It Was Just Two of Those Things

In “The Bridges of Madison County,” a photographer played by Clint Eastwood has a four-day love affair with Meryl Streep’s Iowa housewife. In “Mad Love,” a high-school student, played by Chris O’Donnell, breaks his new girlfriend (Drew Barrymore) out of a psychiatric ward and dashes for Mexico.

The differences between the movies are obvious. “Bridges” is about mature love; it’s pickup trucks and slow jazz. “Mad Love” is high-school love, all jet-skis and grunge rock. What the films share is a common faith that the loves they depict are uncommonly strong.

But is it a kind of love that can be understood by the large portion of the population that is neither concerned with college applications nor nursing a pressing midlife crisis? Can the generation that identifies best with the chatty, analytical relationships on “Seinfeld” and “Friends” find anything of value in puppy love and Iowa indiscretions? Twentysomething film enthusiasts Kalle Matso and Scott White look into the heart of the matter.

White: I’m sorry. I couldn’t get into these movies at all.

Matso: Not that I disagree with you, but why not?

White: Well, first of all, they’re marketed as these paeans to true love, but actually these films are showcases for failed love. One is about a kid who throws his future away for a manic depressive and the other shows how beautiful adultery can be.

Matso: True. This is the kind of stuff that really peeves Bob Dole.

White: It’s wild abandon.

Matso: I don’t know if you can use the word wild in reference to “The Bridges of Madison County.” The only thing reckless about the movie was Eastwood’s decision not to edit the slow-dance scenes.

White: It just seemed that the movie was glorifying a combination of infidelity and serendipity.

Matso: The thing about “Bridges” is that the book’s huge success inflated the romance to galactic dimensions. To me, it was just a couple of nice-looking middle-aged people having good sex.

White: I agree. The whole movie was based on what they called in the old days a “fling.”

Matso: Yes, but the film puts the romance on a pedestal. Clint’s character, Robert Kincaid, says, “Certainty like this comes along only once in a lifetime.” Is that true? I don’t know. For other people, certainty like that comes along every time they see “Baywatch.”

White: Well, that’s my point. The certainty that is felt in both movies is something that doesn’t really inspire us. The only thing our generation knows for certain is that Social Security won’t be around when we really need it.

Matso: I have to admit I’m miles from Robert Kincaid’s certainty. I mean, the guy gives the impression he’s had serious relationships with women from every continent. It’s easy for him to be certain; he uses the process of elimination. I’m 27 years old. How can I be certain about anything? I still haven’t dated a redhead.

White: And in “Mad Love,” their certainty stems from overactive glands. The only sure thing is that they don’t have enough gas money to make it to Mexico.

Matso: . . . and that Drew’s character could have used some endorphin inhibitors.

White: What’s worse is that these films are fodder for fantasy. “Mad Love” gives high school guys the impression that they can have a babe like Drew Barrymore if they’re willing to settle for a 700 on their SAT’s. And “Bridges” tells us that cheating can be very enriching as long as you don’t get caught.

Matso: Especially if it’s with a photographer from National Geographic. If it’s a copy editor from Popular Mechanics, it’s best to stay on the porch.

White: It’s pure fantasy. But then, I guess that’s why people go to the movies. They don’t want normal domesticity. Nobody would pay money to watch Clint and Meryl fight over the remote control.

Matso: The thing is, these films are fantasies but with depressing endings. In both films, the romance is depicted as special because it’s prematurely curtailed. Drew moves to Chicago and Clint heads off toward Cedar Rapids. The idea seems to be that true love can’t work with people who have the same ZIP code.

White: Right. Love is everlasting . . . if it only goes on for a fortnight.

Matso: Well, I still say that “Mad Love” was easier to relate to.

White: That’s just because you wanted Drew. If she’d played opposite Clint, you’d enroll in an adult photography class.

Matso: That’s not true. I’m just used to a little more cynicism in my movies. Yeah, “Mad Love” was silly, but at least it had the wisdom to be self-deprecating. “Bridges” tries to convince us that Meryl’s affair was so pure it revitalizes the lives of her children.

White: Yeah, I didn’t get that. Somehow, the revelation that their mother slept around gives them a new lease on life.

Matso: I have much more admiration for relationships like the one depicted in “When Harry Met Sally . . . ,” where you have two people who meet tepidly, become friends and then struggle to make a life together. No one leaves and no one gets committed to an institution.

White: Well, that’s our generation. Our watchwords are friendship , long-term compatibility and practicality . If Ovid were alive today, he’d drink a lot of beer and watch soaps.

Matso: So you’re saying you didn’t like these movies because they were impractical?

White: They’re tawdry. Think back to the first couple of weeks of any of your significant romantic relationships. They were awesome . . . and easy. You’d have driven to Mexico. You’d have slow-danced until your knees buckled.

Matso: Of course. It’s called “the wonder of me” stage.

White: Exactly. And when the hard part comes, sure, you might want to get out your road atlas or check your lover into a mental ward, but that’s not too PC.

Matso: Meryl’s character actually called it. She said their love would be lost if the affair lasted for more than four days. And if the couple in “Mad Love” stayed together for more than a couple of months, they might have ended up in Tierra del Fuego. What kind of love is that?

White: I wish I could tell you. As it is, I’ll stick with my generation’s over-analytical, Angst -ridden perspective on love, and I’ll plan on it lasting more than a couple of weeks.*