Lighten Up

Satrurday night after we finally got Charlie the Humper to sleep, Bobby and I sat down on the couch with a couple of beers for our usual Saturday night playing catch up with our DVR. I had wanted to watch the premiere of the new Parenthood TV show on ABC but had missed it earlier in the week so we were planning to check it out. I LOVED the 1989 movie Parenthood. Loved it when I saw it in the theater twenty years ago, and have loved it during every cable repeat since. The Buckmans had their eccentricities but they were a great family. When you watched the movie depending on what stage of life you were in, you wanted to have those parents or be those parents. And it holds up. I still can’t walk away from that movie on cable.

We lasted twenty minutes before I asked Bobby if we could turn the Parenthood TV show off. Unlike the Buckmans who may be crotchedy or crazy, but all still maintain their warmth – the Bravermans are just sort of crappy. Which is too bad because I expected more from a cast that included Coach (Craig T. Nelson), Nate Fisher (Peter Krause) and Lorelei Gilmore (Lauren Graham). I understand that they were trying to show how there is real love underneath all the unpleasantness that makes up a family but it was so heavy on the uncomfortable, judgemental, biting moments that I just felt sad. Sad that families have to be that way. And I had to turn it off because in real life I have seen really ugly family moments or months or years and I don’t want to relive that on a TV show. I don’t consider bringing up all my emotional baggage and driving me to tears entertaining. It’s the same reason I don’t go see movies with names like Dying Young. I’ve seen enough real people do that so when I’m going to the movies I’d rather sit back and enjoy something a little lighter.

That’s why when we turned off Parenthood, we turned on The House Bunny. Best Decision Ever. The House Bunny rocked. Sure it was low brow and unrealistic, but it had heart. And as silly as the movie was it had a message. You know, that it doesn’t matter how hot you are – it’s what’s inside that counts? Cliché? For sure. True? Definitely. And I thought it was cool that a movie with fun makeover scenes and cute boys, was really about how it’s okay to be yourself. Because girls have it rough. I see the toys marketed to them and it’s all princesses and prom queens which is a lot to live up to. I had a terrible self image as a young girl. I never thought I was attractive. My mom, on the other hand, who looked exactly like me, I thought was gorgeous. The difference between us was that she always carried herself like she was the most important person in the room. And I always carried myself like I was the Disney tween star’s dorky side kick. The way we thought about ourselves really rubbed off on the way other people thought about us. And all I can say is I am so glad I have little boys and I promise I will teach them to give a second look to the girl with glasses and a ponytail.

Anyhow, loved The House Bunny. Loved Anna Faris. Loved Christopher McDonald. Loved Colin Hanks and Rumer Willis and Kat harine McFee and the guy from All American Rejects. Seriously, they all rocked it. And watching the movie made me feel good which is how I want to feel at the end of a movie. Is that such a bad thing?

Because ever since Sunday night when Sandra Bullock won the oscar for her performance in The Blind Side, I’ve been seeing all these mean messages on Facebook and the internet about how she didn’t deserve it. Why didn’t she deserve it? Obviously, the Academy members thought she did. Is she Meryl Streep? No. Did she have to be continually, horrifying abused in her movie? No. Do some people find the story behind her movie hokey? Sure. But you know what, those people need to let it go because it’s not some hokey work of fiction, it’s a true story. That woman really did save a boy’s life. And that boy is now a college graduate and a professional football player. That’s an awesome story and it’s the kind of story that should be told. These are the kind of people we should want to emmulate. And Sandra Bullock changed her look and her voice and her demeanor and made you believe she was that woman, so who cares if Miss Congeniality was a piece of crap? She’s been a successful working actress for years and she pulled off a performance that no one thought she had in her and yes, it was in a heartwarming film. Good for her. And good for the people like me who saw it and loved it. And good for the people out there who will benefit from the kindness of strangers who maybe learned something from such a nice movie. Entertainment doesn’t always have to be heavy and dark and twisted to be quality. I loved seeing the guy who adapted the screenplay for Precious win, even though that movie is too disturbing for me to ever watch. And I was thrilled for Kathryn Bigelow because, although I haven’t seen The Hurt Locker yet, I do plan to rent it, and I’m a huge fan of her earlier directorial work on Point Break which while not Oscar-worthy material was a hugely entertaining film. But mostly I was glad to see something upbeat win. Cause there’s not enough of that in the world.

And I know there are people out there who will see my defense of lighter forms of entertainment as a sign of lower intelligence. As I’ve mentioned before, I saw Fight Club with an ass who thought that my dislike for it meant it was over my head. I understood the movie, I just hated it. I also hated the douche who thought it went over my head. And he was shocked when he found out I didn’t like him. He was so self involved that it had never occurred to him that comments like that were rude and offensive. He actually felt really bad but it was too late. When you’re that much of a condensending jerk, I don’t think even the House Bunny can fix you.