Erbak Movie Reviews: Love Happens (2009)

This week’s inspiration at Erbak Movie Reviews comes from Love Happens, a story dedicated to those who would rather hide behind sweet little lies than face the painful truths waiting inside them.

He Had Touched Many Hearts

Three years earlier, Burke had lost his wife in a tragic car accident.

He found a way to cope with his grief by writing a book about his loss. By sharing his own pain, Burke managed to reach people who had experienced similar heartbreak. His book became a bestseller, and soon he was traveling around the country giving seminars about grief and moving on.

Burke had become a successful and respected author.

But there was one question he had never truly answered:

Had he actually faced his own pain?

When Infidelity Becomes a Habit

Eloise had found happiness in her flower shop, but unfortunately, her private life had been far less kind to her.

She had finally ended her relationship with a boyfriend whose infidelity had become almost a habit. This time, she was determined that it was really over.

There was no room in her life for another man.

No room for excitement either.

She found meaning in arranging flowers and quietly writing words in places where nobody would ever see them. It was a simple life, but perhaps that was exactly what she needed.

A Sweet Encounter

The moment Burke arrived in Seattle for his latest seminar, bad luck seemed to follow him.

His luggage disappeared, his plans began to fall apart, and almost everything seemed to be going wrong.

Almost.

Because somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, he met a charming woman.

At first, Burke certainly didn't think of her as charming—especially after it became obvious that she had deceived him.

But once the misunderstandings were cleared up, something unexpected began to emerge.

Perhaps it really was nothing more than a sweet encounter.

Or perhaps it was the beginning of something neither of them had planned.

He Set It Free

Eloise and Burke quickly discovered that they had more in common than they initially realized.

Both of them needed to confront the past.

Both needed to stop running away.

Burke's truth was considerably more painful.

He finally understood that he couldn't keep his grief locked away forever. He needed to face what had happened and somehow find a way to let go.

And he thought he knew where to begin.

He would set his wife's parrot free.

Burke secretly entered the home of his late wife's parents, took the bird, and drove somewhere far away from everyone.

Then he opened the cage.

He set the parrot free.

And, in a way, he was setting himself free too.

He was finally letting go of both the bird and some of the pain he had been carrying in his heart.

The Change Within His Soul

Setting the parrot free would not be the first time Burke had to confront the memories of his late wife.

And it certainly wouldn't be the last.

For years, Burke had preferred running away from his grief rather than facing it. He was ready to do it again.

But something stopped him.

Eloise had brought something back into his life that he thought he had lost forever.

Excitement.

Warmth.

And perhaps even hope.

He couldn't change the mistakes of the past. He couldn't undo his regrets or bring back the person he had lost.

But burying every hope he had for the future would only create another kind of loss.

And Burke was beginning to understand that he didn't want to lose himself again.

A Sweet Lie or a Painful Truth?

Burke traveled to a city he didn't really want to visit.

He confronted people he had spent years avoiding.

He met someone he had never expected to meet.

He finally gave his pain a voice.

And, little by little, he set the wounded part of himself free.

The smile he had lost began to return.

So did the excitement.

Burke finally understood that you cannot build a life on sweet lies simply because the truth hurts.

Sometimes the truth is painful.

Sometimes facing it is terrifying.

But only by accepting it can you truly move forward.

From that moment on, Burke was determined not to hide from the painful truths anymore.

Perhaps that was where healing really began.

And perhaps that was where love happened.

Enjoy the film…