ToT: Guilty Pleasures

I am not much of a movie person, and I'm not quite sure why. They are so long . . . and I am so tired . . . I would rather just sleep in my bed. My poor husband loves movies, and especially going to movies, and I don't like paying too much for something that is just ok and listening to other people's popcorn noise. Plus it's an expensive nap.


Now and then I make a resolution to watch more movies because I know he likes them. It is hard for me . . . to enjoy movies, I need them to be about something, and I need them to be smart in some way, and I need them to respect humankind (no gratuitous violence or celebrating meanness, etc.). I used to watch lots of very serious films and documentaries, and now I don't have any emotional energy for that . . . so add heartwarming, uplifting, or funny to the list. Just call me Debbie Downer when it comes to movies, I guess--I'm hard to please.

But, there is some ridiculousness in the movie world that I have enjoyed at one point in time. So, in honor of Michelle's Together on Tuesday pick, I give you my Top 3 Guilty Pleasure Movies.

1. Waiting for Guffman

Ah, college. Those were my thea-tah days. I first saw Guffman at one of the notorious Thursday night movie-thons where we crammed into an off-campus apartment and ate junk food while watching all kinds of craziness. We watched this one together at least a dozen times, and I've shared it with at least a dozen more people. It's ridiculous. And funny cause it's true. This is one of those mockumentaries in the vein of This is Spinal Tap, and it's all about community theater. We'd all lived it. Endless quotables . . . "I can always go back to the DQ" "just drive in and get a coke . . ." "feel the wind of freedom blowing through their ha-hr" "I'm gonna bite my pillow, is what I'm gonna do" "Everybody dance!" "BO-ring, BO-ring, BO-ring, BO-ring!" "D'Artagnan!" Plus some amazing musical numbers, including a special Stephen Foster medley and some nice dance moves in the production. Oh, and "ello, ow are oo?" Yeah, out of context, not funny, but if you've ever found community theater even slightly ridiculous, it's worth a watch.

2. All the Harry Potters

Yep, I'm a dork. I may or may not have attended a midnight showing of Order of the Phoenix. I may or may not have seen Deathly Hallows II while extremely pregnant and due any day. I love the characters, and I love the story. Yes, I love the books so much more, but the movies are their own things. I don't know how many times I've watched them, but I have learned that if I start in the middle, I have to watch them all in succession until I finish or it just doesn't feel right. We do quote Harry Potter movies more often than you might think . . . usually in spells, of course. You know, "Accio cell phone." "Lumos." "Swish and flick." Because we are cool. But there are some pretty lovely quotes as well . . . from the books, mainly, and mainly from Dumbledore . . . "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when only one remembers to turn on the light." Oh, and "Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak." Yup.

3. Napoleon Dynamite

The topic is guilty pleasures, not Academy Award winners. This came out when we were working in a youth center through Americorps, and our high schoolers LOVED it. Lots of reasons it resonated with them, and we probably showed it weekly for at least 4-5 months. I may or may not have dreamed up the perfect Napoleon Dynamite party where we play "Forever Young," take Glamour Shots, and eat tots and kwez-uh-dill-uhs. Ridiculous. And also endlessly quotable. Where to even begin . . . "Your mom goes to college." "You're bruising my neck meat." "My head was very hot." "Lucky!" "Lookie, lookie." "Like anyone can even know that." "I don't understand a word you just said." "My lips hurt real bad." "Heck yes I did." And the brilliant musical performance in the bonus footage . .  "Why do you love me? Why do you need me? Always and forever . . ." Yep. I always think of our Kentucky kids (who are now adults, some with kids) when this movie comes around. Sure, it's been years since I've watched it, but I pretty much have it memorized, and as ridiculous as it is, it's "pretty much the best that I know of."

So, there it is. You now know that just because someone likes opera doesn't mean they have to be a movie snob. Who doesn't need a little levity?

For more guilty pleasures, check out the Together on Tuesday bloggers listed to the right.