Line #40 Film/WickerPark


1	[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wicker_park_5054.jpg]]
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3	''Wicker Park'' is a 2004 psychological thriller/romance film directed by Paul [=McGuigan=] starring Creator/JoshHartnett, Creator/DianeKruger, Creator/RoseByrne, Creator/MatthewLillard, and Creator/JessicaPare. The film is a remake of the 1996 French movie ''L'Appartement'', which in turn is loosely based on Shakespeare's ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream''.
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5	Hartnett plays Matthew - a successful photographer on the verge of getting engaged to his boss's sister. He is back in his hometown of Chicago for the evening when he overhears someone on a restaurant pay phone. It sounds suspiciously like Lisa (Kruger) the girl of his dreams from years ago who disappeared from his life without a trace. Matthew abruptly drops everything to try and find her, eventually tracking her down to an apartment...only to discover that the Lisa living there is a completely different person (Byrne). Or is she?
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8	!!This film provides examples of:
9	%%* BalconyEscape: The way Lisa and Alex meet.
10	* BeautifulDreamer: Alex watches over Matt sleeping on the couch.
11	* BetaCouple: Luke and Alex are the best friends to Matthew and Lisa. [[spoiler: Too bad Alex wants Matthew for herself]].
12	* BettyAndVeronica: In the past Alex was the Betty, shy and demure but good hearted. Lisa was the Veronica - sexy and passionate. Played with since Matthew never knew of the Betty's existence and chose the Veronica straight away.
13	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Matthew and Lisa reunite after two years apart and Luke is free from his toxic relationship with Alex. However Lisa has just found out her best friend sabotaged her own relationship, Rebecca has been abruptly dumped and even then Matthew and Lisa's future is uncertain]].
14	* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Blonde Lisa, Brunette Alex and Rebecca qualifies as the redhead, being a lighter shade of brown.
15	* BrokenHeel: Serves as a ChekhovsGun. Lisa's heel breaks early on which later provides an EurekaMoment moment for Matthew when he realizes that it wasn't Alex he saw at the café.
16	* CellPhonesAreUseless: Alex has to use a phonebooth outside Bellucci's because her cell phone is not working.
17	%%* ChekhovsGun: Lisa's shoes.
18	* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: Alex]]. See PerspectiveFlip below and viewers watching the film a second time will spot Rose Byrne in the various scenes the first time we see them.
19	%%* DisposableFiance: [[spoiler: Rebecca]].
20	%%* DoggedNiceGuy: Luke.
21	%%* DramaticIrony
22	* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Lisa, a sexy passionate dancer who is also kind and a good friend.
23	* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: In the past flashbacks, Matthew's hair is messy while in the present it is neatly combed. Similarly Lisa has curly hair in the past but straight hair in the present.
24	* {{Foreshadowing}}: The lack of sound in Alex' videotape of Lisa foreshadows how [[spoiler: Alex silences Lisa by deleting her voice messages and delaying her letter by two years]].
25	%%* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Lisa.
26	%%* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: Alex]].
27	* ImpededMessenger: Invoked. [[spoiler: Alex deliberately withholds Lisa's letter to Matthew]] in order to [[RelationshipSabotage sabotage their relationship]].
28	* LettingHerHairDown: When Alex was repressed, she always wore her hair up. Now that she's come out of her shell, she wears it down.
29	* LostLoveMontage: Comes on midway through the film when Matthew cries over the loss of Lisa.
30	%%* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Oh boy...
31	* LoveRedeems: [[spoiler: Alex appears to see the error of her ways, telling Matthew that Lisa is at the airport. She also breaks it off with Luke to spare him from being trapped in a toxic relationship with her]].
32	%%* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Lisa to Alex as a friend rather than a love interest.
33	%%* ManipulativeBitch: Alex.
34	* NoTimeToExplain: There would be no movie if Lisa had tried to talk to Matt about her going on a European tour. Instead she wrote a letter and handed it to Alex.
35	* OhCrap: Matthew when he runs into Rebecca at the airport. [[spoiler: Alex when Matthew comes to lunch with her and Luke]].
36	* OneSteveLimit: It seems there are actually two Lisas...[[spoiler: but one is really named Alex]].
37	* PerspectiveFlip: The film goes back to several scenes we'd previously seen and shows them from Alex's perspective.
38	* ReallyGetsAround: In addition to her relationship with Matthew, Lisa seems to have a thing for married men. Alex pretends to be this, claiming she's sleeping with two surgeons at the hospital in addition to her thing with Luke.
39	* RelationshipSabotage: Alex does this to Matthew and Lisa's relationship as we learn via flashbacks.
40	* TheReveal: Happens midway through the movie rather than the end. [[spoiler: The second Lisa is lying and the real Lisa was indeed at the restaurant]]. And another one again where [[spoiler: the second Lisa is actually Alex, Luke's girlfriend]].
41	* ReverseWhodunnit: An example that doesn't involve murder but follows the same formula. [[spoiler: We discover that Alex meddled in Lisa and Matthew's relationship]] and now the drama is will she get away with it?
42	* RomanticFalseLead: Alex tries to invoke this by attempting to hook up with Matthew. Instead she only serves to make herself an example of the trope.
43	%%* ShrinkingViolet: Alex initially.
44	%%* StalkerWithACrush: Luke and Lisa are pretty much the only characters who '''aren't''' this at some point.
45	%%** Lisa walks into the shoe shop exactly one minute after Matt...
46	%%* StarCrossedLovers: [[spoiler: Subverted]].
47	* StalkerWithACrush: Alex sees Matt at Wicker Park and follows him to his work. Matt follows Lisa around. Lisa, who notices Matt stalking her and [[StalkingIsLove doesn't mind]], turns the tables and surprises Matt by entering the shoe shop one minute after him. Lisa rents a hotel room to hide from Daniel.
48	** StalkingIsLove: Lisa calls Matthew out on this as he follows her to a dance class and pretends to be an employee at the shoe shop so he can serve her. Nonetheless she still asks him out.
49	* StalkerWithoutACrush: When Matt gets suspicious, he follows Alex to the restaurant.
50	* StorefrontTelevisionDisplay: Matthew falls in love with Lisa's image he sees displayed on multiple screens inside the TV repair shop.
51	* TitleDrop: Wicker Park is the place where Matthew and Lisa had their first date.
52	* {{Tsundere}}: From Luke's perspective, Alex is this. Though we know she has a reason for her erratic behaviour.
53	* WhatDidIDoLastNight: Matthew, coupled with OhCrap when he checks under the covers to see he if he has slept with Alex.
54	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Daniel, Lisa's stalker, vanishes after Matthew meets Alex for the first time.
55	* WomanScorned: Alex, though Lisa and Matthew didn't know they were scorning her.
56	* {{Yandere}}: [[spoiler: Alex meddled to split Matthew and Lisa up and keep them apart]]. She also went to great lengths to [[spoiler: impersonate Lisa and pretend to live in her apartment]]. She's frequently referred to as "the crazy girl" though [[spoiler: she eventually sees the error of her ways and allows Matthew and Lisa to get back together]].

Context Film / WickerPark