My idea of a perfect romance is what you see in the movie, ‘A Few Good Men’. If you have seen the movie you’d be wondering if I have lost it completely for the film doesn’t even have romance. Exactly. That is my idea of romance where you have two people whose lives are so entwined that they are absolutely incomplete without each other and yet they never speak of romance. Two people who are inseparable physically and emotionally not because they are always romancing but because they are on a mission together.
Another example of such romance is that between Agent Dana Scully and Fox Mulder in X Files. Agent Scully and Mulder work together and they compliment and complete each other. Let’s talk about AFGM for the moment though.
A relationship which begins when girl boy meet for professional reasons and get close to each other as they spend a lot of time on the task they both are at. They don’t start seeing each other but they also don’t see other people simply because they are too engrossed in their work. Romance isn’t anywhere on their mind but their lives are closely knit that it’s only obvious for them to be a couple. Yet the romance stays under toned. The relationship for a greater part of it might even be platonic. Like both in X files and in A Few Good Men there is nothing to indicate a physical intimacy.
In ‘A few Good Men’ a Court-Martial of two Marines, Louden Downey and Harold Dawson accused of murdering a fellow marine William Santiago at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba is the backdrop of a perfect romance between the defense counsel and naval investigator involved in the court martial.
Tom cruise plays the young US Navy lawyer Lt.JG Daniel Kaffee. He comes across as a light hearted guy with an extremely casual approach towards life, hardly serious about his work and quite proud of and popular for his plea bargaining skills the reason why he has never really seen a real Court room. Some of the scenes later reveal that Kaffee’s apathy towards his profession is a lot because he has to constantly live under the gigantic shadow of his late father Lionel Kaffee who was known as the greatest trial lawyer of all times.
Demi Moore plays the Naval investigator LCDR JoAnne Galloway a young energetic no-nonsense Navy officer who takes her work very seriously and is a seeker of truth. She is also a lawyer herself so is quite aware of the legal inticracies. The first time she meets Kaffee, she seems visibly upset at his laid back attitude towards the case. Although she is of a higher rank than that of Kaffee, Kaffee being the lead defense counsel has his own style of working and he doesn’t allow JoAnne to mess with his style.
After Dawson and Downy were arrested JoAnne was appointed to investigate the case and though she wanted to defend Dawson and Downy herself the case was handed over to Kaffee. However, Kaffee remains answerable to JoAnne, as she says “My job is to make sure you do your job”
JoAnne is convinced Dawson and Downy are innocent and they merely followed orders of ‘code red’ (a certain form of ragging) given by superior officer which unfortunately led to the death of William due to his vulnerable medical condition. But Kaffee doesn’t really believes in this. He decides to go for a plea bargaining and avoid a defence procedure altogether. Understandably JoAnne and Kaffee have a lot of clash of opinions and they don’t seem very pleased at each other’s existence.
Kaffee doesn’t take the case too seriously and JoAnne considers recommending another counsel in his place. After JoAnne hands over case papers to Kaffee, he hardly studies them. He is more busy playing ‘softball’ while Dawson and Downy were in custody waiting for their counsel. JoAnne comes to see him and remind him of the appointment and this is the conversation they have:
JoAnne: I wanted to talk to you about Dawson and Downey.
Kaffee: Say again?
JoAnne: Dawson and Downey.
Kaffee: The names seem familiar, but…
JoAnne: Your clients?
Kaffee: The Cuba thing! Oh yeah, right.
Things change once Kaffee goes deeper in the case. We see JoAnne looking upto Kaffee for the talented lawyer that he is. Though she always maintains a straight and cold face, you know that deep inside she admires Kaffee for his talent. At times Kaffee loses confidence, he doesn’t want to take a few steps but she keps pushing him because she knows what he is capable of, she tells him that Dawson and Downy are going to end up owing their lives to him because he is the best defense lawyer they could get. Yet in none of these scenes will you see an overflow of love or emotion. Both Kaffee and JoAnne are controlled in displaying emotions. JoAnne is more controlled.
