The reviews for Fifty Shades of Grey haven’t been good, and a cinephile friend told me not to waste my time going. But I had read part of the book and was curious, so off I went to the Regal South Beach with a woman friend to check it out. Though we both had different points of view about many aspects of the film, we agreed on three things (the third comes later): it wasn’t boring, and we were glad we went.
In case you’re not familiar with the story line, it’s about what Wikipedia calls an “erotic romance” drama based on British author E.L.James’ bestselling novel of the same name. The film stars Dakota Johnson as the innocent Anastasia Steele, a college graduate who begins a sadomasochistic relationship with young business magnate Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). Parenthetically, after the book came out police departments across the country were getting calls to 911 asking for help in removing handcuffs in “delicate” situations.
Some could question whether it’s erotic and others whether it’s romantic, and therein lies one of the large areas for disagreement and discussion. If you do go, be sure to have time after the movie to talk about it because that’s the most interesting part of the experience (we had lunch afterwards on the terrace at Juvia, enjoying the view and a clear, lovely winter day) . Plus, the ending is vague so leaves a lot of room for conjecture. It’d be intriguing to hear men’s points of view, though it’s basically a “chick flick”.
To me there were small doses of romance, eroticism and sensuality, though my friend found none of that. We did both agree that “Mr.Grey” as he was called was a tormented personality incapable of being loved. It was fascinating to observe the psychology behind the couple’s relationship and see it evolve. I also enjoyed the “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” elements (always loved that TV show) – the sumptuous apartment, elegant office with serious artwork, helicopter transport and hang gliding for fun, and Mr. Grey’s impeccably tailored suits.
Is it a great film? No. Was it a little long? Yes. But at the same time, you get the picture – I liked it.
What do you think of it?
Photo courtesy of www.chicdarling.com
One Response
just because someone agrees w you doesn’t make your conclusions valid….haven’t we had this subject reviewed earlier
(being addressed as madam)?
no book I can recall as polarized more people….