Saw a lovely movie:  Imagine Me and You (2005).  It’s a light, delightful romantic comedy about two women who–in the typical romantic comedy sort of way–overcome the obstacles that indicate they can never be together and, you guessed it, get to be together.  Romantic comedy = happy ending, so no spoiler there.  And in terms of romantic comedy it was pitch perfect and fun to watch.

In my experience it’s rare to see a pitch perfect romantic comedy about a gay couple and this movie helped me see why I feel that way.  In Imagine Me and You, the lesbians and their relationship woes were presented as completely normal.  “Normal” as in not the focus of the movie; true to genre the film centered on two people trying to be together, family and friend entanglements, crazily comedic scenes, other relationship opportunities.  Never in the movie did the sexuality of the protagonists take over the story.  None of the characters had significant issues with anyone’s sexuality.  The film just focused on character and plot and genre.

No surprise to learn that the film was originally written as a heterosexual romantic comedy.  Wonderful.  Sort of like action movies written for male heroes and then ultimately featuring female kick-butt heroines!  That sort of thing points out:  gender roles simply don’t need to matter as much as we (as a culture) seem to want them to.

Of course, my own books don’t do that.  They focus on a lesbian character and the issues that surround that identity as Lonnie navigates her world and its prejudices.  I write this way because these are issues are very real in my life and the lives of most lesbians I know and I want my books, cozy comedic mystery “fantasies” that they are, to reflect that real world.   But when I want to spend the evening with a bowl of popcorn and a good old-fashioned romantic fantasy movie, well-written and well-acted that shows my kind of relationship as just “normal,” well, I usually can’t find one.  This film is perhaps the best I’ve ever seen.

I’d love to hear others’ recommendations if you have ‘em!