Saturday, March 03, 2007

The Right Combination

Matchmaking - or busybody meddling as some call it under their breaths :) - can have its inevitable ups and downs. Easy enough to get two people to share a meal for one speedy dinner date but to have them share bed and breakfast for the rest of their lives can be a bit more complicated - evidenced by the unfortunate rash of breakups lately.

Of course my matchmaking mama has her own thoughts on that since she seems intent on shoving dating services under my nose each time I turn around. With my obvious reluctance to involve myself in heterosexual dating rituals, it wouldn't surprise me if she ordered a comely Vietnamese mail order bride soon. :P

Maybe Charming Calvin could dress up in a flowing ao dai and play pretend.

Finding that special someone can sometimes be the cosmic equivalent of striking that milion-dollar lottery against impossible odds. Sometimes no matter how much two people have in common, no matter how amazingly similar their tastes and proclivities lie, no matter that it seems fortuitously written in the karmic stars that they are meant to be together, there just doesn't seem to be that particular spark of chemistry that ignites love.

Fortunately for Jaunty Jared and Lanky Lex cuddling comfortably in their dark, secluded corner of their universe, there seems to be just that spark. Doubt even the cheesy one-hit-wonders of the 80s playing in rotation during the movie could distract the two from their cosy contented cocoon of newfound love ( no doubt shielded by the peculiar sounds of bells and whistles from Phillip Glass that they both adore ).

Backseat petting
Did anybody see that?

Of course they could be indulging in heavy-duty petting for all I know :) Can't say I haven't given in to that urge time and again myself.

OMG! Now I have this odd imprinted image of the two canoodling in the Jumping Jalopy's backseat with Lex leaving a sweaty hand imprint on the windscreen ala Rose Dawson in the Titanic.

Unfortunately for the rest of us watching the movie ( when I wasn't stealing glances at the cooing couple ), neither Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant could find that elusive spark in this sad romantic mismatch. Seriously, there's hardly enough combustive heat in all of the fractious Middle East to make the eminently likeable duo a believable couple. Half the time as they quarrel and banter, they seem more like lifelong best friends / colleagues who have accidentally stumbled into a misguided one-nighter in Music and Lyrics.

Doesn't mean the movie's a total disaster though. Drew Barrymore despite her understated, near wimpish role still manages to be an audience favourite since even the hardest heart would melt under that sweet, sunny smile - and Hugh Grant despite his divine antics and aging wrinkles still manages to squeeze out enough roguish charm and snappy one-liners to carry the film.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

*sigh*
all about couples...
*sigh*

Anonymous said...

I kinda liked the movie. It was effortless to watch, I thought the casting was good and it was just what I needed to see this winter vacation with the temp hovering near the single digits again. I just enjoyed the silliness of it all, and Hugh Grant is adorable especially when I keep having a mental image of him in the back seat of a cab with his prostitute. Common, you gotta love a man who can get down with the real peeps!

BTW just so I can understand your blogs culturally, are you out to your family?

Michelle

Wild Reeds said...

Hello Paul!
Visiting your blog after a very long time! How are you? Hope all is well. Nice posts as always (but then what's new in that)

Anonymous said...

This matchmaking is all thanks to me of course. Bwahahaha.

Now Lex just needs to look at Jared and pop goes his heart!

Anonymous said...

I cannot imagine putting myself through that movie. If I did, I feel sure I would start grunting like a monkey whenever Hugh Grant came on. His Englishness is so overdone.

Petie said...

Talk about movie, 300 is about to be release! It will be shown in Bangkok on Mar. 8 :D

Melvin Mah said...

Matchmaking gosh..~Hopefully my mom will not be so worried about me being single in near future...

Music and Lyrics is nice!!!

savante said...

:0 What can I say! I'm seeing a lot of them hereabouts, shaz.

Casting was certainly good... just thought they lacked a certain chemistry. And yeah, I kept thinking of Hugh and Divine, Michelle.

Thanks, wild reeds!

Bet something else goes pop too, shane.

Whoa, you do hate Hugh grant, yen :)

Can't wait for that, petie but it's gonna be a bloodbath for sure.

Your turn will come, m5lvin! :)

Paul

Allan Yap & Nigel A. Skelchy said...

Have not seen the movie. But am glad that with the exception of very few people, no one asks us about getting married (to girls) anymore. Whew! I really never thought I'd have a partner and be out to everyone who matters. Allan's family refers to mine as the "in-laws" something that to me indicates how much they love him. Even his 80 year old mother surprised me this year by asking him to ask his "mother in law" (her words) to come for Chinese New Year lunch.