A month of blogging from A to Z on our chosen themes. Mine is Movie Love: The Theatrical Experience. Now unto the first letter...
All About Steve
Source: Wikipedia
Quick Summary from Google: After a lovely blind date, crossword-puzzle creator Mary Horowitz (Sandra Bullock) falls head over heels in love with Steve (Bradley Cooper), a news cameraman. Mary is convinced that she and Steve are soul mates, and with the encouragement of a reporter (Thomas Haden Church), follows Steve around the country in a bid to win his love. Along the way, she befriends an assortment of misfits who accept her for who she is, leading her to reassess her reasons for this strange journey.
My mother and I saw this movie in 2009 at Carib 5 where we watch most of our theater movies. While not critically acclaimed this movie is a fun watch if you can just enjoy it for what it is. A comedy involving an awkward woman desperate for love and finding her place in the world (but her world is a guy). Sandra Bullock plays the awkward and weird Mary Horowitz a cross puzzle writer whose vocabulary I still envy to this day. After a blind date with a guy named Steve goes awry (unknown to her), she ends up stalking him on a journey to what she thinks is to a man who is interested in her. Hilarity ensues and on a whole my mom and I had a great time. Mary is a character in and of herself and I loved that.
While some critics said that Mary was more worthy of pity than care, I disagree. Sadly we have entered a world where if a woman is not some kind of Wonder Woman or Hunger Games' Katniss then she is some kind of gender defect/disgrace. Screw that, women are of all kinds and we all can't fly through the air or aim arrows at people without going to prison. Now I'm not going to say this is a must see but I had fun watching this movie involving a character I could root for and cringe at all at once. At the end of the day she does realize her folly and acknowledges stalking was wrong. Seriously people it is.
There goes day one of the challenge. Click here to check out the list of other participants and thanks for stopping by.
So true about the trend for the Superman/Superwoman characters. I am learning about writing and the great book I'm reading is telling me you simply have to have a character that your readers can connect with on some level, care about, sympathize with, and want to see grow. That doesn't have to be Electra.
ReplyDeleteSue Hernandez
Wordpress Blogs: writing and A to Z Challenge
Indeed Sue, we are all human and unique. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI have to admit I've never heard of that one before and I don't know how is that possible :) Although I'm not a fan, Sandra really is always fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteIf you get a chance to give it a try Dez, do.
DeleteThat one slipped under my radar...
ReplyDeleteWell get on it Alex! :)
DeleteHaven't heard of this one either. But it sounds like a fun light comedy/romance.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen this, but I do agree about your thoughts on the Mary character. I think a lot of women fit that category.
ReplyDeletebetty
I like your comments on this movie. I do watch silly movies just for the heck of it, and it is good to see characters that are less than perfect... :)
ReplyDeleteHappy A to Z!
@TarkabarkaHolgy from
The Multicolored Diary
MopDog
I need to see this movie!
ReplyDeleteYou're so right about the world being hard on us women- actually I think the most pressure comes from fellow women.
Not one I've seen. Sounds a bit of fun. Good luck with the challenge.
ReplyDeleteI think you're the only good review of this movie that I've ever read, but now you've made me curious to watch it.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge Sandra Bullock fan and I've never heard of this movie. How could I have missed it?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing - great theme!
LOL - I was going to write almost exactly what CR Ward wrote above. This will be the next movie we rent. Thanks. Looking forward to the rest of your AtoZ movies!
ReplyDeleteI love this movie! Thanks for bringing back fond memories of watching it. Delighted to have connected through the A to Z Challenge!
ReplyDeleteI agree why can't a character just be a normal human. Never saw this flick.
ReplyDeleteHappy A to Z 2016.
I'm A to Zing from: Fill the Cracks and Moondustwriter's Blog
I don't believe I saw this movie.
ReplyDeleteI guess the girl being the stalker makes the movie different.
I'm with you, Sheena-kay!
ReplyDeleteI haven't see this movie, but it sounds like fun. And i completely agree with you: I don't think that women need to be all warriors (even if fiction seems to prefer them this one at the moment). From what you say, Mary seems a very human character to me, one that goes through a journey and comes at the end of it wiser and stronger.
ReplyDeleteI like that :-)
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter - Jazz Age Jazz
I've loved every movie Sandra Bullock has ever done. She's not only very talented, but she chooses her films carefully o she doesn't disappoint her fans (Cameron Diaz could learn a lesson from that). I agree with you about "weird" women being singled out. Even tough women are. There are double standards and bigotry everywhere & women need to stick up for each other. Great post!
ReplyDeleteSo relate to your comment about all women having to be perfect on screen and off. I have seen Sandra Bullock in other films and liked her work, this one sounds lighthearted and fun.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Nilanjana
Madly-in-Verse
I so wanted to be like Mary in All About Steve, because she seemed so happy and just able to roll with life. I never thought about it, but your so right that girls' role models now are the Katnisses and the Black Widows, which seems like a lot to live up to. I'm never going to be a badass warrior woman, but I know I can be like Mary. Just happy and enjoying life.
ReplyDeletewww.smpace.com
I wrote an ms with a naive 16 y/o, and agents who requested partials didn't like the girls weakness. They seem to be drawn to bad ass girls who can kick butt. Which isn't typically true, is it?
ReplyDeleteSometimes I just like to watch a movie like this one seems to be. I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI love Sandra Bullock. She always seems to play the same awkward, endearing type that you love but are embarrassed for all at once.
ReplyDeleteI have missed so many good movies over the years. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
ReplyDelete