CRUSHING ON MY FAVOIRTE KIND OF LOVE STORY (HOLLY SCHINDLER)
Okay, so crush is defined as: a brief but intense
infatuation for someone, especially someone unattainable or inappropriate.
Man, oh, man, do I love this definition.
Mostly, I love it because my favorite movie is HAROLD AND
MAUDE. I don’t think there’s ever been a better onscreen couple.
Or, in many ways, a more inappropriate one.
For anyone who hasn’t seen it, it’s a ‘70s cult classic, so,
yeah, it’s completely weird, but it’s also just so dang lovable. Harold’s a
young man—in his 20s, and Maude is about to turn 80.
And, yes, they have a love affair.
(The above is a great scene in which Harold’s priest offers a few thoughts
on his wishes to marry Maude.)
I saw the movie for the first time when I was 15 (why I’m
counting it as my teen crush), and in so many ways, I really think it shaped
what I like to see most in love stories: opposites attract, the kind of
relationship in which just being in it changes you for the better (Maude
teaches Harold to love life), and a couple who just plain should never work at
all…
And yet, they do.
Really, I’m a sucker for a love story in which love persists
despite everything. Including the fact that the outside world thinks it’s just
plain nuts. I’m infatuated with the idea of a love that’s so strong, there’s
just plain no talking the two out of it. It exists, and there’s no, well, crushing it.
True confession: I've never seen Harold and Maude! I know, I know! Will now have to remedy!
ReplyDeleteSuch a fun choice for a 15-year-old's fave movie! We have a similar sense of humor--I would've definitely wanted to hang out with you when I was 15.
ReplyDeleteI was a somewhat (understatement!) quirky teen as well, though my movie crush was Apocalypse Now, which I watched way more times than was healthy for a formative mind. Someone should do some sort of study on what cinematic gems warped the minds of writers in their youth.
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