Express & Star

Agree to differ and back us in hard times

Christine Hawthorne with today's Express & Star Talking Point

Published
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born

I am going to be controversial now, and perhaps insult some Lady Gaga fans – though I honestly don’t mean to.

We have just been to see A Star Is Born, the film with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in, which in my opinion is not the best pairing.

I just did not believe the relationship between them, he the ageing rock star, she the starlet trying to make a name for herself.

Somehow they did not really gel together, the spark just wasn’t there – although there were the ‘bed’ scenes which just made me cringe. I could find no real connection between the two of them.

The film was very long, certainly half an hour too long if the pain in my spine was anything to go by, sitting for so long in an uncompromising cinema seat. I was so thankful for the bag of Revels we took with us (no way am I paying the extortionate cinema prices they charge for refreshments!).

At least sitting sucking chocolate and hoping for another coffee cream to come up kept me occupied for at least some of the time!

I daresay quite a few of you reading this, and my hubby would be one of them, are disagreeing strongly with me, saying the film was wonderful, the music superb, the acting sublime.

We must, I’m sorry, agree to disagree.

He may have liked it, I didn’t. Each to their own, we are entitled to our own opinion, and mine is my own.

We may have been married for more than 43 years, finish each other’s sentences, and get on very well, but our tastes often differ when it comes to which films we like and which music we enjoy.

A lot of the time we enjoy the same kind of films and we are both very much into similar music – but he does like Planet of the Apes, Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond and Queen! We both love Ed Sheeran and Adele and follow soul and Motown music though, so we have some common ground!

Marriage is, after all, give and take.

If everyone liked the same things the world would be a very boring place, we would have nothing to talk about if we always agreed on everything.

Common interests are good certainly, but if people did not have differing interests how would we ever learn anything from one another?

Friends are friends not just because we have things in common but also because of our differences. For instance, a nursing friend of mine has some interesting stories to tell, things which I would not know if I had never met her, and we both enjoy history so can discuss events of the past and perhaps learn from one another.

There is an old saying ‘when the chips are down you find out who your friends are’ and I can certainly agree with that statement.

When I had cancer I found out that I was very lucky and had a lot of people around me who were there for me with their love and support. So be grateful for your friends and loved ones. You may not always agree, but you can agree to differ, and being there for one another is what life is all about.

  • Christine is the voice behind the blog ‘Ramblings of a grandma on a mobility scooter’