Taken from http://www.craigerscinemacorner.com/Reviews/break_up.htm
Gary (Vince Vaughn) has just come home to his Chicago high-rise condo after a long, hard day at work. All he wants to do is unwind for a few minutes, lay on the couch, watch a little bit of TV, and maybe follow that with a nice video game to carve off the edge.
His girlfriend, Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) shares his condo with him. She has other ideas for the evening. She has been slaving away to make the perfect dinner ensemble for both her parents and – hopefully – her future in-laws. She too is tired and a bit flabbergasted by the thought of not having everything just right for the evening. She also has felt the grind of the day’s activities, so much so that she only hopes that when Gary comes home that he will be willing to assist her with ensuring that the evening goes off without a hitch.
This is where things go a bit south for the two. He comes home with the lemons that she requested, but as he throws himself on the couch the exasperated Brooke asks him politely why he only brought home three lemons. Of course, he bought what he thought was an acceptable number. He relays to her that he thought that three was all she needed. This only serves to extrapolate more frustration from Brooke. “I wanted twelve lemons,” she pleads, “not three.” Gary then asks, “Why do you need twelve?” She matter-of-factly responds, “Because I wanted to make a twelve lemon centerpiece.” Gary thinks that her request and needs are asinine. “So, no one's even going to eat these lemons? You're suggesting to me these are just show lemons?”
Just when you thought that a matter as seemingly silly and innocuous as lemons could not boil over more terribly, things get even worse for the two. As he tries to unwind she challenges him with why he does not want to help with setting the table. He uses his quick wits and tells her that he would not want to ruin her perfectly placed table. “None of Michelangelo’s helpers did the 16th Chapel, and look at it…it’s a masterpiece!” His ignorance towards her tastes (she is an art dealer) only further angers her. “It’s the Sistine Chapel,” she screams back at him.
Things get worse. When she asks him why he can’t help with the prepping of the evening, he can’t see things her way. All he wants to do is relax after a physically and emotionally trying day at work. However, all Brooke wants out of her man is for him to get up off of the couch and assist her with the supper that she has been dealing with for hours. Here’s the crux of their problem - Gary can’t seem to understand why she will not allow him a bit of breathing room for him to settle down after his tiresome day. Brooke is beside herself. She can’t understand why Gary can’t lift a finger to help her with what she sees is an important evening with family. Then Brooke wants Gary to help her do the dishes. He tries to procrastinate. She gets annoyed.
Gary: “Fine, I’ll help you do the damn dishes.”
Brooke: “That’s not what I want. I want you to want to do the dishes.”
Gary: “Why in the hell would I want to do the dishes!”
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Fuh...quite a ride huh?
But these situations really do occur in real life.
In the last lines, Brooke only wanted some cooperation and appreciation from Gary without her telling him every time what to do. Gary just wanted some piece of mind and wanted to solve it as fast as he can.
Aiyo...the same situation seen with two totally different perspectives.
So do you really agree that women and men are aliens from other galaxies that were doomed to be together in endless misunderstandings and miscommunication?
Maybe.
Truth is, without a conscious effort to understand each other then the relationship [be it friendship or any kind of ...ship you could think of] will never work.
Ultimately, it only comes down to this:
Do you really want it? Is it worth fighting for?
Ask yourself: Nak ke tak?
If both are willing to give up and give in, then there is no point in going further.
It'll only hurt both of you.
The situation is very much like a chicken talking to a duck. Neither one understands what the other is trying to say. If the chicken and duck are too busy shouting at each other, each aiming to outdo the other, then all will be doomed. The situation could only be saved if both are willing to relax their giant egos for a moment and make an effort to enlist the help of an interpreter (imagine: a multilingual duck or chicken capable of understanding both huhuhu) and each slowly but surely trying very hard to understand what the other is trying to say.
For me, I think it is best to calm down for a while. When you are calmed and can see things in a different light, then try to approach the matter objectively. Try to take the path with the least amount of thorns. Don't try to make the other person understand by hurting them the same same way as they hurt you. If you do it this way, they wouldn't understand. They would only see you as the bad person and never once justifying that they did the same thing to you too.
Remember this: Never ever ask someone for something that they could never give.
After you tried, then just let the matter go. Well, there is only so much that you can do, right? You just got to know when to stop. At least you tried.
So if you are ever stuck in a situation like that, ask yourself: who is the duck and who's the chicken? hehe ;)
