Saturday, 18 September 2021 20:02

Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them, The






THE OPPOSITE SEX AND HOW TO LIVE WITH THEM

US, 1991, 86 minutes, Colour.
Arye Gross, Kevin Pollak, Courtney Cox, Julie Brown, Mitchell Ryan, Philip Bruns.
Directed by Matthew Meshekoff.

The Opposite Sex and How to Live With them is a little-known romantic comedy of the early 1990s. It is a star vehicle for comic actor from film and television, Arye Gross, and a very attractive pre-Friends performance by Courtney Cox. They portray the Jewish young man and the WASP young woman who encounter each other in a bar, find themselves initially abrasive but who fall in love, move in, meet their respective parents, are subject to nerves, split, but are persuaded to reunite and all ends with a very happy inter-faith wedding.

The setting is Boston – with an emphasis on baseball.

Kevin Pollak and Julie Brown are the best friends who provide a great deal of comment both to their friends as well as directly to camera. There are some amusing captions as well as values indications with a variety of noughts and crosses.

It all seems somewhat sweet and charming compared with some of the more brittle romantic comedies of later years.

1. A romantic comedy of the early 1990s? The traditions of the Romcom? Changes in relationships by this period? Issues?

2. The city of Boston, workplaces, offices, apartments, sharing homes? Bars, restaurants? The baseball stadium and matches? Visits to in-laws? The wedding sequence? The musical score?

3. The total, the tone, the captions throughout the film, the sketch diagrams with noghts and crosses?

4. The characters talking to camera, looking into the camera, looking at the audience, confiding in the audience? Their roles?

5. Zoe and her costumes, hairstyles, impersonations? The satire on the Ted Koppel show?

6. The focus on David, in himself, his work, friendship with Eli, their talk, man about town, attitudes towards girls? Seeing Carrie and Zoe, the initial clash? The eye contact? David, the attraction, falling in love, the follower? At the baseball match, buying the food, Carrie and the catch? Eli always critical? Zoe and her observations? The meetings, talk, in love, Carrie moving in, the visit to each of the in-laws and the different styles, the tensions, nerves? David and his anxiety, the meal in the restaurant, the clash, Carrie walking out? The Ted Koppel show? In their boxes, being interviewed, moving out of the boxes, David with the ring, the proposal? Preparation for the wedding, David and his nerves, the baseball field, urged on by Eli? Happiness, commitment, look into the future, the wedding?

7. The focus on Carrie, with Zoe, the chat with David, the attraction, falling in love, at the baseball match, catching the ball, conversations with Zoe, going out with David, the
visit to her parents and her tough father, the decision to move in, the effect?

8. Zoe and her comments? Tension, the meal, David and his nervousness, moving out? The Koppel show, change, the ring and her acceptance, her nerves on the wedding day, Zoe and her support? The happy wedding?

9. Eli, the character, humour and sardonic touches, talk, the male attitudes, drinking, pills, and his not always being successful? Loving baseball? The various comments to camera? His influence on David, the end?

10. Zoe, chairing the apartment with Carrie, talking, to camera, her different hairstyles, comic touches, final support of Carrie?

11. The Jewish parents, the mother? The WASP parents, hunting and guns…? The ceremony, combined Protestant and Jewish? Everybody mingling at the end, the dancing? Love and everybody joining in?