Joshua Templeman- seemingly an absolute Chad!

 This post is about the one fateful day, I saw an advert for a RomCom on a YouTube video and on this rare occasion- I immediately switched to the movie and saved the video for later. I won’t lie, my first impulse to watch the movie was Austin Stowell’s face, I am also not sorry that I watched The Hating Game! Now that I have read the book on which the movie is based- I understand a lot of things that I thought remained unexplained/ out of place in the movie. Yes, I ended up liking the story of the movie that much! To be honest I am like this with different things that I like about a movie, cartoon, video game, author, actor… you name it!

 

Now, I will try my best to give out spoilers, but I guess it will fail at that anyway. So, consider this as a Spoiler alert warning for this post. On with it now… The movie or the book by itself are no Shakespearean piece, I like it for the ease with which it delves in the insecurities of both parties involved. Though most people may call it too direct- I think sometimes you need something just like that to make it relatable. The plot of the movie is fairly simple- it’s a romance, a classic office romance. Apt timing, I guess, considering a lot of people will now start heading back to offices for the first time after the pandemic. 😉

 

To say I really like something enough to read the book soon after I watch the movie has only happened in case of the likes of, The Theory of Everything or The Godfather. So safe to say this was an anomaly I had to psycho- analyse. Here are the reasons I have managed to come up with to explain the instant and intense liking I took to this movie. For the first time in a long time did I find something that felt close to the real world. This movie could actually happen (not as dramatically if I may add!) in an office setting. However, what also makes this story special is that is explains the man’s backstory as much as it does the woman. Usually, men are portrayed as strong, stoic and mysterious, with little explanation of what leads them to that state. Although the book and the movie have a lot of sequential changes and edits in the interest of a movie adaptation- I am glad that they still manage to explain Josh’s (Joshua Templeman) backstory along with Lucy’s (Lucinda Hutton).

 

I find it extremely refreshing that for the first time in a long time- a story addresses the issues of insecurities of someone who is perceived as the perfect male specimen who has the world at his feet thanks to his attractive exterior (refer to the scene in the movie where Danny talks about him wondering how it must feel to be like Josh- who is probably worshipped for his body). Its nice to see how this person who appears to have it all, is but a hurt and shy little boy deep down. Joshua Templeman from everyone’s perspective is a narcissistic hard ass, with no regard for anyone’s feelings. Lucy often thinks him a control freak and you will find her calling him a sociopath on occasion too! Now while this may resonate with the personality of Christian Grey to some, you may be wondering what makes Josh so special, right?!

 

The fact that there is no extreme incident or physically abusive childhood or addict parents as was the case with Christian, is something we need to consider. Josh is from one of what one would regard as the most socially acceptable and respected families. His parents are doctors and so is his older brother, he is the odd one out (He has a Harvard MBA). He has a loving mother who cares for him very much. His insecurities stem from beliefs of being an accidental child and the son who disappointed his father from the very moment he took his first breath in the world. How this leads him to become someone who passively thrives for acceptance from anywhere he can find it and as a result works relentlessly to be the best. It’s a classic case of how an offhand comment followed by a complete rejection of any accomplishment of a child can give birth to a demon that slowly makes home in one’s psyche. Not to mention how this perception only develops into a self-sabotaging demon inside you with time. Although he successfully feigns nonchalance it is very clear that deep down under that tough exterior is a little boy craving acceptance and acknowledgement all his life. I agree that this pathological drive made him the successful man that he is, but we can’t disregard the fact that it also led to a life of solitude and bottled-up torment. It is equal parts sad and interesting to see how he has been used as a hunk of meat in the past by woman which led him to constantly doubting his worth, not to mention the final nail in this coffin being his ex-girlfriend ending up with his (from his perspective nice and perfect) brother. This apparently all-round tough guy felt like he would for his whole life be loved for nothing more than his external appearances ergo that would always remain the sum total of who he is. Sure, Sally Thorne (the author) shows us Lucy’s self-conscious beliefs about her small stature being a disadvantage and her internal struggle with shaking her past off and accepting that she is just as good as the next person raised in New York city as opposed to her upbringing on a farm in Vermont.

I commend the fact that Sally manged to subtly address the narrative of the alpha male dominance of protecting the damsel in distress to that of mutual rescue of the hero and heroine while superbly explaining how they navigate each other’s demons and scars. The balance of the dynamic is wrapped so well in their petty competition and game of hate that it may be missed in subtext altogether. Like at the paintball game- how Lucy jumps in to save in Josh (as he is the flag bearer) and then seeing her being hurt Josh then tackles her down to shield her with his body. Or when she breaks the typical stereotype of the man standing up for the woman and protecting her- when Lucy tells Arthur (Josh’s dad) off when he continues to demean Josh at his older brother’s post wedding breakfast. Isn’t it lovely to see the tiny little Lucy is alpha-Josh’s shining Dame in armour? 😊 That mental image is positive delicious for me. The story does show the typical male marking territory events between Danny and Josh over Lucy. Also, the delicious love-hate back and forth between Lucy and Joshua is a delight to savour. There is also a fair amount of the typical misunderstandings between two people newly taking stock of their feelings for each other and the grand gesture of sacrifice of all else for love my Josh at the end which is all very wholesome to watch/ read.

Personally though, nothing will be more special for me than the insight that we get into the intricacies of the result of psychological damage leading to the development of insecurities in the day to day good looking and successful man. The struggle for him to learn to express himself and communicate it all through to Lucy and to explain his innermost feelings of inadequacies. His intuitive understanding of Lucy’s insecurities and his innate drive to make the object of his desire into a better version of herself. Last but not the least his open acknowledgement of the fact that he considered her excellent at her job and a worthy opponent and accept that she made him better as a person and an employee. This story for me is about the contemporary Darcy in some ways- as aptly hinted at by Helen in the movie version- with a better explained backstory. If you have made it this far, I am flattered! And if you haven’t already- do yourself a favour and watch this movie. Single or attached, alone or with your significant other- I do believe this story has something to offer to everyone.

Until next time peeps... 😊

Take care and be kind!