Reception Theory

Stuart Hall believed that no text has one simple meaning. Instead, reception analysis suggests that the audience themselves help to create the meaning of the text. We all decode texts that we see, depending on our mood, place or time. 

There a few different ways of reading media texts: 

Preferred and dominated reading: This is when the audience take exactly what the producers wanted. For example you feel sympathy for Ariel from The Little Mermaid when she gets tricked by the sea witch, Ursula.

Oppositional reading: Audience members from outside the target audience may reject the preferred reading, relieving their own alternative message. An example of this could be that you interpret Like Crazy as a doomed from the start relationship that will never work out or you could see it as their paths not crossing at the right time or even that their relationship just burnt out. 

Negotiated reading: The third way is one which the audience acknowledge the preferred reading however modify it to fit their own values and opinions- this is how most people read. 

There are certain things that determine how we react to text: 
. Gender 
. Class
. Age
. Personality  
. Genetics 
. Filmic, social and historical knowledge
. Religion 


Relating this theory to Like Crazy i think that i am half preferred reading and negotiated reading as in many ways, yes the ending is an anti climax but in my eyes it's good that it ends with them both knowing that it isn't what it used to be. It's circular structure brings us back to the beginning in many sense, they are together yet still alone. I think that this feels realistic, it isn't a fairy tale movie, the dramatic closeness and them being part symbolises and represents the human life style. i think that in some people's eyes it could be a warning to long distance relationships however, i feel that it's not a warning it's just simply showing how powerful love really is. No matter how far or restricted you are the love is still there. 


The ending isn't exactly clear to what happens to their relationship but in my head, i think that their relationship has slowly deteriorated and now is on the rocks. There still could be hope in many ways but the last scene is them reminiscing back to all the times where they were happy signifying  that that isn't the matter now, the feelings that were there are not any more.