Line?

Today I read a headline that said we are all more interested in Jennifer Aniston's love life than in her movies. It was intended to be a criticism of her latest film Switch, but I think it is a pretty strong commentary on where we are as a society that the dating successes and failures of this celebrity warrants a headline at all.

We are so wrapped up in watching what other people do and either mimicking or scrutinizing it that we can't even function in our own lives. We don't know how to do romance without trying to emulate what we see on screen. We wish for a soundtrack to swell and swoon, punctuating that sweeping embrace. And where's the lighting guy to make us glow prettily, bathed in a swathe of warm hues?

Our expectations are so dictated by the carefully crafted cinematic events that we don't stop to consider how they would play out in real life. Imagine if a stranger showed up at the Empire State Building knowing your name and intimate details of your life. I know I'd get a restraining order! And, as adorable as that floppy mop of hair might be, Hugh Grant's signature character would be maddeningly insufferable after about a week.

We can't get an honest look from Hollywood at what we face in the search for love. Even He's Just Not That Into You, which boasted a pragmatic and brutally honest look at romance, wrapped up so nicely and neatly that everyone got what they wanted--or what they deserved.

My point? This love stuff is tricky. It's not formulaic and resolved in under two hours. You don't have a wacky side-kick who provides the comic relief and the poignant, yet clever quips that enlighten you and instantaneously provide the answer to make all your romantic dreams come true.

I've come to the conclusion that the only way to actually have something real is to acknowledge that we did buy all those fairytale promises and media-fed fantasies . . . and let them go. True love may exist, but only if you truly work at it. You have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Dig in up to your elbows, clawing through the awkwardness, insecurity, unsurity, and frustration. Take the risks. Make the mistakes. Go down the wrong paths. Just make sure you do it yourself, because, as we all know, even the perfect script hasn't helped Jennifer Aniston get it right in real life.