Davidson Kathy
Michael D. Benton
ENG 282 Fall 2011
4 September 2011
My Favorite Movie
I can honestly say at this point in my life, looking back, I’ve had several favorite movies. In taking the time to think about why, it appears to be because of what was going on in my life at those particular times.
I used to absolutely love the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring “James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore”. It was “directed by Frank Capra”. “An Angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.” “It’s a Wonderful Life” was “released January 7, 1947”. Now it seems absurd to me and the thought of watching it again makes me want to vomit. I was married for twenty three years. I tried to have that perfect life. It wasn’t perfect behind closed doors. But every holiday season my two daughters and I would curl up on the couch and watch this movie of the struggles through financial hardships, a powerful bond between two married people, extended family and faith. I chose to finally end my marriage. The institution of marriage was shattered. But we are all three much better off in life and a whole world has opened up to us.
Then “Forrest Gump” starring “Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise” made its way to my viewing palette. It was “directed by Robert Zemeckis”. “’Forrest Gump’, while not very intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny, eludes him.” “Forrest Gump” was “released on July 6, 1994”. Now I realize maybe the reason it touched me deeply was because I was desperately trying to figure out my own life in a world where staying honest to yourself and keeping your faith in tact seemed impossible. I literally sobbed every time I watched this movie. I would hear my daughters discussing me in their room saying “oh, she’s watching ‘Forrest Gump’ again”. I’m genuinely kind hearted and would do anything for anyone who’s in a rough spot in life. As with the character Forrest, I’ve been taken advantage of also. But, I’ve survived and been able to walk through life with dignity as Forrest did through all of his eclectic adventures in the movie.
As my daughters matured and soon would head out and build their own lives I realized I had devoted so much time in taking care of them that I needed to finally lift my head up and think about dating. I saw the movie “Chocolat” starring “Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench and Alfred Molina”. It was “directed by Lasse Hallstrom”. “A woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.” “Chocolat” was “released January 5, 2001”. I related highly to this concept because here I was freshly moved to a small town in Kentucky from Northwest Ohio. The townspeople in the movie curious about whom she was and would she upset their daily routines. Along comes Johnny Depp’s character of the younger romantic man and they form an exciting relationship. At this time in my life, my older daughter had become fluent in French and travelled to France quite often. She has a picture in front of the chocolate shop door where the movie was filmed. I have watched several French films with her throughout her college career and enjoyed the experience. I still hang onto the romantic notion that a man will waltz into my life and sweep me off my feet. But, as in the movie, “Chocolat” the two lovers must part ways which seems to happen in real life also.
I do know that eventually I got fed up with watching the shoot them up and the damsel in distress movies while going out on dates. I enjoy a movie with substance. I finally started picking the movies that I wanted to see. “Law Abiding Citizen” starring “Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx and Leslie Bibb” was highly intelligent. It was “directed by F. Gary Gray”. “Released, October 16, 2009, a frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family’s killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.” I couldn’t believe I was internally cheering for this man who was clearly breaking the law. The movie made me walk out of the theatre with wide eyes wondering if I were in that situation how I would react. Then just recently I watched “Lincoln Lawyer” and it tied in my mind with “Law Abiding Citizen” as a favorite movie. “Lincoln Lawyer” stars “Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei and Ryan Phillippe”. It was “directed by Brad Furman”. “A sleazy defense attorney has a crisis of conscience when he represents a wealthy client who has a foolproof plan to beat the system.” “Lincoln Lawyer” was “released March 18, 2011”. I realized being back in college was giving me the ability to be a critical thinker and to analyze movies more clearly. I was intrigued by the sheer conniving, the thrill of not knowing what to expect next and the smartness of how the film was shot darkly to go along with the shady characters and plot.
Currently my favorite movie is “Larry Crowne” starring “Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Sarah Mahoney”. It was “directed by Tom Hanks”. “After losing his job a middle-aged man reinvents himself by going back to college.” “Larry Crowne” was “released July 1, 2011”. “Larry Crowne” parallels my life in the past couple of years. It was sharp witted and I could relate because I was determined to pass the COM 181 course that I took during a summer semester this year.
I guess all of these favorite movies of mine have a common theme. That theme would be don’t ever give up. In my determination I’ve kept my faith, stayed true to myself inside and on the outside, and most importantly kept hope.
Work Cited
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Col Needham, Oct. 1990. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://imdb.com>.
