"Associative Looseness"

I saw a recap episode of Oprah talking about women and their anti-aging secrets. Nora Ephron was there. I’ve known Nora Ephron only through her works, which are my favorites: Sleelpless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail and Michael. The first three were all starring Meg Ryan, who was one of my favorite actresses, because in her movies you see this perkiness and in-control sort of like a kid kind of way and it gets into you that you want to be around her all the time; that you begin to like her without knowing it, adorable even--that kind of stuff.

Anyways, watching Nora on TV for the first time, how she talked, her head movements, her eyebrow movements, even the movement of her mouth when she speaks -- so Meg Ryan! No, I didn’t mean that they look similar because Meg is by far prettier (of course) but their antics, weirdly the same. Well, at least in my observation. Then I got into thinking, maybe it was not really coincidental at all. Maybe the Meg Ryan that I see in Nora Ephron’s movies was really Nora Ephron personified by Meg Ryan’s characters. So you see, Meg Ryan was a very good in imitating other people. Then making it cute and adorable -- but if it would be Nora Ephron, it becomes funny not adorable anymore.

Then here comes Nora’s answers to Oprah’s questions, which were totally hilarious. A mark of a great writer I must say.

Oprah: Some women admit that the sex is better when they get older. What do you think of that?
Nora: Ahh…You could only have the best sex at 71 when you never had sex before that.
(Conversation from The OprahWinfrey Show 2006)


Heheh outrageously funny.

Oprah: What is your anti-aging secret?
Nora: This! (pointing to her hair), hair dye. You can not see people with grey hair anymore. It’s the only thing that separates me from my mother. Back in their time you could only see pink and blue hair dyes and before they call it strawberry blonde; but now there are a lot of black dyes and…


Nora’s lines has always amused me in the past, and until now. Remember that scene in the restaurant where Meg Ryan had a fake orgasm? Then an old woman saying, “I’ll have what she’s having”, after seeing what Meg did. Her lines are always witty and with cute bluntness that gets you unprepared ‘til you erupt in a smart laughter. Her lines were not really targeted to be comedic but how she delivers it, how Meg Ryan delivered it -- it's outright genius.

I stumbled upon transcribed lines from her movie “Michael” starring John Travolta. The overbearing archangel Michael who was living with an old woman. Some people didn’t like this movie for it’s absurd idea of an angel living life here on earth and enjoying life’s abundancy. Here are some of them.

Michael: You can *never* have too much sugar!
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Michael: You know, I invented marriage
Pansy Milbank: Oh really?
Michael: Yep. All these people were milling around, trying to get together, everything was in chaos so I told 'em, "Have a ceremony".
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Michael: Remember what John and Paul said.
Frank Quinlan: The apostles?
Michael: No, the Beatles. All you need is love.
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Huey Driscoll: Can I just pull on your wings to see how they're attached?
Michael: Why don't you pull on your pecker to see how it's attached?
Pansy Milbank: Hey. Language.
Frank Quinlan: An angel that says "pecker."
Pansy Milbank: Language.
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Michael: Whatever they say, you can never have too much of earth.
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Michael: You gotta learn to laugh, it's the way to true love.
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Michael: The miles will fly and your children won't cry, if you play car bingo.
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Huey Driscoll: My wife has lips like a blowfish.
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Michael: I'm not that kind of angel.
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Frank Quinlan: Bring him back.
Michael: That's not my area.
Frank Quinlan: Would someone please tell me what his area is? Don't give me that "that's not my area" stuff. BRING HIM BACK.
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Michael: Battle!
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Dorothy Winters: It's cookies, he smells like cookies, and the smell gets stronger when he's in heat.
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[repeated line, while cooking breakfast]
Pansy Milbank: Over easy!
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Michael: Hey, what's the opposite of white?
Frank Quinlan: Black.
Michael: No. Yolk.

For more click here.

This is just an example of a character embodying the author’s personality (as it not always the case, though) but somehow it is.