what if i do not need springs of any kind?

I would have had a lot of TV time the last few days but I was sick so I've only seen a few movies and a lot of time to think about those movies I saw. Particularly this movie on the Hallmark Channel entitled The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone. It stars Helen Mirren as an older woman/ former celebrated Broadway actress living in Rome and her relationship with a much younger man who's obviously after her money, played so well by Olivier Martinez. Actually, I want to see it from the start because there's this thing with this street garcon that I don't understand and I'm thinking maybe it's explained at the start of the movie.

Anyway. There's this series of scenes that really got to me. So, they start their brash affair, I think after Mrs Stone (Mirren) makes it clear to Paolo (Martinez) that she's too old for him and he's too beautiful for her. Like that ever stopped anyone before, hmph. You would think that it's easy to define their relationship. He's there for her money, she's there for his nice, supple body. She looks at herself in the mirror a lot and feels insecure about the relationship, thinking he would want to leave eventually.

The scenes that got to me were when her writer friend sends her his finished play and she takes it out of the package and says out loud, "Bravo, Christopher!" The camera is on Paolo, who looks up, looking disturbed. In that instant, you can see he's as insecure as she is - I get that, it's never wholly flattering to be wanted just for your body. But he capitalizes on that anyway: later, he wakes up in the middle of the night, alone in the bed. He covers himself with the blanket (a silk sheet, actually, sigh, Olivier Martinez in nothing but a silk sheet...) and goes off to look for Mrs Stone, who's reading her friend's play in the adjoining parlor. He approaches her, grabs the play and tosses it to the side and opens the blanket to her (he's got his yummy back to the camera). Did you think Mrs Stone was going to ignore him and go get the script that's on the floor? Do pigs fly?

I think he has real feelings for her until his pimp, who's not really a pimp, at least not outwardly, played by Anne Bancroft, is angry that she cannot get money from Mrs Stone and throws in his face that he's an idiot if he's falling in love with her. After that, everyone's pride is hurt and the movie goes downhill from there. But then, we didn't really expect a happy ending, did we?
I'm just wondering what the homeless guy did in the movie, why was he important? I hope I get to catch it again.

I watched that early Monday afternoon and since I was feeling a bit better, I took ballet class. Present were my two younger men. Of course, I don't look like a Mrs Stone who needs a Roman Spring - I definitely actually look younger than the older of the two - but watching that movie and then having them both around made my mind go awhirl.

They're fun on their own, but together, trying to one-up each other for my attention, it's like they're redefining how immature they are. And I remember why I'm not giving in and getting involved with a younger man (again, but much much younger this time). Mrs Stone loved Paolo as he was but he felt she could see through him to his shallowness and lack of dignity. He wanted to be more than just a younger man to her and, failing that, he ended up demanding that he needed her to be more than just an older woman to him. When two younger men are trying to get your attention, you want to look for signs that one of them will be more than just a younger man to you.

In a way, I'm glad we're not going back to ballet anytime soon. The dancers are having a strike. And I need to watch other movies.