This Guy is a Piece of…Work

This was an actual theatre release movie. I thought it was a TV Romance made for UPtv or ION or Lifetime. It’s about a country music superstar who returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of a friend (except he forgot to go). He encounters the ex-fiance whom he jilted at the altar, and she has a little girl. He does the math.

This was not a bad story, but I had a major problem with the character of the male lead. He was weak, cowardly, and self-centered. He not only humiliates and devastates his bride right before she walks down the aisle, but he does not even have the guts to tell her to her face or give her a heads up that he was having second thoughts. And he deserts her for fame and fortune. I don’t buy for a minute that he just couldn’t bear to lose her like he lost his mother. I call B-S on that. If that were true, he would have acted like a man and done it gently and kindly. And reimbursed her for the wedding expenses. And this was not some woman he just met. It was his childhood friend and friend of the family.

And then he not only does not respond to her desperate tearful voicemails but according to him, he listens to them daily. That is just sick. She humbled herself to even reach out to him. Most women would have had some sense of self-worth and pride and just moved on. And did I understand that he kept that antique cell phone because he did not want to lose the voicemail? The message is not stuffed in the machine, moron, it’s on your service provider’s network. Add dumb to his other sterling character traits.

OK, so he reconciles with her and begins to build a relationship with his daughter. But when his daughter almost chokes to death right in front of him, instead of thanking her uncle whose quick thinking saved her life, He just walks around and pouts about it. I guess because he got shown up and wasn’t the hero of the situation. Hey buddy, It’s not all about you all the time. Your daughter isn’t dead no thanks to you. And then, get this, HE DESERTS HIS FAMILY AGAIN! Leaving the mother of his child devastated AGAIN. Only this time he tops this repetition of his first despicable act and devastates his little innocent daughter as well! I tell you this guy is a real prince among men.

Needless to say, he comes back thanks to getting a stern talking-to from his manager and is forgiven by one and all. Frankly, given this guy’s track record, If I were his fiancé I would hire a lawyer before the wedding and get him to sign a well-worded prenup. Forgiveness and third chances are all well and good, but she has a family to support. Some of that country star money would come in handy when he takes a runner again. But I’m sure she didn’t, more’s the pity.

March 10, 2021