Happy World Letter Writing Day! Have you ever wondered why all the movies with letter writing are usually love stories? I would think people would write letters about something other then love.
When I was in 7th grade, my class participated in a pen pal program. For all y’all young folk out there, pen pals were people of the same age/grade that you were matched up with. The two of you wrote letters back and forth to each other. This was before email. Before text messages. We wrote letters with paper and pen. I usually sent Lisa Frank Stickers to my her. Oddly enough, we wrote about love. We wrote about our first boyfriends. We shared the events of what ever relationship we were in and who we had crushes on. So, I guess the films got it right.
Here are a few of my favorite films where writing letters were an essential part of the plot.
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Letters to Juliet (2010). - Set in “Fair Verona”, an American Journalist, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), finds a letter from 1957 that was left for Shakespeare’s tragic heroine, Juliet. After writing back, Sophie sets off on an adventure around Italy looking for the authors long lost love from 50 years before. Why do I love this movie? It is just a cute story. Usually these stories contain letter writing between the lovers. This does not. No letters were ever exchanged between the couple in 1957 and the American sets the process in motion to (spoiler) bring the two back together. While this is a fictional film, there really are secretaries of Juliet based in the city of Verona, ready to answer the many messages of those who have lost loves or are lost in love.
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Dear John (2010). - Amanda Seyfried is also the lead actress in this one. A young couple meets on the Outer Banks of North Carolina one summer while Savannah (Seyfried) is home for summer break and John (Channing Tatum) is on leave from the Military. They have an instant connection after John performs a heroic act to help Savannah. They part ways at the end of summer and write letters back and forth to keep their relationship growing. I won’t spoil the ending for you.
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The Lake House (2006). - A lonely doctor and a frustrated architect meet though exceptional circumstances. Through (hand written) letters, you learn about the lives of each character and watch them fall in love. However, they have some extraordinary circumstances that prevent them from meeting. This couple proves that love can withstand the test of time (literally).
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You’ve Got Mail (1998). - This is a CLASSIC!! While the above movies used paper and pen to write letters back and forth, this film used modern technology (AOL) to connect two people. Kathleen (Meg Ryan) and Joe (Tom Hanks) are enemies living in NYC. Joe’s company ends up putting Kathleen’s out of business. While understandably upset with Joe, Kathleen develops a relationship with a man she has never met through email and instant messenger. Only at the end does she realize that the man she has fallen in love with is the same man that she is supposed to hate.
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P.S. I Love You (2007). - I have a love-hate relationship with this film. I love it because the story and the journey this woman takes to learn about her recently departed husband is just amazing. This man is so sweet and sends her on the trip of a lifetime to discover where he is from, meet his family and have all the experiences he never got to share with her. All the while, leaving her letters in various locations along her journey that share his memories of each location with her. I hate this movie for all the reasons I just stated. She has to take this journey without the love of her life. Don’t worry… there is a happy ending. When you watch it… you let me know. Did you love it or hate it?
BTW…my pen pal and I are still great friends. We will be friends for 30 years this coming February.
Happy Cuddles!
Elizabeth