It's Sunday afternoon. I was supposed to be most of the way to North Carolina to help my oldest move back to Ohio, but alas . . . yesterday I was struck down in my prime by the dreaded intestinal flu.
(This is not actually the flu, my late ex informed me. The flu is influenza...a respiratory ailment, which can kill ya, so get yer flu shot.)
Anyway, we call the thing I spent yesterday suffering the stomach flu. And let me tell you, it's no darned fun. You've been there. You know.
So tangents aside, here I am spending the day in my pj's instead of driving south. So I'm thinking I'll watch a movie.
But which movie to watch?
This is an important decision because it's two hours of my life. (Four if I go for a double feature! Which is likely.)
If the kids were watching with me, I'd have to bow to their taste, and we'd consider something like Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or another action adventure. Sometimes I'll watch an animated movie with the kids, either something Japanese or a good old Disney movie. Or we might indulge in a musical. These are all enjoyable, but not what I'm in the mood for today.
My favorite genre is, hands down, romantic comedy. I love a love story, and when I find one I really enjoy, I buy it so I can watch it over and over. Also because I have a terrible record of returning rentals, and find it cheaper to buy and avoid the steep fines.
Ask my kids how many times they've sat through any of Diane Keaton's many romantic comedies, and you'll see I speak the truth.
My love affair with love affairs began back in my 20's with Diane's movie Baby Boom. In those days I longed for babies of my own, and that movie hit my needs of the time on every level. I was married to a guy who spent all his time, by necessity, at work (resident physicians have no life) ... so I was spending a lot of time alone. And we certainly didn't have the time or resources for kids yet. There wasn't much romance, alas, and there wasn't much comedy. So I watched Baby Boom dozens of times. It made me happy.
As the years went by, I had babies of my own, and my entertainment needs evolved to simply enjoying a good romantic comedy.
My hubby liked them well enough, especially if I'd agree to watch Arnold or another action hero in between. So we did fine in that area.
Now that I'm single, I still love watching those delightful departures into someone else's zany romantic life.
I love Jane Austin, which is more wry than outright comedic, and own three different sets of her novels in movie form; all wonderful. I have also collected an enviable selection of romantic comedies featuring everyone from Diane Lane to Sandra Bullock to Katherine Heigl to Helen Mirren to Meryl Streep to Anne Hathaway to Heather Graham to Drew Barrymore to Sandra Oh to Nia Vardalos to Cameron Diaz to Kate Winslet to Meg Ryan to Bette Midler to Goldie Hawn to Julia Roberts . . . and those are just the actresses I like. I could go on and on about the actors I lust for, but I think I've made my point.
Today, I think I'll watch Heather Graham in Cake, followed by Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun . . . and Sandra Oh is in both movies, and pregnant in both.
Why is this stuff so much fun? I don't know. Maybe I'm pathetic, but I must not be alone. This is a billion dollar industry, after all.
So if you're sick and need something to fill your hours, or if you're feeling lonely, nostalgic, bored, tired, or just in the mood to wile away a Sunday afternoon with some reliable old friends from the big screen, grab your favorite and plug it in.
Don't forget the popcorn! (See one of my September blog posts for a great recipe!)
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