MovieChat Forums > Before Midnight (2013) Discussion > Unnatural Dialogue

Unnatural Dialogue

posted 11 years ago by emsqui
13 replies | jump to latest

I realize there probably wouldn't be a third movie if Jesse and Celine didn't have anything to talk about anymore, but the dialogue seemed unnatural to me. They are talking about childhood memories, and how they perceive life. Isn't that something you already know about a partner you're with for 9 years?

I would love to be as 'fresh' in a relationship as they are, when I'm together with someone for 9 years. I mean I see Jesse and Celine glancing at each other as if they haven't seen each other in a long while. I would expect more boredom of everyday life.

Anyone?

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What are you doing? You don't stop here...

[–] ThirdDegree 11 years ago

I don't know it seemed pretty natural to me. I've been talking to my girlfriend pretty much everyday since 2006 and we still tell each other new things. That fight was pretty realistic too. One little thing snowballs.

[–] emsqui 11 years ago

Yes I could totally relate to the fight, unfortunately... :)
But the conversation in the beginning... I don't know, it felt like they didn't know each other that wel...
Good to know it didn't feel that way to you!

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What are you doing? You don't stop here...

[–] cagneychick182 11 years ago

I felt the same way. The attraction and love was still between them just as it was in the first two films but they still felt like acquaintances rather than a couple of nine years.

[–] ValeriaMessalina 11 years ago

I agree, my husband and I have been together for almost 7 years (which is not 9 yet, but that's a technicality) and we talk more than anyone I know, and yet every day we end up finding something new to talk about or remember. There are still stories and experiences up my sleeve I never told him about, but I will one day, and I'm sure it's the same for him. Though we almost never fight, which almost seems unnatural to me because fighting is so basic to relationships.

[–] itsahoverboard 11 years ago

I also felt the same way, like they were still getting to know each other at the beginning. I turned it off in the car ride before the movie even got started though. Julie Delpy annoys me for some reason and this time around I didn't want to sit through it all despite the movie probably being very good.

[–] Makarov-324 11 years ago

To me the first movie is the one with the most unnatural dialogue. I can't imagine two people would keep going with the deep, exhausting topics they discuss in the first one.

In the second movie it's more realistic, they have to catch up and talk about their lives. Plus the time span is shorter.

This one feels a little more like the first one, but still a lot of the dialogue results from a mundane issue of them deciding where to move.

[–] LashLaruey 11 years ago

I didn't sense unnatural dialogue with the car conversation. The reason it felt so 'fresh' was because both of them were experiencing high levels of emotion, and the topics after were spawned by everyday circumstances like their children sleeping or Jesse stealing their apple.

Where I did sense unnatural dialogue was the dinner and the hotel room scenes, where I felt, while they were occasionally brilliant, were a little too consciously-written. The most disappointing scene for me was Celine walking back into the hotel room for the third time to tell him she didn't love him, which I thought veered into melodramatic territory. Ironically, it would've been more effective if Celine dropped it into the conversation casually.

Then... speak of the devil and the devil appears.

[–] filmfancy 11 years ago

I totally agree with you, LashLaruey. The outdoor dinner scene at the writer's house seemed like a theatre piece. I liked the hotel room scene better but also felt like it was veering toward the melodramatic.

The end scene was like a comic little dance with Jesse and Celine sort of playing a little game with each other, but in the end leaving the audience with some hope that they will stay together.

And all the pieces matter (The Wire)

[–] jobseeker95479 11 years ago

> The most disappointing scene for me was Celine walking back into the hotel room
> for the third time to tell him she didn't love him, which I thought veered into
> melodramatic territory

If you get the chance you might want to watch the movie on DVD with Richard, Ethan and Julie's commentary on. When it gets to that part, Julie stressed what Celine had said is "I think I don't love you anymore" (and Julie repeated this line a couple times in the commentary), meaning that Celine tried to win the argument by bluffing with her biggest ammunition.

I highly recommend anyone to watch this movie with the commentary on, you will appreciate even more how well thought out the dialogue are, particularly in the hotel room scene

[–] hkronin 11 years ago

I'm 39 and I have been with my wife since 1993 (20 years). We still have conversations like this to this day. I can see how you would think that we have talked about everything at this point, but we are constatnly changing, learning, growing, and seeing things in a new light. I feel like from 38-39 I have grown tremendously and I see life, love, and relationships in a whole new light. I have so much I want to talk about, and haven't even found the words yet to bring it up.

[–] emsqui 11 years ago

A reaction like this gives one hope! It sounds lovely!

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What are you doing? You don't stop here...

[–] Which_Tyler 11 years ago

37, and 12 years in; and completely agree with Hkronin

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[–] steviesix3 11 years ago

What the *beep* are you talking about? The dialogue is the best thing about the trilogy, especially Before Midnight.