For the rest of my life, I will never ever be able to live down the night I recommended Wicker Park as my movie pick. I’ve always loved this movie, which stars Josh Hartnett, Diane Kruger, Rose Byrne, and Matthew Lillard. My wife, on the other hand, hated every second of this “creepy” movie and vows to never watch it again. At least I was fortunate enough that she did not burn my DVD.
My wife may have valid points on how absurd this movie is, and she is right, to an extent. I just don’t see the film the way she does and love the endless pursuit of the one who got away. When I say got away, it isn’t the way you think it is. Matthew (Harnett) and Lisa (Kruger) never really broke up. Alex (Byrne) worked her magic and split them up when Lisa went to Europe. Fast forward two years later and a chance encounter put them back in touch, well, sort of.
The movie centers around Matthew’s pursuit of Lisa and Alex’s evil ways to seduce him for herself. Alex’s backstory is incredible and how her life is so intertwined with their relationship from day one. When you find out that Alex is dating Luke (Lillard), all bets are off as worlds start to collide and implode at the same time.
I get that Matthew could be considered a stalker, but at the same time, Alex could be a psycho. There are a lot of flaws with both characters, but you can’t blame either for going after what they want. They both get the endings they deserve, whether you like it or not. I was entirely on board with the finish, which gets me choked up every time. It is one of my favourite romantic endings, and I still listen to the finale song, I Know You Are but What Am I? by Mogwai.
I’ve often considered this to be in my top 25 favourite romantic movies list. It would never make the top 10 since that’s already jammed pack, but I have been watching this movie for 16 years, and it never gets old. I love the cast, I love the crazy story and hope you get a chance to figure out this mess too someday. 9/10
Ten Stars or Less 