MovieChat Forums > Before Midnight (2013) Discussion > It's ok to be realistic and show the way...

It's ok to be realistic and show the way relationships change, but

posted 9 years ago by intheflowers
3 replies | jump to latest

I totally get that a lot of relationships start out well but change when you get older - there become more and more things to fight about, especially as you have kids and get busy, and when you're dealing with your own problems like insecurity that affect the way you perceive your partner's actions. But I don't know if the ending was believable. I don't know if after all that fighting, all the hurtful things that were said between them, that it could be "redeemed" with one night, with one romantic speech from Jesse and a night of sex. You know a week later when they returned to their normal lives and jobs, Celine (she was mostly the "wrong" one in my opinion) would probably still be just as stubborn and angry, Jesse would probably mock her, and it would just continue like that.
I'm curious if anyone who's been married/been through similar fights has any input on whether this ending was realistic or not.

[–] Christopher_Smilax 9 years ago

I've never married (too young haha) so I don't know how much weight my post will hold.

I don't see the ending as unbelievable to be quite honest. Sure, it might not be everyday issues get set aside by a few moments of dialogue after a long, grueling fight. But I don't think the reason for their resolution was because of Jesse's speech being too romantic. To me, it was because he told it how it was.

Regardless of all their issues, one thing was certainly clear: Jesse loved her (Which is why he put up with her sh_it for so many years, even in that moment, after she bluntly told him she didn't love him anymore). Like he said, it may not be perfect, but what they have is real. And if she can't accept that, then he'd leave. Simple as that.

Deep down, I don't think Celine meant what she said. Everything they had said to each other was in the heat of the moment, so honestly I see the final scene with them as a wake up call for Celine rather than her being swept up by romance.

Howard Hughes was Italian?

[–] themidgarzolom 8 years ago

I think you might be right about the script's intention, but a problem with the performance/script coherence is that Celine proclaims this in such a calculated and deliberate manner, returning to the hotel three different times before ultimately dropping this bombshell and leaving. The line is also delivered in such a cold and deliberate manner that it doesn't at all seem like a "heat of the moment" outburst. By contrast, Celine's car outburst towards the end of Before Sunset was clearly a heat of the moment rant about her frustration about being in Jesse's book and what reading it stirred inside of her. This felt completely different and measured.

[–] noveltylibrary65 (200) 5 years ago

To answer your question, no the ending wasn't realistic, a divorce would be moreso.