Sweet November
Released : 2001
Directed By : Pat O’ Connor
Primary Cast : Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, Liam Aiken, Greg Germann
I saw it in : Star Movies
Above Information courtesy : imdb.com
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Why am I writing about a movie that dates back to 2001 ? Because it’s one of the few movies of the romantic genre that highly appealed to me and I wouldn’t mind watching it again and again.
Keanu Reeves stars as Nelson Moss. He’s the forever busy guy with his executive board meetings, deadlines that comes with being employed in a high profile ad-agency. He’s also one of the best guys at his job. He has a friend in Vince, portrayed by Greg Germann. Fat load of a friend that he is though, he’s always looking out for more business opportunities and pushes Norman to the edge regarding his workload. Always with a great car and mobile, this guy seems to be going places, but he’s more of a faker.
In this hectic life of our protagonist appears the surreal Sara, played by the gorgeous Charlize Theron. Man I fell in love with her after this movie. Beyond the point. Sara notices the frantic life of Norman and gets a feeling that she would be able to change his outlook and improve on his priorities regarding the finer aspects of life and asks him to spend the month of November with her. Here starts the gripping story.
Norman isn’t a man to let in easily. After all, he has a paying job, and more - he’s addicted to it. Without work, he’s like a loose underwear. He refuses to take Sara for her word, thinking she just wants a sexual relation and walks out on her. But her repeated pleadings make him realize, ’’Hold on pal, there’s something more to it ’’ and more out of curiosity for this help thy neighbour lady, he gives in to spending a day with her. It’s spent in a day at the beach, having ice-creams and a cozy dinner. Kind of surprised with the proceedings, he asks her ’’Why am what I’m doing now better than what I do at my job ?’’. Next day, he’s gone.
But that wouldn’t be Sweet November then, would it ? All through the day, he messes up. His ad-campaign goes haywire and he’s fired from his job. All he can focus on is Sara. With a wrenching feeling, he returns to Sara that night and continues living with her. Gradually, an understanding develops and he likes her more and more.
He is introduced to Abner, played by Liam Aiken, a fatherless rebellious kid. Initially, he can’t stand this scrawny kid. ’’Get a life’’, he tells him. As his nuances improve however, co-ordinated by Sara, he understands the mindset of Abner and helps him win a boat race. Abner is thrilled with this result and gradually takes Norman as a father figure.
Wait up. Norman ain’t about to give up on his job either. He’s very ambitious, remember ? So he calls up a big boss of some agency and fixes to meet him with a new brilliant scheme. At the appointment, he visualizes the occurences that have happened to him in the past few days and leaves the meeting. He needs Sara, he realizes, not a job.
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Ah, my friend, this is where Sweet November turns a bit sour, and separates itself from the usual candyfloss romance movies. Does he get the girl in the end ? Unfortunately - NO. The poor unselfish girl suffers from cancer. She has hidden it from Norman all along, and Norman is devastated to hear her secret. He completely devotes himself to her care from then on, until one fine day, November comes to an end. Sara leaves him at this point of time, and the movie ends with Sara walking away into the bylanes of a park, after making Norman promise he wouldn’t follow her.
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Why is Sweet November sweet ?
Firstly, Charlize Theron as Sara gives a breathtaking performance. She initially appears strange to us, with her unusual behaviour, ideas and lifestyle. In fact, at one point one guy comes into her house out of nowhere and she says ’’That is October’’. The role required a sensitive portrayal of an unselfish woman who was out on a mission to help people who were out-of-sorts with their life and didn’t realize it. Her pleadings, her innocent smile, the personal touches with Norman and all her aquaintances and in the final moments, her suffering and the pain of parting from Norman in such a positive manner were inspirational.
Secondly, Keanu Reeves plays a difficult role with fair aplomb. He looks a bit awkward in the emotional scenes, but does a good job as the unbelieving executive at first and then the sensitive character he evolves into.
Thirdly, Liam Aiken as Abner the kid played a touching role as well. His relation with Norman is well portrayed, and the his expressions when Norman is sometimes unkind to him are worth praising.
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For the romantic genre, this movie is a very sensitive portrayal and leaves you glues to your seat, for you are totally in tune to Sara’s characteristics, albeit not her thought process and you so want it to end up well. The romantic moments are handled very pleasantly, and the deep yet subtle relation she shares with Norman are very well presented. A tear-jerker, yes, but it comes with such a lot of values and finer points that it is worth the waste of the tissue. In fact, it’s an awesome experience which has my vote.
Don’t go by my pathetic attempt at publicizing this film...it’s far better than what I’ve written about it. If you have watched it, grab the DVD again. If not, run to the video parlour and rest assured, the hours will be well spent.
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