LOVE ACTUALLY- The Ultimate Romantic Comedy
By Jessica Sitomer
Ah, Love Actually. Love, love, and more love. A synopsis of the gamut of relationships; falling in love, fighting love, the beginning of love, the end of love, love with a language barrier, love with a political barrier, love thwart by friendship, young love, mature love, and love lost.
Sounds like a career doesn’t it? Try it. Re-read the previous paragraph and substitute the word career wherever you see the word love.
In certain seminars, I literally compare the job search to dating. Because you have to meet a lot of people before you meet "the one." How about a new perspective on your career? Think of it as the Ultimate Romantic Comedy Perspective. Why not?
Picture this:
GIRL buys a cup of coffee at local Coffee Bean, answers her cell phone and finds out she got an important meeting, expresses her excitement by doing a silly spin, knocking into: GUY, spilling coffee all over his tie. He gets frustrated, storms out to get to his meeting.
CUT TO: GIRL walks into meeting with none other than GUY. She feels awkward and the meeting doesn’t go well. She trips on her way out. He shakes his head, but the twinkle in his eye gives away something to come.
CUT TO: GIRL beating herself up in her apartment, drinking wine, singing off-key to Nora Jones.
CUT TO: GIRL at party, networking with her GAL PAL, and a group of executives. She’s just about forgotten the trials of the day, and the champagne is building her confidence, when the executives call over the host of the party: GUY. GIRL spits out champagne, all over GUY’s new shirt. This time GUY jokes, that clearly she must want to see him topless. He pulls off his shirt, jumps in pool, and a wacky pool scene ensues. GIRL leaves, humiliated.
CUT TO: GIRL listening to 10 messages from desperate agent about meetings, while in her pajamas eating ice cream.
And so on and so forth with a series of just misses between GIRL and GUY as she grows more and more frustrated with her career, and he desperately tries to find her because she has written the script that his studio wants to produce.
After a long conversation with her 180 pound dog, GIRL decides to give up on her career and move home to Louisiana to marry her high school sweetheart. A few just misses between GIRL AND GUY as she makes her way to the airport and then, GUY, with GIRL’S script races through the terminal.
Does it work out? You tell me. Put yourself in GIRL’S shoes. When a meeting doesn’t go well, when a phone message goes unreturned, when your expectations are not met, do you slip into a rut, or do you fight for your happy ending?
This was not a series of scenes in a movie about "falling in love," this is a year in the life of an entertainment industry professional, following a dream, hitting pitfalls, having a lot of "just misses," and then having to make a choice. What choice will you make?
And Action!
1. Look back over the "story of your career." If it were a romantic comedy, what would be the inciting incident (the moment you chose to pursue your career)?
2. List 10 of your biggest pitfalls/disappointments/un-met expectations.
3. What would you like your happy ending to be?
4. What do you have to do to fight for it?
Movies and television inspire us. That’s why we’re in this industry. So why not start LIVING THE LIFE YOU SEE IN THE MOVIES THAT MAKE YOU LAUGH!
Comments or questions on this article? Ask me now, at www.AndActionBook.blogspot.com where I answer a question per day.
