Love and Support
Have you ever had a story that is just so good, from the main plot to the supportive side characters?
For me, this is a 2000 Chick Flick called Return to Me. I am going to let the trailer introduce the story and then I will break it down from there.
I am going to start with the foundation of the story and that would be Grace and her grandfather.
According to Grace, her father left when he found out that her mother’s illness was terminal. Since then her grandfather, Marty, had been taking care of her and her mother. The illness in question was heart disease and hereditary. The story opens with Grace in the hospital in need of a transplant. Grandpa is literally praying to the saints that they would take care of his Gracie.
He wanted to have her healthy so that she could have a normal life but not too normal. He felt that it was his job to make sure that her dream of painting in Italy was realized, but he was hesitant to let her go. This relationship is one of the sweetest “Father/Daughter” examples in movies that I have ever seen. There is a gentleness and mutual desire to be each other’s strength that definitely put them in a different sphere.
Her main support group is four men that love to play poker and argue about the classics. The group consists of Marty, his brother-in-law, Angelo; her best friend’s dad, Emmett; and their mutual friend, Wally; and we can’t forget the beautiful Sophie, the waitress in Marty’s restaurant. These are the people that couldn’t wait for her to find the right person to take her away from there, but they were also the ones that were going to make sure that same boy knew that he made a mistake.
The second main relationship that I want to talk about is Grace and her best friend, Megan. Megan fills in the spots that grandpa can’t. She is the one that goes to the hospital or works as Grace’s advisor. Megan is Grace’s first contact when she got her first date and when she found out new information about her heart transplant.
Megan also has advice that even I live by to this day.
“Hairy legs are your only link to reality.”
Megan and Grace have a special connection. I love that their friendship has not diminished with time, or been reprioritized by marriage or kids. Grace is “Aunty Gracie” and her friendship with Megan’s husband, Joe, is also special. Joe loves Grace like the sister-in-law that Megan treats her like. He is the one that tries to get her to date again. The attempt is a little disastrous but it was well-intentioned.
I want to take a second to talk about Joe and Megan’s beautiful relationship. After five kids they are still very much in love. They may fight about the small things but they agree on the big things: Family is everything, finding moments to love is important and supporting Grace is part of the job.
Finally, we come to romance. Grace meets Bob while he is set up on a disastrous date of his own.
Bob and Grace have instant chemistry, and it is on display throughout the movie. They are the perfect playmates, great supporters, and never try to mend the other from their past. Grace is a little less willing to be upfront with Bob about her transplant, but that does not hinder them from having a great relationship.
Bob had been married and lost his wife in a car accident about a year before. He and his wife, Elizabeth, were childhood sweethearts, so they literally grew up together. Losing Elizabeth was like losing his whole world. He was finally convinced to go out and be a part of the real world when he got frustrated with his dog for still waiting for his wife to come home. He realized that there needed to be a point that he had to move on or he would be waiting by the door as his life passed by him. He and Grace make a very sweet couple.
Between his love for his wife and his growing love for Grace, Bob has a lot to learn about relationships that come with baggage, and how to balance his past without hindering his future.
This has been hard to write because I don’t want to give the story away. It is a wonderful story written and directed by the incredible Bonnie Hunt. Please go check it out and let me know if you agree that some stories are just beautiful inside and out.
Until Next Time,
Peace Out Lovers!
