In the beginning I found it average and unexciting. But around the time when Warren Beatty's character Bud doesn't see Natalie Wood's Deanie anymore because Bud's father has bigger plans for him, plus he doesn't get to sex Wilma because her mother tells her it is evil, I very much became involved. It's funny that I thought those two actors also played together in 'West Side Story' considering the similarities in story. The big difference is that their parents in this film aren't sworn enemies and that smaller and much more real obstacles (aka bad parenting) stood in the way of love and possible happiness.
I was mildly impressed by how fast it was told in parts. There are scenes that only have a handful of dialogue (~20 seconds long) and then it moves on to the next one. But those scenes never seemed ill-timed or useless. You understood what they were driving at. Overall the character's motivations were tremendously well-drawn. I saw why character's did what they did, why they didn't do what they didn't do and I knew what they felt. This I consider essential to be deeply involved in the movie. Here the credit goes to the screenplay and in smaller parts also to the cast. It has been a long time since a film did get to me as much as this one.
And there is one scene that made me laugh like I haven't laughed in a long time. When Bud's sister brings her boyfriend for lunch (this time it's a gas station attendant) her mother talks to him and asks him some questions that shouldn't be too hard to answer. The guy just looks at her with a blank face and then turns to his girlfriend and says "Huh?". Half a minute later it happens again, he turns to his girlfriend and says "What?". I laughed for two minutes.
I'm not sure I know why I found this so hilarious, but I can try to explain it. It is an absurd reaction, so it is contrary to reason. But what makes it so funny is that at the same time I find it believable and it shows a total lack of respect for the mother. Not only that, but the mother obviously can live with this lack of respect, as she keeps speaking to him. There is just so much going on in these few seconds and something made click in my head.
Also, the ending (but not exclusively the ending) reminded me a lot on 'Lolita' ('90s version). There is also this scene towards the end when the two ex-lovers meet again after some years. The viewer has to realize that their love is a thing of the past, that it just can't be like it used to be and that this is an unchangeable part of life. Nobody is really happy how things turned out but we can just assume that they are still better off this way.
I was mildly impressed by how fast it was told in parts. There are scenes that only have a handful of dialogue (~20 seconds long) and then it moves on to the next one. But those scenes never seemed ill-timed or useless. You understood what they were driving at. Overall the character's motivations were tremendously well-drawn. I saw why character's did what they did, why they didn't do what they didn't do and I knew what they felt. This I consider essential to be deeply involved in the movie. Here the credit goes to the screenplay and in smaller parts also to the cast. It has been a long time since a film did get to me as much as this one.
And there is one scene that made me laugh like I haven't laughed in a long time. When Bud's sister brings her boyfriend for lunch (this time it's a gas station attendant) her mother talks to him and asks him some questions that shouldn't be too hard to answer. The guy just looks at her with a blank face and then turns to his girlfriend and says "Huh?". Half a minute later it happens again, he turns to his girlfriend and says "What?". I laughed for two minutes.
I'm not sure I know why I found this so hilarious, but I can try to explain it. It is an absurd reaction, so it is contrary to reason. But what makes it so funny is that at the same time I find it believable and it shows a total lack of respect for the mother. Not only that, but the mother obviously can live with this lack of respect, as she keeps speaking to him. There is just so much going on in these few seconds and something made click in my head.
Also, the ending (but not exclusively the ending) reminded me a lot on 'Lolita' ('90s version). There is also this scene towards the end when the two ex-lovers meet again after some years. The viewer has to realize that their love is a thing of the past, that it just can't be like it used to be and that this is an unchangeable part of life. Nobody is really happy how things turned out but we can just assume that they are still better off this way.