddy/friend/love interest Mr. Big a.k.a. John James Preston. Her friends hurry her into a limo to avoid further embarrassment. They drive quickly away from the venue but Carrie and Big’s eyes meet as their limousines pass one another. Suddenly, Carrie’s limo stops. She gets out of the car and beats the shit out of Big with her bouquet. He tries to apologize, but she won’t have it. Her friends Miranda and Charlotte pull her away. Charlotte takes Carrie in arms and gives Big a death glare. He steps forward for another apology. Charlotte extends her pointer finger and shrieks, “NO!” Miranda rushes Carrie to the car. Charlotte continues to have a stare off with Big until she gets into the limo.

Why it made me cry…
Charlotte is the sweetest of the group. Definitely the least combative, the least cynical, and the most romantic. Earlier in the movie she claims how she always knew Carrie would marry Big in spite of all the bullshit 6 seasons could give us. Charlotte was also the most forgiving of Big because of her belief in soul mates. So after this bombshell, unforgivable act, no one expected Charlotte to be the one to tear Big a new A. No one expected Charlotte to have such fierceness inside of her. When the romantic one snaps, it means a lot more from cynical Miranda or confrontational Samantha.

Teardrops on My VCR: Forrest Gump (1994)

It was the first movie I recall seeing in the movie theater. At the age of 6, I didn't understand one goddamn thing about Vietnam or Watergate or ping pong. The only thing I understood was Forrest loved Jenny and when they were kids, they slept in the same bed. As a young romantic, I couldn't understand why I couldn't have such sleepovers with my best male friend (who I not-so-secretly had a crush on). But that's another story...

In the first grade, I wasn't so emotionally developed to I cry during this movie. It wasn't until one PMSy day in high school, alone in my basement. I have a habit of never crying during something atrociously sad (like Thomas J.'s death in My Girl) until much, much later. But then it hits you the way The Notebook hits most adolescent girls for the first time. [Shudder].

What made me cry...
The romance between the adorably dimwitted Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) and the emotionally damaged Jenny Curran (Robin Wright-Penn) is one of the most tumultuous in cinema. Never before has a more one sided love affair been presented on celluloid.At the end of the film, after Forrest has spent his life hopelessly devoted to his childhood pal, he finally gets to marry her. But alas, her hedonistic disco life has given her AIDS and she dies shortly after they wed.

Then Forrest speaks to her grave. He describes taking care of their son, and the aspects of destiny. And how he buried her under the tree where they spent they're childhood. As Forrest tearfully walks away, a flock of birds flies towards the tree. Ah, symbolism, how you make a weeper out of me.

Why I cried...
Even though Forrest spent his entire life relentlessly in love with Jenny and he finally got her, he had such a brief amount of time with her. It's almost cruel. Not to mention her poor treatment of him. Such as constantly choosing jerks over him, claiming he doesn't know what love is, and rejecting his marriage proposal even when knowing he's the only man who's ever truly loved her.
And the kicker is, Forrest never thinks Jenny is doing anything wrong. His love is unconditional. Like for a family member. It's not my intention to turn their love incestuous, but I'm convinced most people wouldn't put up with such behavior for thirty years.

Teardrops on My VCR: Atonement (2007)

So, I cry during movies...quite a bit. And because I wanted to start yet another series, here is one that will dissect my reasons behind crying during any given scene during a film. Sometimes it's from happiness, sometimes from release. Others because I can personally relate to the scene. But most of the time it's from sheer depression.

For my first "Teardrops" blog, I'll discuss the tragic WWII era epic romance Atonement.

What made me cry...

At the end of the film, an elderly Briony Tallis (played by Vanessa Redgrave) is conducting an interview on her latest and last novel, "Atonement", which portrays the events of the film. She is overcome with grief and admits to the autobiographical elements of the book and how the happy ending is fictional.

In truth, Robbie Turner (the very sexy James McAvoy) died of septicemia the day before the evacuation of Dunkirk.

And Briony's sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) was killed in the Balham Tube Station flooding.

Briony never made amends with her sister. And Robbie and Cecelia never saw each other after their one half hour meeting at the coffee shop.

Through this quote, Briony explains her reasoning for changing the ending:

"So, my sister and Robbie were never able to have the time together they both so longed for... and deserved. Which ever since I've... ever since I've always felt I prevented. But what sense of hope or satisfaction could a reader derive from an ending like that? So in the book, I wanted to give Robbie and Cecilia what they lost out on in life. I'd like to think this isn't weakness or... evasion... but a final act of kindness. I gave them their happiness."

The movie ends with a scene of the fictional Robbie and Cecilia enjoying their togetherness while chasing waves on an English beach.

Why it made me cry...

Well, this is one of the more personal ones. I plan on someday writing a series of young adult novels based on the true events of my romantic life. (Not self-indulgent at all, is it?) Anyway, if things don't conclude climactically or harmoniously, I will fake a happy ending. Like Briony said, what sense of hope or satisfaction can a reader find in an unhappy ending after you've dragged a reader/viewer through such tumultuous events?

But truly, the real sadness comes from the realization that the real characters died seperated and miserable. To hell with their fictional counterparts. A fake happy ending doesn't make up for the real tragedy.