Love in the Time of Cholera—Are you serious?

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I’m getting on my soapbox now, so be prepared to disagree with the things I have to say. There’s this new movie coming out, based on a book called, “Love in the Time of Cholera.” First of all, the title of the movie/book is ridiculously unappetizing. That aside, here’s my beef.

Here is a basic summary of the plot, as I understand it. Guy likes girl. Girl likes guy, but girl’s father does not like guy, so girl’s father sends girl away. Guy stays in love with girl the entire time she is out of town. Several years pass and when girl returns to town, guy tries his "darndest" to woo her back. Girl is over guy, rejects him, and then decides to marry a wealthy doctor whom (I’m assuming) her father probably approves of. After fifty years or so, guy never loses feelings for girl and when girl’s husband dies, now old guy tries again to woo now old girl. I think they eventually end up together in their old age.

I’m going to stop right there because I already have a problem with this plot. Since when is it “heroic” or “beautiful” for a guy to stay in love with a girl who has made it clear that his love is not requited. Whatever happened to “getting over it” and moving on? Fifty years? Give me a break. How is this really considered “true love?” I don’t know about you but to me that isn’t an awesome romantic story. It’s pathetic.

Contrast this with a movie like, “The Painted Veil” (a beautiful title, by the way), which I have seen, and is a better example of true love. A high society girl doesn’t like the guy she marries and has an affair with someone else, a user, who is also married. Guy-husband decides to take girl-wife away from her British high society to a small Chinese community ravaged by cholera (no kidding!). Girl resents guy and the town for a little while but then decides to make the most of the experience and starts volunteering at a nun-run school for orphans. Despite language barriers, the kids take to the girl and guy starts noticing big changes in girl. Eventually husband-guy and wife-girl fall in love as they continue to notice the better part of each other’s nature as well as overcoming personal foibles. There is more to the plot, but to me this movie represents real love—real love born out of sacrifice, service, communication, change, and most importantly forgiveness.

It's true I have not seen the aforementioned “Love…cholera” movie, nor have I read the book, which might actually be good, but I do know that there has to be much more substance to this plot for me to overcome my personal biases towards what I consider to be a stupid plot. If that movie ends with a “happily ever after” attitude that guy and girl have finally gotten together even in their old age…and oh “I’ve always loved you in my heart” junk, then I’m going to throw up on my computer as I write about it. However, if guy is actually portrayed as pathetic, like why didn’t you get over girl fifty years ago, then maybe I’ll actually like it. In any case, I’m not convinced this is a salvageable plot, but I guess I’ll have to see the movie to know for sure.

I welcome your opinions and would like to hear your reviews of either of these movies.