What Makes a Couple Great

Today’s title is much better, isn’t it? LOL! 

Valentine's Day Blog Hop

Today is the third day of the Valentine Day Blog Hop promoted by The Blog Hop Spot and I’d like to welcome you all! Please go to their event page for all the details at Valentine Blog Hop Event Page and see the wonderful group of authors that are promoting there. There are two-hundred and sixty three authors, that’s right you heard it, 263 authors who want to give things away to you! Glad you could stop by! Click on some or click on all, with each you’re guaranteed to find great authors with fabulous giveaways.

Just a reminder to leave a comment to be included in my drawing. Unfortunately, I’ve had to have comments on moderation so they don’t show up right away but will be there with a reply from me on the next day at the latest. Today’s comments didn’t arrive in my mailbox until after 12 am Pacific time and while that means I see them right away being in Vienna, you won’t see them until the next day. You can still also send me an email and I’ll reply to that as well.

On to the more important stuff...winners of yesterday’s drawings are: shadowestr ~ you have won a copy of my latest release and I will be sending it to you shortly; ashley.vanburen ~ you have won the $10 gift certificate and I’ll be emailing you to get your choice of place. Everyone who makes a comment will be entered into the grand prize drawing which will be announced on Wednesday, February 15th.

Today, I want to talk about what makes a good couple great. There are many things that can take a couple from being good to over the top in my book. I will be using two from yesterday’s list to illustrate my point. I’m also using movies as people can visual them better than books. You might ask why and the answer is simple. You’ve seen it. The images of what the couple look and sound like are ingrained in your psyche. When we read a book, I will never have the same visual of the characters that you do. Therefore, I tend to use movies in many of my talks and blogs as we will be on pretty much the same page.

When we first see Lucy in the movie, While You Were Sleeping, she didn’t know who her hero was but she knew who she wanted him to be. He came by her booth every day and hardly gave her a look but she dreamed and dreamed and dreamed about him while she worked for the Chicago transit system. One day, she rescued her supposed hero, Peter from the impending doom of being run over by a train and the story begins.

Lucy is overheard by the hospital staff saying she was going to marry Peter and the nurses inform his family about a fiancée. From this point, she falls in love with the quirky Callaghans over a short period of time. When her secret is found out accidentally, it is decided to ignore the truth because the family has been brought closer together than ever before. During this whole process, Lucy begins to know Jack, Peter’s brother, and falls in love with him. Of course, the truth comes out in the end, or rather at the wedding, on who Lucy really loves.

One of the big things that makes this movie and this couple work for me is the true quirkiness of the story. It has some great lines in it. Here are a few of my favorites and who said them:

Lucy: I've had a really lousy Christmas, you've just managed to kill my New Year's, if you come back on Easter- you can burn down my apartment.

Jack: I'd say that she gets under your skin as soon as you meet her. She drives you so nuts you don't know whether to hug her or, or just really arm wrestle her. She would go all the way to Europe just to get a stamp in her passport. I don't know if that amounts to insanity, or just being really, really... likable.

And one of my all time favorite scenes:

Lucy: [to Jack] Okay, um. What do you mean by the leaning thing? You mean because he gave me flowers?
Jack: And then you leaned.
Lucy: And then I leaned.
Jack: Yeah.
Lucy: Okay, how did I lean when I leaned?
Jack: It was a lot different from hugging. Hugging's very different. Hugging that involves arms and hands; and leaning is whole bodies moving in like this...[leans toward her suggestively] Leaning involves wanting... and accepting. Leaning...
Joe Jr: Hey Luce! Is this guy bothering you?
Lucy: [Laughs] No, no.
Joe Jr: Are you sure? Because it looks like he's leaning.

But the moment I knew that they were one of my favorite couples ever was when Jack gave Lucy the snow globe of Florence. He knew what she needed and understood her better than anyone except her father. She understood this and she was hopelessly in love. And so was I.

The next story we’ll take a peek into is Notting Hill and just like yesterday all I can say is OMG. What man doesn’t dream of having a famous movie star as a date? How would you like to own a store where said actress stops to check out your wares? Or how about the fact you don’t even know who she is? That’s how this movie starts out. But wait...it goes from bad to worse when William spills a drink on Anna...she’s mad and needs somewhere to change. William graciously offers his place but she needs convincing that he really only wants to help.

This story moves along at a somewhat slow pace but every scene moves the love story forward. We see them at his sister’s birthday party where they talk about traumatizing moments. We see them at dinner or in her hotel and even a movie junket where William has to pretend he’s a movie buff of sorts. He isn’t and that lends an even more incredible look into this couple’s budding love.

The movie shows me a side of Hollywood that people rarely glimpse and that is of the true reality and enormity of the whole fame idea. There are some great lines in regards to fame and the damage it can do. Here are a few:

Anna: Rita Hayworth used to say, "They go to bed with Gilda; they wake up with me."
William: Who's Gilda?
Anna: Her most famous part. Men went to bed with the dream; they didn't like it when they would wake up with the reality. Do you feel that way?
William: You are lovelier this morning than you have ever been.

Anna: The fame thing...it isn’t real.

The moment that I started to truly see these two as a couple was when this line was uttered:

Anna: "For June who loved this garden from Joseph who always sat beside her." Some people do spend their whole lives together.

And the reason it turned for me there, so early in the movie, was that I realized this woman was searching for something she didn’t have. And maybe never did at any time in her life. She was worried so much about the Hollywood, unrealistic way of life that she forgot what it was like to be normal , to be a person who could love someone else forever. The fact that William stood there and watched her wanting an everyday thing, made me realize he was truly the man for her.

Yet, the best was still coming and no one can argue that the ending scenes where Anna says, ‘After all... I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her’ definitely does it for me. The final press conference scene is absolutely adorable and keeps in line with the whole movie. And the end montage that goes through their next few months or years together is the stuff of great romance. This is one happily-ever-after I’ll not soon forget.

Now, it is your turn...please tell me why a certain romantic couple works or doesn’t work for you...can’t wait to see who you all pick! See you all tomorrow!

Lynn