So Friday night, Row, Kate, Bree, Scott and I watched Love Actually. There's a scene in the movie where the U.S. President meets with the Prime Minister of England and ends up making moves on the Prime Minister's love interest right before the press conference. Hugh Grant, the Prime Minister, saw what he was doing and didn't approve. This is how the press conference proceeded:
Press Conference Reporter: Mr. President, has it been a good visit?
The President: Very satisfactory indeed. We got what we came for, and our special relationship is still very special.
Press Conference Reporter: Prime Minister?
Prime Minister: I love that word "relationship." Covers all manner of sins, doesn't it? I fear that this has become a bad relationship; a relationship based on the President taking exactly what he wants and casually ignoring all those things that really matter to, erm... Britain. We may be a small country, but we're a great one, too. The country of Shakespeare, Churchill, the Beatles, Sean Connery, Harry Potter. David Beckham's right foot. David Beckham's left foot, come to that. And a friend who bullies us is no longer a friend. And since bullies only respond to strength, from now onward I will be prepared to be much stronger. And the President should be prepared for that.
After seeing this scene, Rowland and I were contemplating the effect this speech would have in world politics if it were real life. How would the U.S. public and English public react to this? Most likely the U.S. would take this poorly and the American media would portray the British as the new enemy and half of the British population would consider the Prime Minister as a dumb...butt and the other half would probably praise the prime minister for finally standing up to the U.S. The last lines, "I will be prepared to be much stronger. And the President should be prepared for that" makes me think that there may be an impending war against England and the U.S., whether it be a real war or a cold war, either way, knowing the United States' media, the Prime Minister's words wouldn't be taken well.
When I first saw this movie, I cheered for the British, like everyone else in the movie, however, this time when I watched the movie, I couldn't help but be frustrated with the Prime Minister for practically severing US/UK relations in such a public manner. Although it wouldn't have the same effect on the plot of the movie, Hugh Grant should have worked out his differences with Billy Bob Thornton, the U.S. president, in private without the media so that the issue wouldn't be that of world politics, but rather that Billy Bob Thornton understand that Hugh Grant called dibs on the chick and that its not ok to me a womanizing politician.
So, the real point of this post is that Love Actually is one of my favorite movies of all time and, thanks to World Politics, now I have a compulsive need to question the political implications of the goings on in chick flicks.
