JUST MARRIED
US, 2003, 95 minutes, Colour.
Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy, Christian Kane, David Moscow, David Rasche, Veronica Cartwright, Raymond J. Barry.
Directed by Shawn Levy.
Just Married is a very slight comedy about two young people who live together and then get married. Her family dislikes him. His father is a wise man remembering his own marriage and its love and difficulties. Ashton Kutcher was making the move from television to films at this stage and was soon to appear in bigger-budget films like The Butterfly Effect and A Lot Like Love. Brittany Murphy had established herself as a good comic actress in such films as Clueless and began to build a strong leading role career.
Shawn Levy was to go on to direct the remakes of Cheaper by the Dozen with Steve Martin as well as Steve Martin’s The Pink Panther. His films are very broad comedy – especially here with some slapstick as the young couple travel to Europe, he with his philistine attitudes towards anything European or non-American, she with her more cultured background (and the touch of jealousy from a young executive who wanted to marry her).
Nothing particularly startling, a few comic moments, some very irritating moments with Ashton Kutcher’s anti-European and ignorant stance – but, a moralising ending about true love.
1.An entertaining comedy? Verbal humour, visual humour? The situation about marriage, honeymoons?
2.The American settings, the affluent family, the ordinary middle-class family? Homes and mansions? The travels in Europe, the visuals of France and the luxury hotel? The alps and the mountain scenes? Venice, the canals, the hotels? The exotic touch? Musical score?
3.The title and indication of tone? Expectations? The opening with the return from the honeymoon, the couple being angry with each other, pushing each other? Getting the lift home? Separating?
4.The flashbacks: the meeting, Tom and Sarah and their getting on well with each other, their ability to communicate, falling in love, living with each other? Sarah taking Tom home to her parents, the surface acceptance, Mr Mc Inerney and his hostility, Pussy and her liking Tom? The attitude of the brothers? The plans for the marriage, the interventions of the McInerneys? Tom and his reliance on Kyle for advice?
5.The wedding ceremony, the comedy, the preparations, the dress…? Nervousness? The first night, their being tired, the discussion about sex?
6.The honeymoon: the plane ride, all going well, getting stuck in the toilet seat? The antagonistic flight attendant? Her later reappearing with a bandaged face? Tom and his attitudes, Sarah going along with him?
7.The hotel, Tom wanting the sports and television, not being in the room? His beginning his anti-European disparagement? Criticising the signs, the language, the concierge? The attendant and the tip? Sarah and her being embarrassed? The confrontation and their pulling out? On the road, the crash into the snow, the rich woman and her pushing their car off the road? The cold night? Going to the hotel, the difficulties, going to the farm? The woman, and the comedy, breaking wind etc? The decision to go to Venice, going to the old pensione that his father had recommended, crammed with the people? Going to the hotel? Peter’s arrival?
8.The tensions between the two, Tom and his continuing pro-American stances? Meeting up with the girl in the bar, going back with her, trying to avoid her, the bra? Sarah and her going to the galleries, Tom not wanting to go? The encounter with Peter, at the gallery, her going off with him? His kiss – and her slap (and Tom missing this)?
9.Peter, favoured by Sarah’s father, business sense? Jealous of Tom? Going to the hotel, paying to have Sarah followed? Meeting her, the art, taking her for the visit, the discussions, the kiss, her slap?
10.The return home? Tom and his bewilderment, Kyle and his advice? Sarah and the discussions with her parents?
11.Tom arriving in the car, threatening to ram the gate? His big speech about loving Sarah, her hearing it, opening the gate, the reconciliation? What future?
12.The film’s themes of young people, falling in love, not knowing enough about each other, being too young? Marriage, commitment? The difficulties, fights – and Tom’s father and his good advice about living each day, hard days, those not being in the photo albums? The possibilities of marriage and long-term commitment?
