Good morning!
Welcome back to my blog.
The family and I attended a movie Friday evening, which we do about once per month. We're not large consumers of movies, due to the expense and the content. Those are issues that I'll discuss in future blogs; however, it was cold and we were in the mood for some laughs. We reviewed what was available, finally settling on "Fool's Gold," a romantic-adventure film that features two popular Hollywood stars.
While I'm an advocate of live performances, I also enjoy studying movies. The overall theme, the production quality and the dialogue -- especially the dialogue! -- are great topics to examine. While I love a snappy one-liner that's delivered with precision, I do admit to a perverse delight in enjoying the many clunkers out there. Remember "Twister"? Oh my ... how many times can the characters yell "C'mon, let's go!"? Rent it for a good laugh!
Anyway, I tucked into my seat not expecting much. The stars represented a younger generation and frankly, Hollywood's version of romance is not my thing. However, here's the kicker: I was pleasantly, almost delightfully surprised. The film advocated marriage, and decidedly trashed the concept of the spoiled brat, airhead-heiress character that we see far too often in real life in Hollywood.
It may be a new era in tinseltown. I don't want to be too optimistic, but it seems that someone in Movieland gets it.
In the film, a weathy yacht owner's daughter comes to visit. She arrives via helicopter, and you expect the usual from her: Snotty behavior; obsessed with shopping; and frequent sexual antics. Instead, she's given a lecture that acting like a brainless bimbo isn't cool. She strives to repair her relationship with her father and ... well, I won't give away the ending, but like I said, I was pleasantly surprised.
Finally, the era of that character, a self-absorbed young woman acting like a deviant, may be over!
Further, the lead male character as played by Matthew McConaughey wears his wedding ring throughout the movie. Again, I don't want to spoil it, but despite divorcing against his will in the beginning of the film, he doesn't remove his ring and repeatedly declares his love for his ex-wife.
Surprised, I was. I was surprised to like it as much as I did, and I was surprised at the content. Sure, it was a stretch to believe the premise of the story; that is, the idea of finding a fortune in gold, gems and riches in about 20 feet of crystal clear water ... somebody hadn't stumbled upon it after years and years of searching?
Ah, well. We can't have everything all at once. Besides, after this winter's freezing rain, snow, ice and blowing wind, it was especially satisfying to savor the sun, the gorgeous scenery and the delicious yacht in the film. That was something to like, too.
Spring just can't be that far away ...