Everyone loves a good "meet cute." You know, the moment in a romantic comedy when the leads meet in an awkward-but-not-too-awkward way. I always wonder, though, would these meet cute situations be cute in real life? Because I feel like me spilling coffee on a handsome stranger would just result in him giving me the stink eye, me stammering an apology, and then both of us never talking again. Below are some of my thoughts on how famous meet cutes would turn out if they happened in the real world.
1. "Before Sunrise" (1995)
In "Before Sunrise," Jesse meets Celine on the train, and they wax poetic about life before deciding to disembark together. If I tried this on the UTS at UVA, something tells me this would not happen. If I attempted to talk to the cute boy I sat next to, he'd either grunt or pretend he didn't hear me. If we got off at the same stop, it would probably not be fated, but more likely because we both have a class in New Cabell.
2. "The Wedding Planner" (2001)
In "The Wedding Planner," Matthew McConaughey rescues J Lo from getting hit by a dumpster since she's too concerned with rescuing her high heel to move out of the way. First off, I relate most to the taxi driver who knocks over the dumpster because he's too distracted by his ice cream cone. If I have to assume the role of J Lo, however, here's what I can see actually happening: I'm walking to class and cross the street on the "don't walk" sign, because I'm late and no one obeys traffic laws. I see a donut in the middle of the road, so I stop to grab it and the bus hits me. The bus driver was cute and apologizes, and now UVA pays for my tuition. Fairy tales do come true.
3."(500) Days of Summer" (2009)
Summer meets Tom when she sings along to his music in an elevator. If I ever started randomly singing along to an attractive stranger's music in an enclosed space, I'm pretty sure he'd think I was crazy or didn't understand etiquette (or both). Also, my taste in music is not nearly indie enough for this scenario to be applicable.
4. "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993)
In "Sleepless in Seattle," Meg Ryan falls in love with Tom Hanks when she hears him call in with his son on a late-night radio show. She writes him a letter asking him to meet her at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day. This reminds me of if I stalked a guy on Facebook and then wrote the "UVA Crushes" page asking him to meet me at The Rotunda. He would probably find it creepy and not show up or we'd meet and it would be the most awkward date ever because we don't know each other at all.
5. "When Harry Met Sally" (1989)
Harry meets Sally when they drive home from college. This one isn't terribly unrealistic, since they spend most of the time arguing, but in reality, I think this drive would just be a lot of awkward silence.
6. "Bridesmaids" (2011)
In "Bridesmaids," Annie meets Rhodes when he pulls her over for reckless driving. If I ever got pulled over by a cop, I'd probably just start crying so in order to avoid a ticket. I guess her flirting worked too, so maybe this isn't the worst idea...
