"When I was little, I was obsessed with sunsets. I would sit in the window, and I would wait until the right moments. While the other kids were playing in the streets, I was waiting. I didn't want to do that with love".
I don't usually watch Lifetime movies, but With This Ring starring Regina Hall really had me engaged from start to finish. The story centered around three single female friends that vowed to be married by the end of the year. Each woman had their share of obstacles and issues that prevented them from finding the right guy.
Regina Hall's issue was she was a loner and poor girl that was a sucker for the glitz and glam. Many men made her promises, mistreated her, and were unfaithful to her. As a result, she lost faith in finding happiness, and she tried to make bad relationships work when she should let them go. The turning point in the movie was when she lost her career chasing an entertainer who was into a freaky lifestyle that he was ashamed she discovered. As a result, the entertainer had her fired from her dream job as a talent representative.
Regina spent months sitting around feeling sorry for herself until a former co-worker and friend helped her start a business. Her male friend did all this for her because he was secretly in love with her. He mentioned that he shared a humble beginning, and he admired her because they were the same. He was rich and he searched for a soulmate that understood and identified with him. She was blind to his motives and words, but she hesitated to start a spark there. A lot of her hesitation was a result of her bad experience with getting too close to the entertainer. She felt not mixing business with pleasure would be the best route to take with her new business partner.
I expected Regina's Hall character to end up with him, but out of the blue an old flame reappeared in her life. The ex-boyfriend ended his relationship with the woman he cheated on Regina's character with. He told her that he was done playing the dating field, and he wanted to get serious and to start dating her for marriage. He even proposed to her, and like a fool she accepted the proposal.
For the rest of the movie, we saw all the traits of an emotionally abusive man that any woman with common sense should avoid: he told her to lose weight to be his ideal woman, he said she wasn't his type but he grew to like her, and he just put her down on a regular basis convincing her that she had no option other than him and wasn't good enough in anyone else eyes. A real jerk. In the end, doubt and self-respect finally got the better of Regina. She called off the wedding, and she started a new relationship with the co-worker that helped her start a business.
The second interesting character was Eve Cooper. Eve's issue was that she was single woman looking for a society upgrade, but she got used by high society men as a side chick. I don't know if some of you are familiar with the term "side chick" but that would describe her character. A side chick is a woman that is comfortable dating men that are involved in a relationship. Eve chased rich and successful but married men. This was ironic because she was a successful journalist that didn't need a man for financial support. She felt her value was determined by who she associated with or was seen with, but in the public eye none of the high society men she chased would acknowledge they knew or were romantic involvement to Eve. After being caught up in a love triangle between Deion Sanders and Gabrielle Union, she decided that it was best to exit the dating scene.
Instead putting all her effort into dating, Eve decided to pursue a hidden passion of her's which was acting. Turned out that she was hidden gem that once given an opportunity, her talent blossomed. Eve's character was represented by Regina's new talent management firm and together they formed a lucrative business partnership. In the end, Eve became a successful actress. She found love with a poor but loyal man.
The last character was Jill Scott. Jill Scott's issue was being a single mom that was still in love with the father of her child. Jill Scott's love story was a bit more identifiable to the trend of modern relationships. She was a single mom on the dating scene looking for love. Her heart belonged to the father of her child, but tension in the relationship led both to seeking a platonic relationship in order to share custody of their son. She tried to date again, but no one compared to father of her child who was a doctor. She decided to end the beef with him, and she tried to build a relationship with him.
The turning point for Jill Scott's relationship came when she learned her baby's daddy had a new girlfriend and moved on. As a result, she had a heart attack. When the father of her child learned of Jill's illness, he rushed to her side. He realized that she was the only woman he truly loved. He broke down and confessed that when they were a young couple in college, he felt unsuccessful as a man, and as a result he vented his frustration in the wrong ways. He told her he always loved her, but he was afraid she didn't feel the same way. She confessed her love for him, and well a steamy love scene resulted between lovers that lost intimate time by not being honest with each other. In the end, they were the only couple to get married in the movie.
I admit I did watch the movie because I have a crush on Jill Scott, so I was a little bias and supportive of her career . Overall, the writing, the acting, direction, and entertainment value were spot-on to me. I felt for a made for television movie the delivery and comedic aspects were top-notch. I expected a low-end Lifetime drama, but I was captivated by a high quality film that you all should see. I liked how each woman represented something and made a lifestyle change in order not just to find love but to find happiness and self-value. Regina gained a real man that appreciated her plus she became an owner instead of a worker. Eve learned not to take value in what others achieved, and she found personal success that made her a stronger woman. Jill learned that arguing and drama doesn't keep a man, and she learned to confess her real emotions that were found to be mutual with her soulmate.
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