Mom Caught Herself a Good One

My newborn nephew grew crabby on Saturday. He had entered his first growth spurt and needed two things to overcome it: constant nursing and less company. So, my dad and I were invited to find something else to do while J-Dawg fussed and nursed.

Dad suggested a movie. My daddy knows me. While I regularly go to restaurants, museums, clubs, and parties, I rarely go to the movies. I love movies in all their varieties. I like wearing my jeans, eating greasy popcorn, and slouching in a beat-up chair while actors work magic on the screen.

My dad offered to go to *Pride & Prejudice with me. I looked at him incredulously, as we had just left my brother and the non-stop sports stream. “Daddy, it’s a chick flick. Not just any chick flick. The definitive chick flick.”

He reassured me that he would like it. The show was playing at the local art house that turned “art” house after dark. We hurried down to catch the 4:00. I knew we were in trouble, though, when we walked past the poster for ‘Brokeback Mountain’ – a movie about 2 cowboys who have a homosexual tryst on a fishing trip – and Dad mumbled, “I don’t think I’m ready for this.” To be honest, I wasn’t certain I was, either, when I passed the posters for a movie about transsexualism in America and the XXXpose scheduled for that night. But I knew that we were headed to a much more comfortable entertainment level once we crossed the lobby.

As we sat down, Dad looked right and left, suddenly aware that he was surrounded by femininity. He handed me the popcorn and asked, “So, what’s this movie about?”

My stomach plopped. I had assumed some basic Jane Austen knowledge, but there was none. I gave him the Cliffs Notes summary. Dad is amazing. He nodded and said it sounded “interesting.” I cannot imagine it sounded that way at all since he had left the Bulls v. Jazz to accompany his daughter.

Through an amazing, selfless 2 hours, my dad not only watched a movie that only interested me, he found enjoyment in it. He laughed. He sniffled when Mr. Bennett gave Lizzie to her husband. After the movie, he hugged me and said, “I liked that movie. It was a good choice.” He then discussed the various plot points and filming with me.

That’s a man, I thought. I rewarded him by renting Transporter 2. If dad could be in touch with his feminine side, then I could indulge his testosterone.




*The quick movie critique: Definitely not for purists like myself. The casting of the leads was as abysmal as feared. Keira Knightley looked ridiculous in the clothes and manners of old England. The writers apparently grew bored halfway through the novel and decided to depend on Internet fanfic for the remainder of the details. That said, the movie was BEAUTIFUL!! Historically accurate to a fault and quite moving. So, my final verdict is that it may be a great version to use with the men, who are unlikely to notice the mistakes.