There is just one incidence where just the two of them, JoAnne and Kaffee spend time together in absence of their third team mate, Researcher LTJG Sam Weinberg (played by Kevin Pollock). Kaffee had asked both JoAnne and Sam to take a break from the preparation of the case and spend time with their family. In the next scene JoAnne knocks at Kaffee’s door and asks him if he’d join her for dinner. He says, “are you asking me out on a date?” She says “No.” And reccommends a good place for Sea food. The undertone of romance is just perfect in this scene. I simply get an amazing kick out of this kind of under-toned appreciation and respect and feelings two people have for each other.
Even at the dinner table they are seen discussing the court martial. As part of casual conversation JoAnne tells Kaffee about the past cases she has handled and he asks her,
“why are you always giving me your resume.”
“Because I want you to think I am a good lawyer”. She replies.
“I do.” Responds Kaffee.
JoAnne gives a pause and says “No, you don’t.“
Before Kaffee could respond or explain further she puts the focus on Kaffee by saying, “I think you are exceptional lawyer…“
The scene depicts the uncomfort that JoAnne probably felt at the probability of the conversation getting any more personal. Also, may be she didn’t intend to put Kaffee in a position where he had to praise JoAnne just to make her feel good. But it was obvious that she wanted to hold a place in Kaffee’s eyes as a smart lawyer and somehow get his approval to the secret crush she might be nurturing.
Throughout the Court-Martial JoAnne keeps providing the much needed moral support to Kaffee. She pushes him to test his own limits and he succeeds. They have their shares of fights and patch ups on matters related to the passion they were sharing, the quest for truth. Kaffee flips out, gets mad at JoAnne but eventually does what she suggested him to do, takes the risk of putting Col Jessup on the stands and charge him with the allegation of having ordered a ‘code red’. Yet, right before they enter the Court room that day when Col. Jessup was to be charged by Kaffee, JoAnne takes him aside for a minute and says, “Listen Danny, If you think you can’t get him to say it, don’t go for it. I’m special counsel for internal affairs, and I’m telling you, you could get in a lot of trouble.”
Could two people be anymore complimentary to each other than this. First she gives him the courage to go for it, then in her administrative capacity she cautions him of the consequences. The understanding is so perfect. JoAnne also knows Kaffee through and through. She knew Kaffee asked for the copy of a transfer order from Col. Jessup because he wanted to see his reaction. And although Kaffee vehemently denied it in front of JoAnne, it was this instinct of his that eventually led to the truth of the case.
Kaffee is also a very sarcastic person, he is often seen poking fun at JoAnne, pulling her legs for no reason. He responds bitterly and sarcastically to some of JoAnne’s over enthusiastic but genuine attempts at seeking the truth and snubs her. But in that one rare incident when she genuinely does make a mistake and Sam gets mad at her, we get to see the soft side of Kaffee defending JoAnne, he is kind and nice to JoAnne. At that moment you see the love and affection he has grown for her.
Could there be any more perfect love than this? Will two such people ever want to be with another person when they have everything they want in each other, a friend, a colleague, a boss, a metor, an icon? I think not. The love that grows over such hard times between two complicated professionals is the one that’s most beautiful of all.
This is not my idea of romance at all. How boring. You sound like having an affair with your co-worker and in LA we only have Sri, Su, Shai, Vij, Ash, Rak, Dav and Shi :-/
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Seems like you are looking for an “office spouse” aka office spice ;-)
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Nice Post Sanjukta . I have seen the movie twice and liked it but i was never able to place the reason Why . i guess you did a good job of capturing the essence of movie .
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Yes, I can imagine my wife bitching at me for NullPointerExceptions at work. No, I really can.
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lovely post…portrays a wonderful relationship in a masterclass movie in a befitting way…well dun!!!
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If there was something in “A Few Good Men”, its not Romance, whatever else it may be.
Since this is your interpretation of the film, and your definition of romance, I will leave it here :)
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@RK
That was a rude comment. I am hurt.
