Something Borrowed (2011): The rare, fully realized rom-com is the perfect valentine

Christian’s Grade: A

It’s been said that even a stellar cast can’t make a bad script into a good movie. While this has proved to be true in many instances, the flipside of that coin is that the right cast can transform a good movie into a great one. A perfect example of this is 2011’s Something Borrowed.

Based on the novel by Emily Giffin, this non-traditional rom-com focuses on Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin), Dex (Colin Egglesfield), and Darcy (Kate Hudson). Three friends wrapped in a bizarre love triangle where Rachel and Darcy have been best friends since childhood. Rachel and Dex were friends in law school and harbored deep crushes on each other. Dex and Darcy were introduced through Rachel, and because she was too afraid to express her feelings for Dex, he’s engaged to be married to Darcy.

Rachel is the shy, conservative type that always puts herself last and avoids being vulnerable. On the evening of her 30^thbirthday, Rachel goes to a surprise party Darcy has thrown for her. Because she’s single and no longer in her twenties, the last thing Rachel wanted was a party. Darcy is the Bohemian, fun-loving, uninhibited party girl whose key character trait is that she’s very self-absorbed. It quickly becomes clear that the party was more for Darcy than Rachel.

Dex is the handsome yet approachable, kind, and funny love interest. Even though he and Darcy are a beautiful-looking couple, they obviously have very different personalities. As Darcy gets more drunk throughout the night, Dex takes her home, so she doesn’t ruin the party that Rachel already didn’t want. When the party finally winds down, Rachel is escorted out by Ethan (John Krasinski), who’s also been a friend of Rachel and Darcy since childhood. Ethan is the funny and insightful friend that provides both comic relief and sound advice. As they wait for a cab, the two friends discuss Rachels’s melancholy over her passing youth, and at that point, Dex shows up to find Darcy’s missing purse. Rachel offers to help find it. After they do, sensing her sadness, Dex offers to take Rachel out for one last drink.

They laugh and talk, and because Rachel is a little tipsy, she lets it spill that she’s had a crush on Dex since law school. This comes as a surprise to him as he’s clearly taken aback. Rachel knows she’s said too much, and embarrassed by this, the pair leave the bar and share a tense cab ride. Rachel turns to Dex to apologize, and suddenly Dex kisses her. They both wake up in Rachels’s apartment the next morning to the phone ringing. It’s Darcy wondering where Dex is since he never came home. The initial panic sets in as Rachel and Dex realize what they’ve done. Dex tries to calm Rachel, promising they will work this out as she spirals in self-loathing over betraying her best friend. But the encounter awakened something in both of them that they had tried to bury. Now they have to decide if they can go back to the way things were or if they were truly meant to be together all along.

The thing I love most about this movie is how skillfully writer Jennie Snyder Urman and director Luke Greenfield make all the characters so likable. Whether it’s the narcissistic bride-to-be, the groom who isn’t sure he’s marrying the right person, or the woman who always sacrifices her wants and desires to her egotistical best friend because she’s afraid to go for what she wants. Each of them also have their own redeeming qualities and charisma. This movie does a great job of building character so as the story progresses, everyone’s actions make sense. I actually read the book by Emily Giffin because I liked this movie so much. 

The book was good and really showed the struggle these characters were going through and made the reader understand why it’s all happening. And again, the characters were well-defined. But honestly, they were less likable than how they were depicted in the movie. Rachel let the affair go on way too long. Dex was more possessive of her and, at times, selfish. And Darcy was more manipulative. So, this is one rare occasion where I liked the film more than the book.

There was a very good mix of comedy, romantic moments, and drama. Particularly in the final act, where all the secrets come out, and the three friends have to confront each other. Because the characters are so likable, they subvert the usual expectation of movies like this. Something Borrowed is unusual because the audience actually finds themselves rooting for the cheaters. 

On the surface, the whole situation is wrong. These three friends are screwing each other over in very real ways, but none of it is intentional. As the story progresses and we learn more about these three, it becomes clear how a situation this messed up can grow out of good intentions. Dex always wanted Rachel but was forced into the friend zone and didn’t feel she wanted him. So, he started seeing Darcy. Rachel had her chance to tell Dex how she felt when he was single but feared rejection. Darcy knew how Rachel felt about Dex, but because he was handsome and a great catch Darcy snatched him up the second Rachel denied her feelings.

The clever thing this movie does is validate the affair between Dex and Rachel through Darcy’s narcissism. That’s the only way to keep these two characters in the good graces of the audience in spite of their betrayal of Darcy. Their reasons for being together have to outweigh the reasons to keep the status quo. Enter Ethan, who is both Rachel’s conscience and Darcy’s critic in this story. He’s always in the background supporting Rachel and pushing her to go for what she wants. At the same time, he’s the only person who recognizes Darcy’s vanity and will point out her flaws.

Ethan highlights Darcy’s bad behavior disguised as being the fun friend. Darcy surrounds herself with people who feed her ego, including Rachel, who always bows down to her. She uses Dex as a status symbol and a ladder to an easier life. She creates scenarios that paint her as a good friend who sacrifices for the important people in her life, but in truth, these stories only serve to draw attention to Darcy and are sometimes based on lies. In subtle ways, she’s always been in competition with Rachel, and because of that, their friendship borders on psychological sabotage. 

These characteristics are also predatory in nature. Darcy seeks out people with self-esteem issues. Dex was always intimidated by his father and desperate to please his mother. He feels a deep but irrational responsibility to maintain his family unit. That’s what keeps him from breaking off the engagement with Darcy, even when he knows he’s in love with Rachel. Darcy’s predator tendencies also show with another member of this group of friends, Claire (Ashley Williams). She’s basically a doormat. It’s obvious Claire would do anything for Darcy, and that’s why Darcy barely acknowledges her presence. And yet, Claire is always around, ready to help in any way.

Conversely, it’s these weaknesses that make Rachel and Dex the couple we cheer for. When they’re together, separated from Darcy, they build each other up. They exhibit a tenderness that is completely lacking with Darcy. Even the secrecy they keep about their affair serves to keep from hurting her. When their relationship is exposed, and Darcy tries to verbally rip them to shreds (perhaps one of Kate Hudson’s best career performances), she lacks the moral high ground to tear Dex and Rachel apart as it’s revealed she’s also been unfaithful to Dex as a fiancé and Rachel as a friend.

That’s what is so impressive about this movie. It’s built on the backs of strong, fully realized characters that are relatable, if not in deed, than in spirit. We, the audience, understand them and thus are willing to go on this funny, romantic, poignant, and unusual journey with them. Director Luke Greenfield even ties a bow on this story with a final scene showing how much Rachel and Darcy have grown since the dissolution of their friendship. They run into each other on the street, and it’s clear they haven’t seen one another in several months. Darcy postures as still being upset with Rachel but completely fine with her life now. Rachel calmly apologizes, not for taking Dex away from her, but for hurting her, and admits that she misses Darcy every day. This vulnerable admission softens Darcy’s defensiveness, and she shows that she misses Rachel too by earnestly telling her that she’s the happiest she’s ever been. Rachel smiles with relief and happiness and simply responds, “Good.” They part ways, and as Darcy looks back with a wave and a smile, we’re left with the feeling that the difficult journey was worth it for everyone involved. Even us.