At the Movies

The Spouse was in the movie biz for 10 years. He studied film, made his own films and worked on the films of others, some of which made it into the theaters. He loves the craft. He has never met a movie he didn't like. He can find something good to say about any film, even "Dude, Where's My Car". This is not because he lacks judgement. Rather, knowing the craft as he does, he can appreciate the effort that went into even a terrible film.

He quit the biz when we got married. It was a "feast or famine" lifestyle that would have been fine if it was just us, but not so much if we were going to have kids. And he was at the place in his career where if he really wanted to work he had to be in LA and neither of us wanted that. In recent years he's been making his own little films and working with other indie folks on equally small films and I think, on balance, he's happy with the way things turned out.

I have a less complicated relationship with movies. I know what I like and make no apologies. For example, I will likely die never having seen "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and that's fine because my loathing for Jim Carrey makes it impossible for me to sit through what is a critically acclaimed film. Can't do it, not even for Kate Winslet. I like Brits. I like classic chick flicks (yes, that means Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts, etc.). I like action films but have a weird relationship to violence. I don't really like violence and so have never seen "Saving Private Ryan" or "Pulp Fiction" but I loved "The Usual Suspects" for crying out loud. I like dialogue. I believe any film is improved by the presence of Colin Firth, especially if he is in a wet shirt. I fundamentally find beautiful any film with a redemptive quality, like "American Beauty".

The Neighbor is something of a movie freak. She watches 'em all. She volunteers for the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) and gets preview tickets all the time. She goes to first-run films AND she subscribes to Netflix. She has probably seen every foreign film made in the last 20 years. She knew Jon Stewart was hosting the Oscars 'way before I did. She reads reviews in Slate. She is, shall we say, current.

Because we have a big screen tv and surround sound, The Spouse and I are not often in theaters. Unless it is an epic requiring a giant screen or a kid film which we are required to see, we are generally content to save the $412 price of a night at the movies and wait until we can put a new release on our Netflix list. But we pay attention. We usually know what's coming out, who's in it and more or less what the critics said about it (not that either of us really care about the critics. Although I did tell The Child that she was going to have to Netflix "Cheaper by the Dozen 2". I love Steve Martin but even geniuses make mistakes).

Last night after dinner The Spouse, The Neighbor and I went into the family theater and watched "The Hudsucker Proxy". The Neighbor had never even heard of it; none of us had ever seen it. If you haven't seen it either, you owe yourself the treat of Tim Robbins & Jennifer Jason Leigh in a brilliant little gem of a movie. If you like the Coen brothers, you should see this movie. (We didn't know it was the Coen's until the credits ran and then we all exclaimed in unison, "OH! Of course!") If you like fast paced dialogue, '50 era design and fashion or Paul Newman, you should see this movie. If you want to be amused, if you want a good story, if you want to feel great about how you just spent the last 2 hours, see "The Hudsucker Proxy". It is a well-crafted, fun story lacking nothing except Colin Firth in a wet shirt.

The Film Czarina gives "The Hudsucker Proxy" 4 out of 5 Koihead.