Revolutionary Road and Other Thoughts

****If you haven't seen the movie Revolutionary Road, you might not want to read this. I'm not sure what I'm going to say****

As the title suggests, I just finished watching Revolutionary Road. Though it's yet another dramatic relationship movie that I get made fun of for (see: Atonement), I thought the movie was quite good. As many have probably heard, the cynical man's point of the story is Don't move to the suburbs. Though this is somewhat legitimate, I doubt it's the meaning. Not all good movies need a message or allegory (see: Star Wars), but I believe that Sam Mendes is trying to convey one. It may just be me, but I think that the acting was too good for the film to be "just a story."

Different guesses for the film's meaning could be that relationships are fragile at all points or only some actions should be spontaneous. One line from the movie popped out at me when the main characters were arguing and Leonardo DiCaprio's character was trying to justify their marriage. Kate Winslet's responds that he's "just some guy who made her laugh at a party." Now this is a tangential idea, but is that all it takes sometimes to get girls' attention?

I know that girls always say that they like funny guys, but I never understood it. I don't understand how someone can be instantly funny. Let's assume I'm considered a funny person (which may or may not be true). If I see a pretty girl who I don't know, should I try to be funny as I meet her? That seems pretty tough. Who can respond to "Be funny. Right now!"? And if I just "acted like myself" as is often the suggestion, there's a really good chance I won't say anything humorous at all.

So these are the things that keep me thinking about girls. I have no idea what I'm doing, and I haven't gone out (at night) for the past few weeks to meet any. Match.com D-Day is arriving, and I've done nothing to work against it.

What do you think about talking up people while they're working (sales associates, baristas, etc.) when they aren't busy? I know I've mentioned this before, but I'd like an opinion. My main problem is that I forget that they're friendly to me because they're paid to be that way. How do I talk to them in another setting, though? Their work might be my only chance.