-Forget Paris-
(Not Literally of course)
With that, we are a go. Alright, right off the bat, Mickey and Ellen can be said that they are not your everyday day love story. With Mickey's unique sense of humor and Ellen finding it oddly charming and attractive, this movie was interesting to say the least.
However, there are various ways to look at how Mickey and Ellen's relationship progressed throughout the movie. If you were to consider it from Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Some of the actions taken by both Mickey and Ellen can be easily consider extreme in order to make their relationship work. Or so they thought. Considering how Ellen gave up Paris, which includes her former husband, her job, her apartment, and more or less almost everything that she has ever had until that point . As such, several levels of the hierarchy has already been thrown out the window in order to be with Mickey. Yet as the relationship progresses, she was not happy to say the least considering all she had given up for in exchange was not living up to what she had anticipated.
With that in mind, Mickey was next to compromise instead for the sake of the relationship. With the year off from the league, selling cars, moving to a new place and Ellen finally being recognized for her qualifications. Again, several levels are being violated in order to satisfy the other. As time grew, more conflicts arises, Mickey wasn't happy and decided to return to the league. Both sides were on the verge of collapse and were giving up certain aspects of the hierarchy in order to be with one another. Which according to the basic hierarchy, did not make much sense.
So this is where relational dialects theory come into play. According to the theory, a relationship grows through the rise and collapse of contradictions within the couple. With each collapse of a contradiction, it is then re-balanced in totality and the relationship grows closer due to a better understanding of each other. While the couple's progressing and comprehending one another better, praxis is achieve where communications are effective and decisions are practical. Which is what can be seen through out the movie between Mickey and Ellen.
The constant contradictions and compromise between the two, how Ellen left Paris, Mickey attempting to adept to change, to Ellen sending her father to her brothers. The dedication and level of compromise shown by both of them is something anyone would consider admirable. Both growing, both changing, both figuring out how to make something wonderful work. That said, the level of dedication and compromise shown by these two really is something that we all could use in our modern day lives.
"I don't know, but I know we are better together than we are apart"
A toast to the lovely couple, and to Mickey's father.
Reference Relational Dialectics Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2016, from http://communicationtheory.org/relational-dialectics-theory/Relational Dialectics
