Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Of dogs and stones
By Sumaya Samarasinghe
Must Love Dogs
Directed by Gary David Goldberg
Starring Diane Lane, John Cusack, Dermot Mulroney, Elizabeth Perkins, Stockard Channing and Christopher Plummer
Diane Lane plays pre-school teacher Sarah Nolan, who eight months after her divorce, is still depressed and dateless. Her close-knit family headed by Christopher Plummer comes to the rescue, often suggesting ridiculous yet funny dating plans. Things begin to really move when Sarah’s eldest sister played by Elizabeth Perkins places her profile on ‘Perfectmatch.com’ and Sarah begins to date again.

And then, Jake comes along. He is a divorced boat builder, who thinks that every love story should resemble his cult movie Dr. Zhivago. At first Sarah and Jake don’t click too well, and the end is of course quite predictable.

Why is this film enjoyable? Because it is sometimes quite nice to see close-knit families who support you in crisis times; because if you are like me in your thirties and notice that there are a few wrinkles near your mouth, under your eyes and that you have to work extremely hard (and not always successfully) to keep your belly flat, you will empathise with the heroine who is told several times during the film that she was ‘older’ than what was expected.

Diane Lane is gorgeous, but she plays a shy woman whose life has fallen apart beyond her control. After an initial period of moping, walking around in pajamas, eating ice cream (the trademark for depressed females) and cuddling an adorable dog, she decides to change her destiny and start living again!
Must Love Dogs is by no means a When Harry Met Sally, and I doubt any scenes of the film will remain stuck in our memories. However, if you don’t have anything to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon, curl up on your couch and spend a pleasant one and a half hours with this movie.

The Family Stone
Directed by Thomas Bezucha
Starring Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes and Craig T Nelson
Well it certainly is the year of the ‘Family’ in American Cinema!
The Family Stone resembles one of those old films made in the 1940s, starring James Stewart or Gregory Peck where there is a lot of laughter and quite a few tears too.

The film begins with the entire Stone family getting together at the parents’ house (Diane Keaton and Craig T Nelson) to celebrate Christmas, and to meet the eldest son’s fiancé Meredith, played by an excellent Sarah Jessica Parker. Meredith is everything the Stones hate. While they have all chosen relatively penniless, but intellectual careers, Meredith is a high-flying business woman, whose little designer suits just don’t fit in the Stones’ comfortable and cozy home. In addition to accumulating blunders, Meredith also has to deal with Amy, the youngest daughter’s open dislike towards her. Unable to cope with the situation, Meredith calls her sister to the rescue, and the pretty and kind Julie comes under the rather appealing form of Claire Danes.

Trouble begins.
If I were to find a fault in The Family Stone, I would say that the script has a few too many convenient coincidences. However, what was interesting though was what this seemingly open-minded and supportive family realise towards the end of the film; how judgmental they too can be and how unwilling they are to accept people with different values and interests.

Cynics would probably say that families like this one do not exist, but they do – believe me. I wish for many families like the Stones where grown up children curl up in bed with their parents, where fathers still hug their daughters and treat them like little girls or siblings fight for ten minutes and make up with a kiss.

In one scene Meredith asks Diane Keaton “What makes all of you so great?” and the answer is “Nothing, but we are all what we have got.” And that is what life is about after all, isn’t it? The people you love and make you happy
Though the film is often hilarious, do not forget your box of tissues, because tragedy will strike even in the perfect home of the Stones.

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