Since first viewing this movie, a few years back, it has become one of my absolutely favorite films. I can’t count how many times I’ve watched it. The premise is unique, and interesting, if a little outlandish. Jeana (Estella Warren) is a 27 year old computer tech at the Sacramento Fire Department, who’s dating Tom (Michael Weatherly), a local news reporter. While they are at the wonderful beginnings of a great relationship, there is one thing that is causing issues for Tom and Jeana, and that’s the fact that she’s not ready to let their relationship get physical. Eventually Jeana has to inform Tom of the main reason behind this; she’s still a virgin. Tom, while talking to his new camera man (Paul played by Christian Kane) before doing a news report, inadvertently announces this fact on the nightly news. Not only does this cause great turmoil for Jeana, as the entire city becomes aware of an exceptionally personal fact, the community reactions to Tom’s blunder create an entertaining new battle of the sexes.
The
best thing about this movie (which was directed by Walter Matthau’s son
Charlie), is the characters. I felt they were incredibly relatable, just not in
the way one might expect. Instead of having certain stereotype characters in
the main three, the writer and actors took elements of all the old stereotypes
and mixed them between the leads. You see elements of the co-dependent needy
type in Jeana, but mixed in with the typically insane elements of the woman
bent on revenge. And finally we see how these two elements lend themselves to
the ultimate romantic leading lady type, the "I'm good enough to be with
you, and you're good enough to be with me."
In Tom we get what would seem to be, on the surface, a man with nothing more
than a surface. However, as we move along we see a genuinely new man emerging,
one who actually can love someone else more than himself. How many of the
'left' men in romantic triangles start as the jerk you should kill at one
moment, and almost become the true love you should go back to, at the end?
Paul is a killer. He appears to be a bitter man, shoved by women once too
often. He is the kind of man woman weep over, while they curse the stupid hags
who had bruised such a ripe peach. But in truth he's still the desperate
romantic, in a much more profound way than Jeana. It just takes him a moment to
realize that he doesn't have it in him to give up on love. The thing that's
interesting about Paul is his reactions to what's going on around him. When he
first falls for Jeana, he does resist, but only very briefly. Once he realizes
what he has, he goes full steam to get her, and nothing becomes anything more
than a minor roadblock, including Tom. In many romantic comedies, when the true
love finds out the major secret of his lady; that becomes his focus, the thing
that either drives him harder, or gives him pause. But Paul learning the
information that Jeana is a virgin is really irrelevant to him. The only thing
he cares about is her reaction once she finds out he knows. For him it doesn't
matter because that's not what he wants from her. He only wants to be with her,
and 'being with her' can wait.
Paul personifies what Jeana is asking for, and it's not such a small thing; a
person who cares more about waking up next to you than sleeping with you. I
will not presume to know how men, at large, feel about this concept; especially
if it is something they do or do not appreciate from Jeana’s position. But I
feel confident in saying that nearly every woman has had a moment when that
statement becomes either a sad reality, or a funny experience at the club one
night. Usually it has become both, at different times.
I loved this movie; funny, heartfelt, sexy, romantic, intoxicating at moments.
The movie elicited some serious emotion from me at points, both positive and
negative. I loved every character, even Tom’s one note producer/friend, and
Rachel Dratch’s man hating best friend role. But what really gets to me is the
particular one-on-one moments between any two of the three leads. There are
some moments between Tom and Paul that I felt were very interesting,
particularly when Tom tries to move their professional relationship to one of
friendship. Though, given Tom’s inherent superficial nature, he ends up making
the effort more for his benefit than Paul’s.
I also feel that this movie has something important to say. Some people in the film treat Jeana's virginity like it's a statement about who you are, and/or something to be treasured. Others act like sex is something casual, which should never be a big deal to anyone. But ultimately the outcome provides the true answer; it's an intimate act, and should be treated as such. In other words, we need to stop making sex into such a big thing publicly, and start making it more of a big thing privately. I truly believe if people stop trying to tell everyone when and if they should have sex, people will start treating sex like the wonderful form of human interaction it is. Just like Jeana and Paul were able to, once they finally reached that point of trust and intimacy between them.
And
I dare anyone to watch the darkroom scene, and not feel their chest tighten for
a moment.
This scene is one of my FAVORITE kinds of love scenes. It's what I like to
call, the Sexless Sexy scene. The only thing that doesn't happen (on camera) is
sex, and they are still sexy and amazing. I swear that every single time
"Crimson and Clover" starts in the dark room, my chest tightens, my
heart starts beating really fast, and I am completely entranced. Christian is
so incredibly sexy in the way he loses himself in her, and Estella plays
blissfully overwhelmed very well. Unrealistic though the line may be, when Paul
says he just doesn't want her to leave, I want to grab and kiss him. I honestly
wonder how women on the crew kept their hands off of Christian on that day.
Just for saying it, even fictionally, I would've wanted to kiss him on the
mouth and thank him.
And, while not as steamy as in the dark room, the follow up scenes on the couch
are sensational. Wait, not only does he not care if they have sex, he can
handle it while still making out and cuddling? Be still my heart. If you ever
could create your man, that's a man to make.
For two other examples of fabulous Sexless Sexy scenes; see the vanilla love
scene from Simply Irresistible and the celebrating together scene in
Undiscovered.
© CleverTitania.com 2009
