Boy crush

Continuing on the trend on crushes, I thought I'd even it out and produce a male crush of mine from a particular movie. Chris O'Donnell in Circle of Friends.

Circle of Friends was released in 1995, set in Ireland in the late 1950's and is based on popular Irish author Mauve Binchey's novel of the same name. It tells the story of Nan, Eve and Bernadette (Benny) and their various adventures in college.

Benny is the kind hearted girl with parents who dote on her and won't let her stay in Dublin for study. She has...or is meant to have a weight issue, but to me she just seems voluptuous, Minnie Driver is already tall, so I guess the extra weight is meant to make her a bit dowdy or something.

Eve is Benny's fiercely loyal best friend who was raised by nuns after she was orphaned as a young girl.

Nan is a the beautiful sophisticated one who could have any guy she wants, but begins a relationship with the older (whom she believes to be rich) Colin Firth as a way of escaping her poor upbringings.

In the book, Eve and Benny are the friends from childhood and they meet Nan and a whole host of other people once at college. In the film, Nan is someone they knew from childhood but moved away and are reunited once they are all 18.

There is a clear catholic theme throughout the movie (as there are in many of Binchey's books) which would be obvious from the setting and time of the movie, as the characters struggle with whether or not to 'go all the way'.

Benny crushes big time on Jack (O'Donnell) who everyone seems to think is out of her league, and they start off as friends before it moves into something more.

Benny is played by Minnie Driver, who I believe had to pack on some pounds for the role and while I wouldn't find her traditionally beautiful, she is interesting looking (not meant to sound like an insult) and her character is lovely, if a bit of a pushover at times.

Also worth mentioning is the delightfully creepy Alan Cummings who I love in nearly everything (particularly in Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion) and plays Benny's dad's work colleague and who her parents are eager for her to marry.

It stays true to the book in that Bennie is larger than your average leading lady, and I guess this continues the trend that women in film can't be 10 kilos overweight (and still beautiful), but a fat man with a supermodel is okay.

Anyway back to Chris - maybe it is the combination of the (admittedly not the greatest fake) accent, the 50's clothes and his adorable relationship with Bennie that I just find so cute.
I also emphasise with Benny in that dream of attaining that 'perfect guy' who you don't think will notice you as more than a friend. So when their relationship deepens, I like Chris (or his character, Jack) that much more. Which poses an interesting question: am I am now giving men/characters credit just for noticing interesting, intelligent females who don't have supermodel worthy looks?

As events in the film progress though, Jack does engage in some douchbagery and to the credit of Benny (in the book at least) she doesn't take him back.

In the movie however it is a different story and you do feel as though they wanted to tack on a bit of a Hollywood ending. So however bizarre my choice may be, I still stand by Chris's character as one of the cutest roles for at least half of the movie. Along with Gilbert Blythe. But for the whole series.

For the images:
moviemaker.com

zap2it.com