Films like Runaway Bride are real cinema. All my life, I’ve been obsessed with films like Otto e mezzo, or Seven Samurai – the real cinema, you know. I’ve also tried employing that style in my shorts – extra-stylized, deeply philosophical films showing the ‘truths’ of the human race. But, believe it or not, I watched Runaway Bride for the first time last night, and it just hit me — people don’t need more CGI. There shouldn’t be a competition about which director can create a more tangled narrative. People need an old-fashioned feel-good movie. A movie about simple human relations – a bit cheesy, tangled, multilayered relations that used to fill so many late 80’s and 90’s film plots. Where did they come from? When did we lose them? If films are a reflection of their times, then has the human race lost touch with its soul? I mean, come on, 

Imagine this – a pretty successful NY journalist–columnist in his mid-30s Ike (Richard Girr) is struggling to find a new topic for his new article. Most of the stuff he writes about are…misogynistic, to say the least. And, here, luck smiles at him: a guy at a bar tells him the story of a maneater countryside girl Maggie (Julia Roberts) who always leaves the groom at the altar – breaking hearts, crushing dreams. As the article Ike writes gets him fired after the girl sends a complaint, he sets on a mission to go investigate all the past relationships this girl had, prove that she’s gonna run this time too from a wedding – and prove that his article is based on facts. Now, one thing leads to another, and Ike and Maggie end up being the ones who get married. The End. Oh, did I say Ike working for his ex-wife and Maggie having no personality to the point she likes eggs the way each and every boyfriend does Ike pushes her to find out who she really is, of course) are supposed to be big character moments?

Now, this is a solid 6.5, ok. I said it’s real cinema, I’m not gonna back off. But I have one question – why am I not surprised the director is a man? No offense, I think Garry Marshall is swell – so many cult classics, so much air and love in this guy’s films. But, if get into the details of this movie, isn’t the plot every man’s dream – taming the untamable girl; the girl with no personality who changes herself for men, and finally the savior who comes and sweeps her off her feet; and the guy who’s finally inspired to write his novel – cause what else can a woman be if not inspiration for a man? Been there, done that. One of the most misogynistic films ever made – a misogynist who is nice to one woman he loves, is still a misogynist. But we all swoon at the end when they get married – whe she gets married, cause, Maggie “you have to go down the isle with someone” – isn’t this central message for all the women watching this? 

But, oh well. A feel good movie is a feel good movie. One would say I’m look at this through a 2024-mindset-lens. And, they’re not wrong. Back then our audiences didn’t really pay attention to these underlying issues – cause they were not considered issues. It’s a nice fairy tale we all need from time to time (same as turning off our heads and enjoying a goddamn rom-com). Cause, I’m sure, filming Ike telling Maggie “Look, I guarantee there’ll be tough times. I guarantee that at some point one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don’t ask you to be mine, I’ll regret it the rest of my life. Because I know, in my heart, you’re the only one for me,” and, at the end, having Maggie propose to Ike after running from the first round of their wedding with those same words, Garry Marshall knew well enough he was gonna melt hearts. Cause, at the end of the day, we all long for love, toxicity and all – simple, real love. And, sometimes a movie needs to give people what they want and not what they need. And, if a movie does a decent job doing both through certain cinematography and script lines and stuff – why not call it real cinema?