Book or movie. They’re both bad in their own way.
In the novel, all I saw was two people being rude to each other non-stop. In the movie, all I saw was two people being rude to each other non-stop while hamming it up like Honeybaked. Am I the only person who didn’t think it was romantic?
I imagine you have to think about WHY they’re being rude to each other. In some instances, unrequited love manifests as hostility. This is known as the “Han Solo/Princess Leia Complex”. It’s also what little school children do when they have crushes on each other.
When you realize that the rudeness is merely an act, and what they REALLY mean is the opposite of what they say, I suppose that’s where the romance is.
Me, I’m one of those clods that think it’s romantic to say to a girl, “Hey, bitch, nice titties!”
:: swoons ::
It’s romantic 'cause she dies at the end.
Wait, did I say “romantic?” I meant “hilarious.”
Ali McGraw. One of the worst actresses ever.
My wife and I always laugh when that comes on.
Ali: (crying) Love means never having to say you’re sorry.
My wife: (laughing) Love means constantly having to say you’re sorry.
archmichael, have you and/or your wife ever seen the movie What’s Up Doc?, wherein Barbra Streisand says the same thing to Ryan O’Neal, and he replies, “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!”?
At the time, I think it was supposed to signal a break from the traditional romantic novel/movie. Revolution was in the air and all that.
It hasn’t aged well.
I’ve seen a clip of it. I like my wife’s quote better.
Have you seen The Kid Stays in the Picture, the Bob Evans documentary? He is so proud of that movie and Ali’s performance, it add a whole new layer of comedy.
At least Love Story had the distinction of being unintentionally hilarious. Oliver’s Story the sequel, was just rotten.
Oh, yes, yes! What a puddle of horse’s vomit that was! And did anyone out there happen to read Erich Segal’s follow-up novel to Love Story, “Broken Field Runner”?
What a steaming pile that was! I tried to understand why Love Story was so popular. I watched the movie, read the book, and finally decided that it was a fluke, a case of mass-hysteria, because there was nothing remotely engaging about either!
Been meaning to. When I do, I’ll remember to look for that!
Wasn’t the Ryan O’Neal character based on Al Gore?
Gore claims the story was based on his courtship of Tipper, but I give it as much credence as his claim that he invented the internet. Either that, or the claim was misattributed to him, the way he now says he never claimed inventorship of the internet. Point is, the whole thing came out of Segal’s fat head.
While I’m totally not arguing with the sentiment, did you know that horses are physically unable vomit? (just a curious side note)
Actually Segal said Gore was ONE of the inspirations for the character.
God, I love the Straight Dope.
Oh. Well, okay then.
Boy meets girl.
Boy loses girl.
Girl dies.
Cf. Dido & Aeneas; any dead girl traditional or pop song.
Apparently, this is romantic, yet tragic, yet at least my girl’s not dead.
The movie was the inspiration for one of Roger Ebert’s Movie Glossary definitions:
Ali McGraw’s Disease – a fatal disease characterized by the heroine growing more and more beautiful as she gets closer and closer to death.
Really? Because reading the OP I was thinking it was more of a (very very…very bad) continuation of romantic movies where people are rude to each other. Like…His Girl Friday or The Thin Man. (And yes, I now have to go wash my mouth out with soap…or, I guess, scrub my typing fingers with lye…for mentioning Nick and Nora in the same breath as Love Story.)
Personally I think verbal sparring is very romantic. I just think Love Story is a particularly insipid and uninspired version of it.