SHE'S THE ONE, 1996
Movie Review

Two brothers and their father contemplate the meaning of life, relationships, and finding true love through very different perspectives.

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REVIEW:

Written and directed by Edward Burns, who also stars in the movie as the older of the two brothers, Mickey Fitzpatrick, along with a stellar cast, this film explores one of the simplest desires of life, finding true love, and illustrates how complicated fulfilling this desire can prove to be.

Set in New York, the movie starts off with Mickey (Edward Burns), his brother Francis (Mike McGlone), and their father, Mr. Fitzpatrick (John Mahoney) taking a fishing trip off the coast of long island. We quickly learn this is a Fitzpatrick tradition, and that it is a time to vent about life and relationships. Mr. Fitzpatrick makes it perfectly clear from the get go that no women will ever be allowed on his boat, and that his sons must remember to live their life for themselves and never to give in to any woman. We also learn from this original fishing trip that Mickey, a cab driver in New York, was once engaged to a girl named Heather (Cameron Diaz) who ran around on him, so he called the wedding off, and Francis, a young wall street big shot, is currently married to Renee (Jennifer Aniston) but is severely unhappy. From this scene we are able to see the dynamics of this family immediately. It is highly obvious that Mickey and Francis are polar opposities, and that their father truly loves his wife, Mickey and Francis's mother, and he is not as tough as he pretends to be.

The next scene cuts to Francis and Renee laying in bed. Francis is reading a newspaper and is working, and Renee is begging him to have sex. Upon this conversation, we learn Renee and Francis have failed to be intimate for some time and that Francis seems very disinterested in the marriage. On the other hand, Renee is giving 150 % into making the marriage work, and is getting very frustrated with her current situation. As the couple begins to get into a heated argument, we hear Mickey's voice yelling from outside. Francis walks over to the window and sees Mickey standing there with Hope. Mickey yells up that he and Hope just got married, and wants to come up. Renee invites the couple up for a drink. In a pivotal scene, Mickey and Hope explain how they met in the cab, and they got married less than 24 hours later. Renee, who is a hopeless romantic like Mickey, is drawn by their story. However, Francis disapproves, and he thinks Mickey is crazy. From this scene we begin to see the distinct differences between Francis and Mickey. Mickey, while very poor, always thinks with his heart, and proves to be the type of person who always treats people with respect and kindness. Francis, on the other hand, is business first, always thinks with his head, and will step on anybody and everybody, including his wife or brother, to get what he wants.

As the movie progresses, Francis continues to fall in love with Heather, his marriage to Renee continues to unravel, and Mickey and Hope continue to struggle to get to know one another and make their marriage survive. The two brothers continue to take fishing trips with their father, and basically receive some rotten advice, due to their father's own shortcomings.

"She's the One" does a fabulous job of illustrating how complicated all relationships can be. Whether that be the relationship between two brothers, as in Mickey and Francis, or a marriage, such as Francis and Renee, we see how people truly view life differently, and how these different views can complicate even the simplest of issues. Edward Burns gives a wonderful depiction of how difficult a marriage can be, even when people truly love each other, as in Mickey and Hope. Money or lack there of, previous relationships, and extended family all factor into a marriage and sometimes can trump love. Burns also shows how painful marriage can be when a spouse becomes distant towards the other. For example, a scene late in the movie, Renee dresses in lingerie and makes a pass at her husband, Francis, and he simply ignores her (much like he does throughout the film), and the viewer can truly feel her pain and anguish. As I watch this scene, I found myself truly feeling for Renee, and hoping she can find some peace. We also see how easily one can be tempted and how easy one can give in to that temptation, as in Heather. While I believe Francis knows Heather is trouble, he simply cannot resist her beauty and charm, and allows her to unravel his marriage, his life, and his heart. This film gives a realistic view of how difficult our relationships with other people can be.

With every little twist and turn this film takes, we see how fragile these relationships can be if we fail to see the other person's perspective. Often in life, we selfishly get caught up in our own desires and dreams and fail to realize these goals may not be in alignment with the other person. In our attempt to fulfill these desires and dreams, we destroy the relationships we have with other people, including our family, spouses, etc. "She's the One" shows us that selfish behaviors can be quite destructive, and if we are going to engage ourselves in a relationship, we must honor the other person's beliefs, morals, dreams, and desires as much as we honor our own. However, this movie also illustrates that when we do truly honor and respect the other person, that the relationship can thrive and thrive beautifully, and in turn, we can find true happiness.

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Shes the One