Have you ever been in love? Have ever been so in love that you looked foolish?  The lyrics from the Main Ingredient song, “Everybody Plays the Fool,” tells the sad but all too often tale of how we sometimes look foolish for love. “Everybody plays the fool sometime. There’s no exception to the rule. Listen, baby, it may be factual, may be cruel. I ain’t lyin’, everybody plays the fool.”

Nobody’s Fool

Playing the fool for love was at the center of the movie, Nobody’s Fool. It was a funny yet sweet reminder that sometimes playing the fool for love will lead you right to the look you’ve been looking for.

The movie shares the story of a driven career woman, Danica, who has had her heart broken and copes by jumping into an online relationship.(Have you ever rebounded?) Her polar opposite, ex felon sister, Tanya, believes she is being catfished and goes into an investigation that leads to some interesting (and hilarious) findings. [Catfished is when someone is pretending to be someone their not online, but the enth degree. Like fake names, identity, etc. You get the picture.] Danica goes through a tough time after the cat fishing discovery and ends up in another relationship. This time with a good guy who has been sweet on her for a while. He has few to zero things on her list but has everything that she needs and eventually what she wants.

A Little Soul Seeking

The nuggets full of wisdom  that jumped out of the screen at me had a lot to do with how we view life, do life, view love, and and do love. It cast some major light on how we handle relationships with ourselves and others. It subtly leads you reflect on some serious questions.

#1 –  How much work have you done to heal after a breakup, departure or transition?

Do you give yourself time to heal after a break in a relationship or do you hop on to the next thing? Chances are some similar issues/challenges may arise if not dealt with. You may see yourself or someone you know in Danica with how she goes from her breakup with ex-fiance Bailey to cat fishing Charlie to the good guy Frank.

#2 – Has your “list” been a help or hinderance in your relationships?

At some point or another, most of us have had a “list.” Whether written down on paper or a mental note in your head, that “list” of all the things you wanted (or didn’t want) in a relationship was probably the filter that you used to decide if a relationship was worth pursuing. Danica and her friend often discussed “the list” and we see how Danica like many of us have gone done it to see if that person meet all of our criteria.

As she begins to scratch things off of her list during her time with Frank, what she soon discovers that her list has been a hinderance. It’s limited her truly receiving the love that was meant for and best for her. Have you been there?  You realize  that what you thought you wanted was actually what you didn’t need. Have you realized that there were things you need and want that you were not aware of until you encountered them? Maybe you’re the opposite and you’ve gotten what you wanted and needed. (You’re lucky, fortunate, and blessed to not have dealt with some of the stresses that can come with those discoveries). All lists are not bad because they do help those who need it to set standards.

#3 – How good are you at giving second chances?

 Are willing and good are you at giving someone who has messed up another chance? How good are you at giving yourself another chance? Danica strikes a few nerves during the movie because she completely mistreats Frank. He’s a good guy in every sense of the word but not how you’d usually see a guy like him portrayed. Like many, Frank has a dark past. His like transformed after he decided to change and he soon became a light for many. [Good just like the tune to that Walmart commercial of the father and daughter that goes…” I just want wanna be a good man, good man, good man, that’s all I wanna be…”]

To add, he showed Danica how much he liked and cared for her through his actions. She never paid for coffee at his shop. He had a rose for her weekly. He even gave her handful of a sister a job. She was not the nicest or easiest person to deal with. There were many times I wanted to just grab her and ask “girl, what is your problem?” There were moments she really crushed him. The hurt she didn’t process caused her to do and say some hurtful things to Frank. Somehow he found it in his heart to forgive her. She eventually learned to apologize and correct her actions. Do you do the same? Could you do the same?

Nobody’s Fool was a timely reminder about the necessity of refocusing before going into your relationship. It’ll prove to be a win for you and a win for your relationship.