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Chivalry, Take Two . Part 1

Autor Ryan

Imagine you’re a slick, single, thirty-something New Yorker with a chic little hairdo and the newest Palm pilot. As a successful, driven marketing executive you float through life in a haze of glamour. Days are spent pacing your glass-walled office, as your gaze wanders over Central Park and you bark commands at your personal assistant. Lunches are sophisticated affairs with your clients, and you dine on endive in raspberry vinaigrette while soliloquizing about marketing test groups and customer satisfaction rates. At the end of the day you return to a stylishly undone apartment, uncork a good chardonnay, and realize … you’re all alone.

Such is the life of Kate McKay (Meg Ryan) in her new romantic comedy Kate and Leopold. Ryan plays the hyper-successful advertising agent who possesses a keen knack for determining what appeals to focus groups, but no ability to assess what is lacking in her own life.

Despite material trappings of success—closet full of modern power suits and an apartment stocked with aromatherapy candles and relaxation rock gardens—we meet Kate just as she’s discovering that her life is truly empty. She devoted her best years to a seemingly-feckless man who couldn’t keep his promises, and her only romantic prospect is a self-important boss who tells Kate “you don’t do pretty” and values her only for her ability to get into the head of a woman without succumbing to female “weaknesses.” Kate’s life is utterly glamorous … and utterly loveless.

Enter Leopold, the third Duke of Albany imported straight from the 1800s. Thanks to a convenient portal in the space-time continuum, Leopold has been transported into modern Manhattan all by accident. With his tight britches and crisp accent, he’s the very image of an old-fashioned Prince Charming: handsome, educated, polite, and sophisticated in every detail. Leopold stands up when a lady enters or leaves his presence. His knowledge of fine art and opera are astounding, and in passionate tones he converses with women about artwork and history. He dances with grace and kisses a lady’s hand. He attends to a woman’s interests and engages her intellect. He’s a modern chivalrous dreamboat dressed as an anachronism.

Predictably, Kate and Leopold find themselves in a dance-a`-deux of romance. They meet through Kate’s ex-boyfriend, a semi-crazed scientist who discovered the time portal and unwittingly brought Leopold into the 21st century. The ex, who happens to be Kate’s upstairs neighbor, finds himself compelled to house Leopold before shipping him back in time. Kate, the jealous-but-in-denial ex-girlfriend, hears Leopold banging around upstairs and must investigate. Instead of finding another woman, Kate finds Leopold.

Their initial encounters are chilly to say the least. She’s an independent urban gal who resists his attempts to treat her like a “lady.” He’s the britches-wearing royal who can’t understand her career-girl ways. Somehow they discover a spark, and he quite literally sweeps her off her feet with chivalrous charm. The city becomes quieter, the colors brighter, and Kate less harsh-looking as Leopold treats her royally and shows her the respect she deserves.

But Leopold doesn’t stop with romancing Kate. He also does his part to improve the lives of modern women by educating modern men in the art of chivalry. Call her first; ask her about herself; learn how to buy her flowers that express your feelings for her. Show interest in her intellect and her hobbies. Treat her with respect. Treat her like a lady.

Therein lies the real value of this sweet little flick. Admittedly, the story line is formulaic and a predictable romantic comedy. Kate and Leopold does little to push the limits of cinematic genius, and it hardly touches upon anything revolutionary in storytelling. What it does do, though, is remind us that in this crazy modern world it’s not a sin to crave a little chivalry.