For one, this by no means is my *interpretation* of the film. Personally I think this film is beyond any possible interpretation. It’s a learning institution, you can only study it for years and then take the learning to your graves. But that is not what I intended to discuss here.
Don’t be so over zealous in criticizing somebody’s writing, that you miss facts glaring at your face…fact that the title of this post is obvious enough that I am only trying to tell what is my idea of a perfect romance it is so NOT about the film. It is also upsetting that in your over zealousness to be rude You missed the point that I already mentioned it at the very start of the post that the film didn’t even have romance. Were you not paying attention when you read it?
Jeez you can’t even understand what my post is about and you being judgmental about my interpretation of the movie when there is none.
I really wonder What do you even mean by “I will leave it here”… when was I ever in conversation with you anyway. What is it that is even started to be left at all?
I didn’t even end my post on an opinion seeking note, why are you giving one?
You are so not welcome to my blog.
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“You are so not welcome to my blog”
Because I made a passing remark that doesn’t please you?
I’m sorry. I didn’t know u get hurt so easily.
I am very well capable of systematically dissecting your every claim ‘zealous’, ‘facts’ etc., but I won’t. There is no point.
I apologize for ‘being rude’
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Good. Glad you got it. This blog is my personal blog..it’s more like it is ‘me’. So if you don’t like what you get here, you don’t like me, and therefore no need to read me.
And if you really have to argue and criticize meet me in the real battle ground, on Mutiny.In or on my political blog… You are damn right on my personal blog I only appreciate what pleases me.
And you were “Rude.”
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Thank you! That tells a *lot* about you! I will leave you to your oh-you’re-cho-chweet-sugar-candies. Rest in peace!!
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There’s some interesting takes here, but ultimately this whole article stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of Kaffee as a character. The information that the film presents to us at face value concerning him and how he treats his job (the 44 plea bargains, practicing softball instead of working) would give the untrained eye the impression that he’s hardly working and that he holds this job with great apathy and contempt, when the opposite is true.
In the beginning of the film, when approached concerning the “oregano” case, he dismantles Ross without missing a beat. He forces Ross to surrender completely, down to a C-level demerit and 15 days of restricted duty without even coming to the office. Later in the film, when JoAnne confronts him at the softball cages – he’s pulling her leg when he pretends to not remember the names, because when push comes to shove *in that same conversation* he reveals that not only has he read the entire brief, but memorized the autopsy reports as well – citing the lactic acidosis by name and revealing that he is infact taking the case far more seriously than she thinks he is, even back then.
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Building off my last comment, I agree that there really can’t be a more perfect basis for a romance the one presented here. An interesting dynamic, defined by shared skills, values, and spiced up with ultimately harmless yet saucy personal flair makes for something great. And yet, knowing Kaffee as I do now, after rewatching the film for the umpteenth time, I feel like it’s not complete. It’s developing, and the fact that it exists solely in undertones is a testament to this.
Not every love has to be overtly romantic, and this definitely feels like a couple who fit together incredibly well, but something’s missing here. It’s not evident in the film because they’re subtly forced to remain around each other for the duration of the case and the film ends immediately thereafter – but what do you think their romance looks like after the credits rolled? Based on where it was in the movie – as solid a start as it was, it probably fizzled unless they pursued the more…assertive type of romance that you’re condemning. This is a stellar way to start off a romance, but it is all domestic bliss and no flame – and while the flame always dies down in every relationship, you’re understating it’s power to weld two people together so that the domestic bliss can actually happen.
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@Aaron
thanks for your comments. Been long anybody read this post and commented. Of course this kind of love would fizzle out if the couple convert it to the more traditional domesticated version where you get married have kids and all. Such couples do not walk that path usually. They spend their lives either as single or if they do get into a committed relationship it is with someone else outside their work life. I mean soul mates do not make best husband wife or boyfriend girlfriends. In my life I can tell, I’ve come across such men with whom I had a great bonding, spend sometime working on a mission and then moved on.
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