A group of kids defend their Maine vacation home from knee-high alien invaders in this adventure comedy for the entire family. When Michigan native Bethany Pearson (Ashley Tisdale) arrives home after a secret outing with her boyfriend Ricky (Robert Hoffman), her father Stuart (Kevin Nealon) decides that it's high time for a family vacation. Packing up the car with wife Hannah (Ashley Boettcher) teenage son Tom (Carter Jenkins) and big sister Bethany in tow, Stuart invites the extended family to join them at the vacation home for some much-needed R&R and sets his sights on Maine. Much to Tom's dismay, Bethany's stuck-up boyfriend Ricky even manages to wrangle an overnight visit. Shortly after the Pearsons arrive at their sprawling summer home, however, things start to get strange. As dark clouds start to swirl overhead, four glowing objects blast through the sky on a collition course with the Pearsons' roof. But these aren't your typical meteors, because inside dwells tough-talking alien commander Skip, muscle-bound weapons specialist Tazer, lethal female Razor, and geeky four-armed techie Sparks. Before long, the aliens have taken Ricky over via a powerful mind-control device, and announced their intentions to claim Earth for the "Zirkonians." While the adults are completely oblivious to the extraterrestrial threat, the kids fight to save the planet with a little help from Sparks, the alien tech-specialist and one non-hostile invader. John Schultz directs a script penned by British scribe Mark Burton (Wallace & Gromit).I will focus on the scenes of Ashley Tisdale and Robert Hoffman. These scenes demonstrates certain stages of Knapp Model of Relational Development.
The first scene shows the Intensifying and Integrating stages.
Intensifying stage:
It shows the increased commitment, awareness and participation of both parties. This scene also demonstrate a disclosure of feelings to the other party. There is physical contact between both parties. And the couple displays a relational identity.
Integrating stage:
Integrating stage:
Bethany and Ricky relationship encompass their social networks which creates a social identity. It is seen in the scene that Ricky visited Bethany even when her family is on a vacation. Bethany's family welcomes Ricky happily which creates a social identity for Ricky.
The second scene shows Differentiating and Circumscribing stages.
Differentiating stage:
It shows the reaffirmation of individuality. Their communication and interaction marked by overt conflict. Their intense differentiation may reflect a relationship that has developed too fast.
Circumscribing stage:
There is a shrinking of relational interest and commitment. Bethany showed Ricky that "She didn't want to talk about it."
These stages are something most dating couples might face during their relationship. Bethany and Ricky relationship definitely describes certain stages of the progression and development of relationships in Knapp Model of relational development.
This movie is really hilarious. But it demonstrates what a US household is like. It also displays the relationship youngsters get into. Tom is a typical teenager who wants to be cool so he failed his exams on purpose to prove to his friends that he is not a geek.
ReplyDeleteI like the part on how a mechanism can easily control human beings. The aliens were very smart in inventing the mechanism but human beings are always smarter. This movie displays a typical family culture in the US.
ReplyDeleteI love this movie. Especially those you posted on your blog. This movie shows the advancement of tachnology. It is amazing that just by having a remote control and the mechanism inserted, the aliens are able to control a person.
ReplyDeleteThis movie also show that even though the aliens are much advance with their technology, we as human beings can outwit them with our knowledge and with good strategy planning.
Aliens aren't real.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thers are other things that could be mentioned about healthy relationships.
Based on Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love, love(all kinds of love) consists of 3 components: Passion(erotic attraction), Intimacy(sharing of feelings and thoughts), Commitment(decication).
For Bethany & Ricky's relationship, it consists of all 3(though I beg to differ). Ricky's decision to join in Bethany's family vacation showed commitment, Bethany's thoughts of slowing down(intimacy), and, like all American love relationships, there will always be passion. This kind of love is called Complete Love.
Next, in a healthy relationship it is good to have intense conflicts once in awhile. As long as they maintain a ratio of 5:1 positive to negative ratio, a relationship is in less likely to be in jeopardy. Maybe that's why Bethany & Ricky decided to make up and Ricky being slapped by Bethany.
This post was very interesting in displaying the different stages in a relationship of young couples. It shows that conflicts occur very often due to misunderstandings and miscommunication. I felt that u might want to include other factors of conflict between couples in your post to make it more developed. Nevertheless, this is really an enjoyable post to read. =)
ReplyDeleteI feel that relationships do not really follow the stages you described in your post. Most of the time, conflicts arise because of many other different reasons. Thus, I feel that classifying relationship in stages is not the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteThis movie is something that depict a typical American family and the relationships they have with each other. The culture is definitely different from Asian countries.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Fadz that aliens arent real. Not all relationships are negative so I felt that you might want to include what is a healthy relationship.
ReplyDeleteYour post clearly outlined the stages in the relationship between the young couple and how conflicts and misunderstanding can surface in any relationship. However, I felt that you could include how couples salvage their relationship through communication.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jerrick that you could include other forms of communication in relationships. However, this is a good post oulining the different staged in a relationship that allows young couples to reflect on themselves.
ReplyDeleteI felt that this movie is more of attracting children to believe that aliens exist. It did not really concentrate on relationships. However, I felt that you did a good job in analysing the relationships in stages of the young couple very well.
ReplyDeleteI felt that James is right in saying that you should include the part where miscommunication occurs in other parts of the movie. You could also identify how is this movie a typical family in America.
ReplyDeleteI felt that this post analysed the movie well and the stages of the young couple's relationship was outlined so well that I understand the communication theories behind the stages of relationship.
ReplyDeleteI guess Fadz had said it all that love is the main factor of the whole relationship. The intensity and strength of a relationship lies between how much the couple love each other. However, conflicts and misunderstandings are inevitable to occur.
ReplyDeleteI felt that you could also mention how the aliens work together to defeat the humans. The relationship between the aliens and the good alien and the humans. This can then demonstrate the different stages of different relationships and how it can ber applied to our lives.
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