There's a substantial difference between the idea of romance, and the reality of romance. In our own little fantasy, we believe that we will one day find the one we've been destined to be with, and as soon as that happens, we believe that we've finally reached our "happily ever after". That is not the reality. The reality is that 50% of all marriages end with divorce, now. The reality is that even if you do end up together for the rest of your lives, you will hit a considerable amount of bumps along the road. Not many people know that this is, in fact, the reality of romance until it's too late. And one of the things that people bring up to blame for that is Hollywood.

Hollywood has been making romantic comedies and romantic melodramas that do nothing but pander to the lowest common denominator using fantasy-fulfillment escapism. This is all fine and dandy if the people in question are smart enough to distinguish what happens between reality and film, but people are thick morons, and every now and then, need a slap in the back of the head to remind them what the reality of relationships truly is, and what you could do to at the very least prevent it.

Enter Blue Valentine.

Blue Valentine has been the center of a certain controversy in the film-geeks' circle over the last few months. It was apparently a movie that was so unflinchingly realistic and honest in its portrayal of a marriage on the rocks, that it was given the kiss-of-death that was the NC-17 rating, by the MPAA. The movie didn't deserve this rating in the slightest. There were scenes of sexuality, but they were not explicit or graphic, and actually treated sexuality in an intimate and honest way in stark contrast to the amount of raunchy comedies Judd Apatow produces every year that tend to treat sex as a punchline. Thankfully however, the rating has been overturned and the film is now being released in theaters with a standard R rating, meaning that more people should go see it.

And you should go see it. Because it's d*mn good.

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play as Dean and Cindy, a couple who has been married for a few years with a young daughter. Their marriage has slowly been falling apart, and Dean being the oh-so-clever genius he is thinks a night in a cheap sex motel could rekindle whatever was lost. The film jumps back and forth between the past and present, and alternates between scenes of emotional wrought and charming romance. The juxtaposition just makes things all the more heart-breaking when you know that things just aren't gonna end well.

tl;dr - Think (500) Days of Summer, only everything funny and charming is replaced with realism and despair.

It's certainly not a film about plot, instead opting in for character and emotion. A film like this absolutely requires good actors in order to work, and thankfully, we have two great actors. Ryan Gosling, who is a great actor adored by many since he's great both in indie films like Lars and the Real Girl and mainstream sap-fests like The Notebook. Then we have Michelle Williams who is also great as well, but is a bit more overlooked (Nobody saw Wendy and Lucy? No? Well f*ck you then).

In contrast with the rest of the year, Ryan Gosling's performance is my favorite male lead of 2010. Okay, so I haven't seen Colin Firth in The King's Speech or James Franco in 127 Hours, but I'll have a hard time believing Gosling isn't in the front-running for the Best Actor Oscar. As for Michelle Williams, she is great as well, and she gives probably the bravest of the two, but let's face it, if the Oscar doesn't go to Natalie Portman this year, it's an undeserving award.

Either way though, both of them wring out tremendous depth and power in their performances. They have a fun, and wonderful chemistry in the flashback sequences, but it's in the present scenes where they truly shine. To enhance the realism, they bring something raw and unhinged in their portrayals, and it's because of this, the film reaches some exceptionally emotional territory.

But believe me, this movie isn't emotional in a tear-jerker way like The Notebook. Instead, this movie can and will make you feel highly uncomfortable. It's actually more grueling and hard to watch than every Saw sequel combined, minus the fact that a lot of those films are hard to watch because they're terrible. The main reason for this emotional poweris because lots of effort has been made to make this couple feel completely real, and instantly relate-able. I find it impossible for the average moviegoer to not find something in these characters they relate to.

This film is going to speak most to people who are or have been in a relationship at some point in their lives, mostly parents. It's certainly not a date-movie in the traditional sense, but if you and your date are brave enough to sit through this one together, it will assuredly spark some serious discussion, no question about it.

That's still not gonna stop certain people from outright hating it, however. Hell, there are people who hate Annie Hall one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, simply because of its lack of a happy ending. If you watch the movie with an open mind, then you will find something of depth in it, even though it's certainly not a fun movie to watch. Just don't come in looking for a traditional romance.

There's not much you can say about Blue Valentine other than "it's d*mn good", "it's realistic and emotional", and "Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are excellent". Hell I've hardly even made a witty or sarcastic joke this entire review...good for me. The main reason for this is because it's definitely a very simplistic movie. There's not much in terms of twists and turns, and not much in terms of plot. It's a movie you go to for the experience.

Final Verdict: Blue Valentine is that rare film that looks at relationships in an insightful, realistic, and gritty way. It may be uncomfortable and hard to watch at many points in the film, but if you stick with it to the end, you will be rewarded with a heart-wrenching love story with absolutely superb performances from Gosling and Williams.

That's all for now.

See ya next time. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to deliver this C4 somewhere...and it's totally not the MPAA. Bye.