It was only after the fact that I realized how similar the progression of Pete and starling's relationship is to the plot of Broadway Danny Rose (my favorite Woody Allen movie). A guy who is not brave, who survives by talking and schmoozing and knowing people and things. A woman who lives in a world of violence, who thinks you need to hit the other guy before he has a chance to hit you first. They spend some time together, and, just by being herself, she does something unforgivable to the guy. And he forgives her.
The more deliberate influence was Ed Wood. There's a moment there when Ed, the wildly untalented transvestite movie director, is going on a date with a new girl, Kathy, and they go to the amusement park. Of course, Ed takes her to the spook house, and, as they are going on the little ride through the spook house, the power goes out, and they are stuck. And Ed decides that's the perfect moment to tell her that he's a transvestite. And, for once, he's right. He tells her, and she asks, "Does this mean you don't like sex with girls?" He assures her that he loves sex with girls. She thinks for a minute, obviously considering this. Then she says simply, "Okay."
That "okay" is one of my favorite moments in any movie. It's echoed here, when Pete and starling agree to be friends, and it's echoed here, when Pete says that he knows and has seen everything about starling, and that he's still with her.
To me, that's very romantic, knowing everything about a person, good and bad, and saying that it's okay with you.
