The Littlest Reversal

If you've never seen Richard Curtis's The Tall Guy, you must. It's funny, charming, it stars Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson, and it features one of the best rom-com sex scenes ever.

And it also has one of the most credible reversals I've seen. I'm going to talk about it now, so if you haven't seen the movie, really-- go on. This post will still be here when you get back.

Okay, good. So here's what I mean: towards the end of the second act, Jeff is cheating on his lovely girlfriend Emma with his on-stage co-star. At the Opening Night party for the show, Emma discovers their affair. And do you know how she finds out? The co-star hands Jeff a glass of champagne without saying anything. And Emma knows that only people who are intimate would communicate like that without a word.

It is so small. It is tiny, it is wee. And it's also perfectly real. No need to find a damning note or a condom... it's all in the human behaviour.

I love this small reversal, that causes a breakup and dire moments for our hero. I think these are the great moments in film; the ones to aspire to.

*For another example of a small reversal, check out Thomas Pope's essay about Fargo in Good Scripts, Bad Scripts... it makes clear why Marge's reunion with Mike Yanagita is absolutely essential to the telling of the story.