A friend recommended Ira and Abby to me, a movie about marriage and about therapy. You might say it takes a swipe at both. I am personally, all in favor of movies that satirize therapy. As therapists, it's good to see ourselves caricatured and to giggle at the element of truth that is in all good caricatures. Most of the time, we therapists take ourselves way too seriously.
Like a manic defense, behind the comedy, this movie presents a cynical picture of marriage as essentially an empty ruse. The seemingly good marriages have undercover affairs. The adorable couple who marry twice during the marriage, finally divorce for the second time at the end of the marriage and promise never to marry again.
If commitment, enduring the tough times, forgiveness and the kind of hanging in there that transforms relationships into mature love is not what marriage is about, I don't know what is. You'd never know that from watching this movie.
Which movie are you referring to? I thought your review of A Real Marriage was encouraging.
ReplyDeleteAndy McPherson, LMSW retired