Bed of Roses

Perhaps it is too late to produce fairy-tale romantic dramas here at the end of the nineties, but even so I enjoyed watching Bed of Roses, one of that kind, which even takes itself deadly seriously. Lisa works her backside off at a big company where she holds a management position. She is a workaholic. So, conveniently, is her boyfriend, so they rarely see each other. When Lisa receives word that a man called Stanley has died, she is alone in her grief. The film gradually reveals that Lisa lost her parents as a little girl. She had barely been adopted before her stepmother kicked the bucket, so her stepfather, Stanley, who was an addict, was the closest adult contact she had. When happiness finally smiles on her in the shape of the florist Lewis, she has to struggle with herself to dare to accept it.

On an evening stroll, Lewis has seen Lisa's tearful breakdown through her lit window. He has a bouquet delivered to her, but the sender is anonymous. Lisa finds out the truth, however. They are the perfect couple, but just like Lisa, Lewis carries his burdens: his first, dearly beloved wife died. Love conquers all, though, even the traumas.

Perhaps Bed of Roses is a naive and sentimental film that simplifies and romanticises, but it is lovely to watch all the same, just once in a while!