Thursday, February 26, 2009

What I watched: Tear jerker edition

An evening with the TV all to myself and I watched "Bridge to Terabithia" because I am apparently a glutton for punishment. I read the book as a kid but somehow only remember that I loved it, and it was the first book that made me cry. That last part is important, because how did I think the first book to ever make me cry would not produce a movie that would make me cry?

I can't even tell you if the movie was any good because the kids in it were so damn cute and the stupid movie made. me. cry. I pride myself on having a stiff upper lip when it comes to movies (books not so much -- "Cold Mountain" and "The Time Traveler's Wife" made me weep openly). I think because I don't like people seeing me cry (books are more private, thus the waterworks).

It's a kids' movie for goodness sake. And it was a kids' book. What the heck was Disney thinking? What the heck was Katherine Paterson thinking? They had to have known that I would find myself alone with my television on a Thursday night watching this movie and falling in love with its characters. They had to know that I loved this book as a kid and my nostalgia and my (somewhat morbid) sense of curiosity would make me watch it and that being alone when I did, I would cry.

I just have to remember to not watch movies like this alone. Had I watched it with someone else I might be able to offer a coherent critique rather than a rambling about how the movie was sweet and sad. Did I mention it made me cry?

9 comments:

melissa said...

right there, my dear friend- right there is why, when i heard there was a movie being released, i vowed i would not be seeing it. i didn't read the book. me? i saw the PBS movie special!... and it made me cry. and i knew to forevermore turn away from such terabithian lurings!

shame shame.
next time, call a friend for guidance.

Anonymous said...

There is no way not to cry when watching that movie or reading the book. I have also thought about how so many of my favorite kids stories were so tragic and sad, and I've come to the conclusion that kids are just a lot more morbid than you would expect. I ate that stuff up as a kid, and I spent several years devouring all the holocaust-related books I could lay hands on. Maybe when you're young, death seems exciting and fascinating. When you get older and you actually understand death, then you don't understand kids' fascination anymore?

Pammeey said...

Wait! There's a PBS movie special? Is it available on DVD? Uh oh. I think I need an intervention.

melissa said...

PAM!!! STEP AWAY FROM AMAZON!!
despite those strange pangs you feel, that PBS special IS NOT calling you! don't make me come over there with a bottle of wine to make you forget all about it....

Pammeey said...

Hmmm... I may have to threaten to watch the movie just to get you over here with that wine.

BigBro1961 said...

Put down the bottle and step away from the remote. This is taking up way to much of your time. LOL Crying is a good stress reliever or didn't you know. At least that's what all those experts say. So cry on and live stress free.

Pammeey said...

I'm so lucky to have people like you to keep me sane.

BigBro1961 said...

I think I have been totally misunderstood on this subject. I was talking about stress relief. If you need sanity maybe you should step right back up get hold of that bottle, and get right to the bottom of the situation. Sanity may be at the bottom of a good bottle of wine after all.

melissa said...

it's decided then.
red or white?