I feel this spasm of jealousy every time someone mention that they have watched or is going to watch 500 Days of Summer. Because I didn’t get to. =(
Oh TGV pisses me off so bad. The movie was still screening in Sunway Pyramid on Wednesday. But when Hui Yi and I went on Thursday – WHAM. NO 500 Days of Summer.
Gah.
So we watched The Private Lives of Pippa Lee instead. I heard from Hui Yi that it was adapted from a bestselling book, so I imagined that people would be swarming in to watch it. On the contrary, the cinema was close to empty! I could count the people in the hall on two hands. I had a sinking feeling.
But I was surprised! The movie wasn’t too bad. Hui Yi was right, at least it wasn’t boring. Though it seems like yet another romantic comedy on the movie poster but believe me, there was nothing romantic about it. Or comedic either. Okay, it isn’t a romantic comedy, it’s more of a drama because it certainly was dramatic as hell.

It tells the life of Pippa Lee who moves to a retirement community with her husband, Herb Lee, because he suffered several heart attacks. And because he was old (being 30 years older than Pippa!). At the same time, it also tells the story of young Pippa Sarkissian with a bipolar mother addicted to amphetamines(?). Finally driven to run away from home, she headed straight to her aunt who turned out to live with her lesbian partner, Kit. And Kit photographs- well, let’s just say Kit photographs. With much thanks to Kit, Pippa sank into a life of illegal drugs and wanton relationships. Until she met Herb and was told by him to do something with her life and of course, they formed a life together. But not before blowing the brains out of his then-wife. To be fair, the wife did threaten Pippa with a roasted pig and a gun.
Then back to Pippa Lee, married with a grownup son and daughter but way too young to live in a retirement community. She quickly develops sleepwalking, chain-smoking and an emotional affair with her neighbour’s son, who by the way walked in on his wife and best friend having sex. Oh thus, being emotionally wrecked and all, he went to live with his mother, that’s how Pippa and Chris met. Then Pippa discovers that her husband is having an affair with a friend of hers and demands for a divorce. Herb has cardiac arrest, brain dies, is taken off life support and passes away. Pippa then turns to Chris (neighbour’s son!) who becomes her lover and leaves her kids to arrange the memorial service for their father.
The End.
Now, tell me if that was dramatic enough for you.
It was different and also kind of quirky in a rather ramshackle way. I came out of the cinema not really knowing what to say about the movie. Actually, I still don’t quite know what to say about it now. There was just so much to absorb! So many turn of events, happening in extremely quick succession and not altogether believable.
I think it was difficult to really portray the complex emotions of the characters. Therefore leaving the audience uninvolved and indifferent. With this much drama, you’d have thought the cinema would be flooded with my tears but it wasn’t even enough to wet the ground. Tsk. If it wasn’t because I know myself, I would’ve thought I was becoming cold.
Anyway, a movie that leaves you speechless can only be very bad, very good or very confusing. The movie wasn’t bad, so I would settle with very confusing. But don’t let the very long-winded summary deter you from watching this movie. Sure it wasn’t exploding with wit or humour, neither was it filled with very likable characters but it was an interesting movie. Interesting in the sense that you don’t find a movie with this much drama everyday.
=)