Stupid Movie

I'll probably end up taking some guff for this one. I don't care. If I did, then I wouldn't be posting it. It is sort of funny how you can sit down to watch a movie, having no expectations about the movies' content or theatrical merit, and walk away a shell of your former self. Some are poignant, while others mindless, but all leave you questioning your purpose, putting things in perspective, and setting you straight.

The two most recent films that come to mind are Bobby and Marley and Me. There, I said it. Marley and Me. A stupid movie with stupid actors and little to no theme that absolutely cut me to the bone. In case you haven't seen it, I won't spoil it too much for you. Here's the plot description (from the box):

"Based on the best-selling memoir, this feature adaptation centers on Jennifer and John Grogan, who, as newlyweds about to start a family, learn many of life's important lessons from Marley, their lovable yet trouble-seeking canine. This heartwarming story examines the highs and lows of marriage, maturity and confronting ones' own mortality, as seen through the lens of family life with a dog."

Yeah, not the deepest plot line. Just one that at the moment, seems to mirror my life perfectly. The last sentence says it all. Though I'm sure it wasn't unique to my situation, I couldn't help but to feel as if my family were the people in the film. Decisions we've made in our lives involving jobs, each other, our families, and their progression. Though not wanting to, I identified with the film. It grew so emotionally painful for me that I wanted to tell my wife to turn it off, wanted to scream at the TV, wanted to hate the movie for how it made me feel. It was too much. Made me do some hard thinking.

Bobby, on the other hand, made me mad for other reasons. Perhaps it was that I knew the outcome before I entered the theatre. Perhaps it was that as I watched the promise of the peoples' faces on the screen, I couldn't help but feel how things might have been different. Couldn't help but feel how as I sat there, Emperor Bush was screwing things up.

Economies crashing, wars waging, Americans existing; not prospering. I couldn't hold it all in. I tried. My wife asked if something was wrong; yeah. My wife asked if I was okay; no. I just sat there and lost it. I sat there and contemplated how idiots were affecting my children's future. I was bawling in the theatre.

There you have it. One movie leaving me with a new perspective on life, the other leaving me powerless and crushed. Be sure to check them out.