I think the overarching theme of this month is that it’s proven too real for us. Our pick this week manages to be somewhat more uplifting while remaining emotionally devastating in a way we’ve come to expect (and enjoy to some degree–we’re pretty masochistic).
The Film:
A Date for Mad Mary
The Premise:
Immediately after release from prison seems as good a time as any to plan a wedding, dress up as characters from Mamma Mia, and make bold claims about fictional boyfriends.
The Ramble:
Mary has just been released from a brief stint in prison, a fact willfully ignored by her bff Charlene and just about everyone else. There’s more important shit going down…like Charlene’s wedding in just a few short weeks. In spite of all that’s happened, Mary is ready for her life to go back to the way it was and to get up to her usual antics with Charlene.
As we know, weddings are important, blah blah blah, but it’s all a bit much for Mary, who is so not into the frilly lace and passive-aggressive snarkiness of it all (the bride gives Mary a CD with elocution lessons—say what?). What our girl Mary is really angling for is a carefree night at the club with her bestie, but there always seems to be some element of the wedding rudely sabotaging their friendship. Or is it something that’s been festering for a long time? Spoiler alert: yes.
When Mary goes out to the club on her own, it’s obvious she has a bit of a temper. Bouncers seem to have it in for her as the unexplained mystery of Mary’s prison sentence had something to do with a drunken night out and a short temper. It’s not long before Mary is sent home without $200 for passing go.
Impulsively (as she does most things), Mary proclaims she’ll need a plus one for her super smokin’ hot boyfriend. The problem, of course, being that Mary doesn’t have a boyfriend and seems to have very little interest in dating or attracting members of the opposite sex. In fact, it becomes pretty clear that Mary may be more than a little bit in love with her bestie. Or is she in love with the person Charlene used to be?
Either way, checking things off the massive wedding plan list has just become a lot more complicated. Additional wrench thrown into the plan arrives in the form of Jess, the videographer for Charlene’s big day. Having left things too late, Mary begs Jess to cancel the gig she has with her band that night. Reluctantly, Jess agrees, but only because Mary’s a babe and the two share a connection. *winky face*
Mary does seem to finally have a date, though not the one Charlene is expecting. Jess is willing to go along with this but balks when it becomes clear how often Mary’s sole purpose seems to be making Charlene angry and jealous.
Alone once again and falling back into old patterns, Mary decides to get her drink on and go pick a fight. Is it too late for her to change her habits and accept herself the way she is?
The Rating:
3.5/5 Pink Panther Heads
I really liked this one, so it probably deserves a better rating. That being said, I was completely unable to separate my reaction to this film from my feelings toward Charlene, who is an utterly horrid person. At the end of the day, the emphasis on Mary and Charlene’s relationship is that it has changed (necessarily), but my biggest takeaway was that she was a shit friend. The elocution lessons CD was fucked up, then writing a maid of honor speech for her, along with the complete unwillingness to support her friend through a difficult time–all really fucked up things to do.
I feel this was a deliberate commentary on my ability to let go of things. In this case, Mary and Charlene had a rather toxic friendship, but it was still hard to watch a one-sided relationship and see Mary’s realization that their friendship was no longer what it once was.
The Pink Panther Snipes Again 