I first saw this movie in 1997 and was thought it was fantastic.
The story focuses on Guy's relationship with Jenny, a fun, energetic, middle class Australian girl who has an irresistible charm. Guy, understandably, falls for Jenny and their relationship is delicately balanced with a quirky friendship that has its ups and downs. Jenny is a gregarious, fun and slightly melodramatic girl who fills Guy's life with lots of challenges. Between their lives and the growing expectation of their future together, things seem to fall apart, slowly and, at times, in a rather painful way. Have they just grown apart or has Guy stopped appreciating Jenny for what she brings to his life? Is Guy really ready yet for this sort of relationship? And so it ends, much to the disappointment and surprise of many.
Then, rather suddenly, Guy meets and falls for a slightly older and a certainly more sophisticated woman in Lizzie. She's stylish, refined and intriguing.
Before we know it Guy and Lizzie are at the alter and so the real story begins. Guy's reflection on life and love really begins. Is he doing the right thing? Does he really know Lizzie (like he knew Jenny). Was he right in leaving Jenny? This movie captures and teases the viewer with the notion of relationship timing. Love takes time and evolves in different ways. Guy's reflection questions how he fell out of love with Jenny or had that love been lost? Was Lizzie filling a void lost in Jenny's absence? Guy and Lizzie's relationship moved at a pace and, perhaps, in some way, reality hadn't arrived. Perhaps Guy hadn't given this relationship the time he gave to Jenny.
Guy survived the wedding night and seemed to then get caught up in the swirl of life without having the time to question his own needs in love and life. As the movie flashed years in to the future Guy leaves us wondering whether was Lizzie filling his life as Jenny could have....(time for a tissue by now).
This movie delves deeply in to the complexity of relationships, how they develop and our expectations of love. Life, like love, is often about timing and the right place. Perhaps in Jenny, Guy wasn't in the right place at the right time. Or perhaps he was, but wasn't ready to appreciate how happy he really was. One of the most moving moments of the movie is when Guy imagines he sees Jenny in the street years later and they stare for a moment. Jenny's expression says it all...
And whilst this may sound complex and overwhelming, this movie isn't. Its fun, fantastic and the cast are brilliant. As for the producer and director - 5 stars!! Enjoy this movie and think more about love.
David Ps - for what its worth, I fell for Jenny.......
