New York Times Modern Love: The Upcoming Major Motion Picture Starring Kate Hudson and Josh Duhamel
This week's Modern Love is a rare treat - a story that involves failed love, a meddlesome author, and a happy ending. I'm going to make sure the world knows right now: at 3:15 on August 13, 2005, I predicted that this essay would get made into a chick-flick. It's too perfect not to be. It is hopelessly romantic to the 10th power.
I commend the author, Kirsten Allen Major, for writing an essay notable for the fact that, like a few other rare Modern Love essays, this story is not at all about her. Certainly, she had the chance to break out her own feelings on romance beyond three paragraphs, but instead she decides to play the role of hopeful and helpful bystander, hardly innocent but certainly well-intentioned.
...or maybe not. Good intentions are sometimes soured with selfish motives and self-importance. In the major twist that drives the main plot to its resolution, she takes a foolhardy chance in trying to establish a love connection that had failed to sustain itself organically. It's evident she decided to do this because she was completely sure that she was right. Oh, what blind arrogance! While she gets to be the hero of our happy ending, she also had felt the kickback from her own hubris right as her friend Krista discovers Kirsten's own trickery:
So do we forgive her for being sinuous merely because everything worked out in the end? Of course! I don't have the time to hold grudges on Sundays! All is good, Kirsten. You will be played by a major Hollywood star someday!
As for the relationship itself... well, one thing's for sure: Marcus has commitment issues. You think? Two broken engagements with the same girl, and he's lucky to still have both his testicles. Ahh, but Krista's so nice and gentle:
Therefore, we can expect her to be a good sport about repeatedly getting screwed over in the romance department. (What excellent character development! Love this script, baby! Have my people call your people, we'll do lunch!)
The story is actually rather thin: Krista's afraid to talk to Marcus, her true love. Kirsten gets involved and tells Marcus how Krista really feels. (Krista, Kirsten, Krista, Kirsten, Krista, Kirsten... I'm dizzy.) Krista finds out, somehow doesn't go berserk. Marcus finally finds Krista, they get married, we never find out if Kirsten gets any quality ass in the meantime, the end. There's some good framing and fleshing, though. For example, Krista tries dating another guy, but it doesn't work. Kirsten finds enough detail to keep the story moving along without becoming inane or moving off-topic, as some of the authors in this column have done before.
It's a great story, solidly written, with no truly egomaniacal streaks in the narration, and it even has the ending scene written cleanly and concisely:
Two thumbs up!
I commend the author, Kirsten Allen Major, for writing an essay notable for the fact that, like a few other rare Modern Love essays, this story is not at all about her. Certainly, she had the chance to break out her own feelings on romance beyond three paragraphs, but instead she decides to play the role of hopeful and helpful bystander, hardly innocent but certainly well-intentioned.
...or maybe not. Good intentions are sometimes soured with selfish motives and self-importance. In the major twist that drives the main plot to its resolution, she takes a foolhardy chance in trying to establish a love connection that had failed to sustain itself organically. It's evident she decided to do this because she was completely sure that she was right. Oh, what blind arrogance! While she gets to be the hero of our happy ending, she also had felt the kickback from her own hubris right as her friend Krista discovers Kirsten's own trickery:
The lunacy of what I'd done suddenly descended upon me. I had not liberated love; I'd created a new opportunity for her to suffer. Who does something like this? I wasn't a saint; I was insane.
So do we forgive her for being sinuous merely because everything worked out in the end? Of course! I don't have the time to hold grudges on Sundays! All is good, Kirsten. You will be played by a major Hollywood star someday!
As for the relationship itself... well, one thing's for sure: Marcus has commitment issues. You think? Two broken engagements with the same girl, and he's lucky to still have both his testicles. Ahh, but Krista's so nice and gentle:
...she was a serious Christian to my skittish heathen, with a mother who expressed hopes that she find "a nice Christian boy"... soon I found myself liking her: she was intelligent, vulnerable and kind.
Therefore, we can expect her to be a good sport about repeatedly getting screwed over in the romance department. (What excellent character development! Love this script, baby! Have my people call your people, we'll do lunch!)
The story is actually rather thin: Krista's afraid to talk to Marcus, her true love. Kirsten gets involved and tells Marcus how Krista really feels. (Krista, Kirsten, Krista, Kirsten, Krista, Kirsten... I'm dizzy.) Krista finds out, somehow doesn't go berserk. Marcus finally finds Krista, they get married, we never find out if Kirsten gets any quality ass in the meantime, the end. There's some good framing and fleshing, though. For example, Krista tries dating another guy, but it doesn't work. Kirsten finds enough detail to keep the story moving along without becoming inane or moving off-topic, as some of the authors in this column have done before.
It's a great story, solidly written, with no truly egomaniacal streaks in the narration, and it even has the ending scene written cleanly and concisely:
Their wedding took place several months later and I wept through the entire ceremony.
Two thumbs up!
posted by Brian Van at
11:05 AM
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