I’m a recovering workaholic. I’ve never been one to sit and watch multiple movies in a row, but we’ve recently had one night where movies, food not prepared by us, and some sweet treats was just what the doctor ordered.
First up was Mr. Popper’s Penguins.
This movie was adorable. Although my children were not too interested in the flapping black and white suits, my husband and I laughed, smiled, and wanted more. The story line was simple enough for children to understand, but in my opinion catered to adults with the parent-child and parent-parent relationship conflicts. There is definitely enough fun and entertainment for an older child’s entertainment, but for a three-year-old. . . Not quite. I certainly enjoyed the twist with Tavern on the Green in the movie.
Between movies, we handled all the necessary needs of our youngest son with medications and CPT. When that was done and our three-year-old was pinging off the walls once more, we popped in Moneyball.
Moneyball was not quite what I expected in an overcoming-the-odds baseball movie, but it was good. I normally end up in tears with sports movies of this nature, but this one wasn’t that way. For an inspiring and faith-moving movie, there are many others that better serve the purpose. The unique spin on this movie was using a computer generated tool to find the players and watching the Athletics return from an extensive losing streak to win 20 games in a row; all with a bit of belief.
Last on our list of movies was The Help.
The Help was heartwarming, heart-wrenching, and enlightening. I’ve long followed and loved the history of the United States from settlement through civil rights movements in recent years. I fell in love with history when I read about the underground railroad in Uncle Tom’s Cabin when I was only 8 years old. I’ve long maintained a sense of compassion for all persons being persecuted for any number of reasons. This movie was especially moving for me due to those passions.
I fell in love with characters, Skeeter appealed greatly to me as an aspiring writer and woman who sought truth to make a positive difference in the lives of many. The familial conflict with Skeeter is extreme, but a conflict that many can understand with ease. I relished in the banter back and forth between African-American maids, noted how quickly people were ostracized from social circles, and the spitefulness that erupted. The Help was, by far, the best of the three movies we enjoyed.
The late night stemming from watching movies left our entire family tired, but we’ve all felt much more connected thanks to taking time to play, engage, and entertain. We will definitely be doing this a bit more often, though likely not so many movies in a row. At some point in the near future (when our youngest son is doing better) I will be back on schedule with all my projects. Until then, I’ll relish in the joy that was had during our first bit movie night in years.
I’ve had many conversations in recent months that went something like this:
