Today I saw the very well received movie, Marley and Me. I have to say I loved it, and loved it more than I thought I would. I loved it so much I could see it becoming a holiday season kind of classic, that one watches to remind oneself how good life is, how fleeting, how fragile, like my two favorites, Family Man and It is a Wonderful Life.
I had to almost hold myself from just sobbing towards the end, which was much more in response to the dog dying, which is always grueling to watch or even hear about, but the "much more" is like a trip down memory lane, conjuring up so many memories and events that it almost becomes emotion overload and I have to keep myself in check with fear of just totally losing it in the movie theater. Plus I had my little daughter and her friend with me, and I think it would be too much for them. Sweet as they are, their life does not have a long memory lane yet, no regrets, no mistakes, it is for the most part still in its purest form.
So many elements of the film hit me in some way, like the tennis ball machine that keeps firing balls at you when you try to learn tennis, and you keep swinging away. That is how I felt watching the movie--again and again being hit in emotion central.
The young couple, young and newly weds and starting out. This does not totally ring true for me, but parts do. I have been a newly wed 2 times--the first time was quite short, not even 9 months until my daughter arrived. I never felt like my ex husband and I were best friends, not even good friends, which I think was our fatal flaw. I would have liked to have been, but maybe it was just a timing thing, I don't know. But then I was a newly wed again about 10 years later, and we were newly weds for quite some time, even had a break up before having our daughter. And I have to say my current husband is my best friend, although sometimes we don't treat each other like best friends, and sometimes I feel like a little kid on the playground who has just been told, "You are not my best friend anymore." And that was the first emotion lobbed at me, that I felt like I was missing something with my current husband, that we were not sticking together well, but causing each other often discontent. But even in the film as they aged and their life took twists and turns, they stay commited to the bigger picture and to each other if always certainly their relationship. It made me feel a bit weak about how I have been and wanting more for us.
The kids of course are another emotion that came my way. I have been fortunate to have two beautiful and bright daughters. I love any movie or tv show that has family in it--it is a comfort zone for me. But I see my own shortcomings as a parent and things I would do different and the total passing of time, all too fast.
The dog. How is it that dogs so pull at our heart strings. We all know that dogs are mans best friends, and we all know they love you no matter what. But any book or movie that deals with the life of a dog is always a tear jerker, it just is so. It was another emtion lobbed at me, that I feel weak in the pet owner department. I have struggled with our two dogs to be the kind of pet owner that just lets it all be. And in the movie they were--I mean none of it really bothered them--just a little bit when the mom was at her wit's end, but she bounced right back. And yet I do love our dogs, they are great little guys. I sat there wanting to weep more, but knowing I could not, and yet I wonder when their day will come as they are now 14. To say they are the top of my husband's list would be an understatement, he is such a good pet owner.
Another emotion brought up for me was the idea of writing. The husband was a columnist, an accidental one at that, who had wanted to be a top reporter covering worldy events, and ended up covering nothing as he wrote columns about his every day life, and probably ended up covering more than any worldly event. How I would love that for my job. Maybe this little blog fills that space for me, Danna's own column, even if no one reads it, it is being written.
So much packed into 2 hours. I guess I wish I could just be alone right now and let all the sad memories flow through me and let my eyes cry and cry. I feel so often there just is not the time for that. I guess movies kind of give us a little glimpse into ourselves before we come back into the bright lobby and don't want to catch other people glance at us, and our telling eyes.
I had to almost hold myself from just sobbing towards the end, which was much more in response to the dog dying, which is always grueling to watch or even hear about, but the "much more" is like a trip down memory lane, conjuring up so many memories and events that it almost becomes emotion overload and I have to keep myself in check with fear of just totally losing it in the movie theater. Plus I had my little daughter and her friend with me, and I think it would be too much for them. Sweet as they are, their life does not have a long memory lane yet, no regrets, no mistakes, it is for the most part still in its purest form.
So many elements of the film hit me in some way, like the tennis ball machine that keeps firing balls at you when you try to learn tennis, and you keep swinging away. That is how I felt watching the movie--again and again being hit in emotion central.
The young couple, young and newly weds and starting out. This does not totally ring true for me, but parts do. I have been a newly wed 2 times--the first time was quite short, not even 9 months until my daughter arrived. I never felt like my ex husband and I were best friends, not even good friends, which I think was our fatal flaw. I would have liked to have been, but maybe it was just a timing thing, I don't know. But then I was a newly wed again about 10 years later, and we were newly weds for quite some time, even had a break up before having our daughter. And I have to say my current husband is my best friend, although sometimes we don't treat each other like best friends, and sometimes I feel like a little kid on the playground who has just been told, "You are not my best friend anymore." And that was the first emotion lobbed at me, that I felt like I was missing something with my current husband, that we were not sticking together well, but causing each other often discontent. But even in the film as they aged and their life took twists and turns, they stay commited to the bigger picture and to each other if always certainly their relationship. It made me feel a bit weak about how I have been and wanting more for us.
The kids of course are another emotion that came my way. I have been fortunate to have two beautiful and bright daughters. I love any movie or tv show that has family in it--it is a comfort zone for me. But I see my own shortcomings as a parent and things I would do different and the total passing of time, all too fast.
The dog. How is it that dogs so pull at our heart strings. We all know that dogs are mans best friends, and we all know they love you no matter what. But any book or movie that deals with the life of a dog is always a tear jerker, it just is so. It was another emtion lobbed at me, that I feel weak in the pet owner department. I have struggled with our two dogs to be the kind of pet owner that just lets it all be. And in the movie they were--I mean none of it really bothered them--just a little bit when the mom was at her wit's end, but she bounced right back. And yet I do love our dogs, they are great little guys. I sat there wanting to weep more, but knowing I could not, and yet I wonder when their day will come as they are now 14. To say they are the top of my husband's list would be an understatement, he is such a good pet owner.
Another emotion brought up for me was the idea of writing. The husband was a columnist, an accidental one at that, who had wanted to be a top reporter covering worldy events, and ended up covering nothing as he wrote columns about his every day life, and probably ended up covering more than any worldly event. How I would love that for my job. Maybe this little blog fills that space for me, Danna's own column, even if no one reads it, it is being written.
So much packed into 2 hours. I guess I wish I could just be alone right now and let all the sad memories flow through me and let my eyes cry and cry. I feel so often there just is not the time for that. I guess movies kind of give us a little glimpse into ourselves before we come back into the bright lobby and don't want to catch other people glance at us, and our telling eyes.
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