Piece of Cake

Forget Paris (1995)

Ask anyone in a long-term romantic relationship if their life is similar to a relationship in a movie, and they will laugh at you. They’ll tell you that long-term romantic relationships are complicated and full of details that no filmmaker could possibly get right. But the skills Billy Crystal put to the test in When Harry Met Sallyhave made a full court press in an attempt to sink a three point shot of comedy. Debra Winger helps him keep the pressure on and delivers better on screen chemistry then Meg Ryan was able to.

Over the past three decades Crystal has shown a masterful skill at one-liners, and eventually he put his emphasis towards his pen and not a microphone. He wrote, directed and produced this comedy and filled it with a cast of character actors bringing an air of realism to the story. Crystal’s script focuses on the absurdity of relationship in the world around us. The movie is filled with complements and verbal barbs that can only have been born from the familiarity of romantic intimacy.

A relationship is not born from one romantic cinematic moment a relationship is an ongoing thing. Ever growing, changing, and both parties must be aware of the part that they play. Crystal paints a picture of a couple who met under circumstances that can only be found in a comedy, and then tells the story of that couple over the years through the eyes of their close friends. Each friend who adds to the story has their own agenda, and their own slant to the tale.

The audience is heavily reminded not to dwell on one aspect of your past. That ones life is about growth, changes, discussion, and compromise. There are no easy answers to life, and sometimes life is filled with pain. In the end, anything worth doing is worth working for. Hopefully the soundtrackto your life is filled with Billie Holiday music as this film was, if not discusses this with your DJ and gets your play list shuffled.