There are an infinite number of reasons why living off campus is better than living on, but one that is often overlooked is cable TV and the On Demand feature Comcast provides. It has allowed me to watch the movie masterpiece "Love Don't Cost a Thing" more than a dozen times. This 2003 remake of the popular "Can't Buy Me Love," is a movie that defies all bounds and laughs in the face of naysayers. "You can't have success by taking a formulaic script and adding Nick Cannon and some Sean Jean." Hahahaha, yes yes you can. "Christina Milian is a failed pop star, not a compelling actress." My good man, you couldn't be more wrong.
It may have only gotten one star in the Comcast viewers guide, but as an ex-film major I can confidently say that this movie was a R-Kelly theme song away from being a box office smash. For those of you who haven't yet seen this film, allow me to enlighten you. Nick Cannon, a pool boy who struggles socially, pays Christina Milian, the funky fresh biddy of the city, to date him and in turn make him popular. Their escapades turn the pool boy into "Aqua Man" and in no time he is "scooping shorties" with ease.
Eventually, the deal is discovered and Cannon is once again reverted to a social leper. Just when you reach the height of your rage from this social injustice Milian realizes she has been "frontin' her whole life" and decides to indeed become Cannon's "breezy." Not since Barry Gordy's The Last Dragon has such drama and yet such truth been brought to the silver screen, because deep down inside we know that we all front from time to time.
It's refreshing to see a movie with the courage to say, hey, it's OK to fake a front as long as you leave that mess on the flip side. I for one have learned that whether I'm actin' tha fool or staying wild decent you always have to keep it for real for real. I challenge everyone reading this column to take the 90 minutes out of their lives to watch this film and reflect the way I have.
I'm a senior this year and in a couple of months I will be venturing out into the cruel world outside the safe confides of Notre Dame. It's clear now that this world will allow a well-mannered pool boy to have his heart broken. I can only hope that when I find myself in the proverbial role of pool boy I will have a fly breezy to hold my hand and tell me everything is going to be OK.
