Today I Met An Old Friend

Purple Violets
Directed by, Written by, Produced by, and Starring Edward Burns, alongside Selma Blair, Patrick Wilson, and Debra Messing.

Brian Callahan (Wilson) is a bestselling novelist that hopes to shed his vacuous series for a more serious type of literature. Unfortunatley, everyone around him from his free of spirit and free of mind girlfriend, to his best friend and lawyer Murph (Burns), thinks he should stick with what he knows. During his existential mini-crisis, Brian runs into his old college girlfriend, and love of his life, Patty (Blair). Fueled by the resurgence of his dreams from the past and the hopes he had for the future, Brian puts himself out there emotionally, both in his relationships and his writing.

For Patty, seeing Brian again brings to the surface her own dreams of becoming a serious writer, and finding the love she deserves. And, while helping Brian with his crises, Murph faces one of his own, as he tries to reconcile with his college love, Patty's trepidatious best friend Kate (Messing). With their lives as intertwined as their hearts, the foursome come to realize the reality of their situations and what matters most in life.

I've been an Edward Burns fan since the first time I saw The Brothers McMullen many years ago. Following my late night television viewing of that, I rushed out to find it on video. I watched The Brothers McMullen over and over, like I watched Star Wars as a kid, and it quickly became one of my favorite films. Yearning for more of Burns' characters and great New York locales, I sought out his other films. Over the years I managed to acquire them all, She's the One, No Looking Back, Sidewalks of New York, Ash Wednesday, Looking for Kitty, The Groomsmen, and now, Purple Violets. I have yet to see an Edward Burns film that disappoints.

Though they all have their merits, not since The Brothers McMullen has an Edward Burns film reached its full potential. Purple Violets shows that Burns has the ability to juggle the responsiblity of being a director, producer and actor, as well as the ability to bring an intelligent, well written script with fully realized characters to the screen. All the promise shown in The Brothers McMullen that was seen in flashes in his previous films is on display in Purple Violets.

The humanity and flaws of the characters seamlessly fit together, and their moods match the coloring and tone of their environments. In addition to pulling everything together aesthetically, Burns' use of music in Purple Violets is phenomenal. The moody feel of the music by The Blue Jackets perfectly underscores the emotions of the characters and really sounds great.

With so many great established directors and auteurs failing to provide new cinema that builds on their previous films, it really is nice to see one whose great body of work is complemented by and improved upon by their latest feature. Purple Violets has not only become my favorite Edward Burns film, it has become one of my favorite films period, and one of the best I've seen in quite some time. Other directors should take note that a romantic comedy or drama can be a quality film.

If you like any of the actors involved, if you're a fan of Edward Burns, or you just happen to like good film, you should watch Purple Violets. Set aside a night, free of distractions, open a bottle of wine, curl up with your significant other and hit play on your Ipod, computer or dvd player. And for those who don't have a significant other, if you watch it alone with a few cold beers and a couple slices of pizza, you'll still end up full hope, and beer and pizza as well.

Those who have already seen Purple Violets may recognize the blog title. If you don't recognize it, watch Purple Violets, or watch Purple Violets again. Besides having a connection to the film that makes it apropos title-wise, "Today I Met An Old Friend" also represents the feeling I got after watching Purple Violets. The undescribable feeling that one gets from watching something that touches you, moves you, and makes you think. So, I leave you with the highest recommendation I can give to a film, because, today I met an old friend, great cinema.