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Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
I Should Not Have Read the Book Before I Watched
I read a beautiful novel. Granted, I do not know much about Japanese culture, but the book was filled with information and subtlety that made me feel as though I did. The impression I felt was one of stifled hope under a beautiful mask that finally was able to burst through during the final pages. I cried.
Then, I watched the movie, hopeful that it would be the embodiment of all of the emotion that the book had evoked from me. I normally have lower expectations of movie adaptations of books I have read because I understand that it is impossible to fit in every event and detail, but this film, for me, fell short.
The beginning of the film was done incorrectly. The story of Sayuri being ripped from her family and subsequently throwing fits and crying was not true to the story and took away a piece of her character. When I read, I was struck by the fact that Sayuri didn't show much emotion more than silent crying and took that to be a cultural response. Sayuri being loud and throwing fits mischaracterized her.
Hatsumomo was miscast, and Mameha was not done quite right. The character of Hatsumomo seemed too loud as I imagined her with a kind of quiet cruelty. Mameha was such an important character that I didn't feel she was given enough time or credit for all that she taught and gave to Sayuri. I wanted to see more of them entertaining as geisha. What a night for them would be like. Also, in the book, Mameha clearly plots directly against Hatsumomo, which, to me, was another important detail.
The moment in which she meets the Chairman was not nearly as beautiful or heavily emphasized as it should have been. This was the moment when Sayuri was lost and without life direction and then decided to tether all of her hopes and dreams on this one man. Ken Watanabe was perfectly cast, but their meeting was too abrupt and insignificant.
Nobu's character wasn't developed nearly enough. It was never truly explained how much he cared for her or the true reason why Sayuri did not want him as a patron. He was also supposed to be more disfigured. I missed this detail, not for the shock factor, but because it is what makes everyone pity him and what helps drive the Chairman to keeping himself away.
I feel cheated because the most pivotal scene was changed. Sayuri should never have thrown the Chairman's handkerchief to the wind. She would have kept it always and never parted it with it for anything. She should have laid it in front of the Chairman as he spoke so that he would know that she loved him, too. Then end just wasn't right.
The progression of the film was beautiful. I love the score, and I particularly love the scene in which she transforms into a geisha. The scene in which Sayuri danced was absolute heaven. Visually, the movie did many things right. Content-wise, it was a miss for me.
Home Again (2017)
The Rom-Com That Restores Any Lost Faith in Rom-Coms
This movie is just a fun watch. The cast is the best part, primarily because each of the guys is so ridiculously attractive, yet Witherspoon's character is never over-powered. Each of them also has a great rapport with her and her children that is just adorable to watch. Witherspoon is a believable single mom with normal home problems, and the presence of the three young men adds love and personal support into the mix. And it works.
This movie portrays a woman in a way that I can get behind. She doesn't date one of the young guys staying with her because she wants to recapture her youth or make someone jealous or for some other superficial reason. She is drawn to him like she would be any other man. The movie highlights, for me, how often youth and women are underestimated in movies, especially ones like these. Younger guys aren't always stupid boy toys or hot, forbidden affairs, and moms are not all Mrs. Robinson. Watch this movie for a laugh, a blush, and a somewhat fresh take on a single mom finding new love.