The Rebound… but not really

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that nearly every romantic comedy (conceived in Hollywood) has the same predictable formula. The protagonist is in love with his/her best friend or realizes that they are a quarter of the way through the film. The lovesick character struggles with these feelings until they can no longer stand it and confess, usually in the rain, and, predictably, get rejected. The film then goes into the “dark stage” the protagonist is depressed and feels like his/her life is over. This continues until the best friend shows up and delivers a long monologue about how he/she misses them, how they’ve had time to think, and how they love the protagonist too. They share a deep, long anticipated, kiss, and the movie ends.
Another well known plot is the hate turns to love formula, also known as the Pride and Prejudice. Two people hate each other, either they’ve hated one another for awhile or they met briefly and the first impression was not a good one. The two are thrown into a situation that causes them to spend a lot of time together. During this time they get to know each other, realize they have a lot in common and eventually fall in love. Blah, blah, blah. It’s predictable and boring. Every audience member knows what’s going to happen and still pays nearly $10 to see it.

When I watched the Rebound I was expecting the usual Hollywood romantic comedy formula. The movie started off with the first generic plot twist, Sandy (Catherine Zeta-Jones) finds out that her husband cheated on her. Divorce, packing, and a new apartment in New York City follow. Cue adorable 24 year old who just got divorced from his French wife who was using him to get a green card and who he still can’t get over. Sandy hires Aram Finklestein (Justin Bartha) as her nanny, who could deny those blue eyes and adorable smile? Aram becomes a part of the family, but soon becomes more of a father than a nanny (hence the title). Sandy and Aram hook up, culminating in a hilarious scene in which Sandy’s son, Frank, interrupts the couples love making.

It isn’t until later that the film proves how it’s not a generic Hollywood film. Sandy finds out she’s pregnant and tells Aram, and instead of freaking out and running away, he is excited and supportive. It is not until they visit the doctor and find out that Sandy had had an ectopic pregnancy that the shit hits the fan. Sandy receives a huge wake up call, breaks off with Aram and the two go their own separate ways. At this point, in other Hollywood rom-com’s, there would have been a misunderstanding, a wrong assumption, or failed communication, which would have lead to an argument, which would have lead to a breakup. I love that the writer chose a different route. Having Sandy let go of Aram and the two of them going different ways allowed the audience to see a different kind of love story. For the rest of the film we see Aram and Sandy living their lives without each other. Aram has amazing adventures in Europe and Africa while Sandy gets promoted to anchor woman at the channel she works for. We see Sandy’s kids grow up. Aram and Sandy having fleeting relationships. Until it all circles around and the two of them run into each other at a restaurant five years later, finding that their love is still there.

I love how very realistic this film is. It tells a love story that isn’t often told, maybe because Hollywood doesn’t think it has enough drama to attract an audience. I really enjoyed the Rebound because I become extremely frustrated while watching romantic comedies because of the stupidity of many of the characters, their lack of communication, and the fact that they always seem to proud to open up and just tell people how they are actually feeling rather than walking out. I highly recommend the Rebound to everyone who hasn’t seen it. You will laugh, you will awe or gag at the mushy-gushy romantic scenes, and you will have a different kind of love to think about when you go to sleep. The kind that can be dormant and then rekindled in a moment.