Distractions

What is it about the movie ‘Father of the Bride’ that rips my heart out every single time I watch it. Every. Single. Time. First of all….Steve Martin. Could they have picked a more perfect father? The movie is reminiscent of simpler times. More wholesome times. And that house! If it isn’t just the homiest home with the homiest yard I could ever be at home in.  And that basket ball hoop in the backyard, surrounded by trees and verandas and wicker benches with cushions and flowers and grass.  I have wanted a basketball hoop in my back yard since the first time I laid eyes on this movie. My kids were still young and could have benefitted from having one. I was pretty convinced that that basketball hoop was akin to therapy. One would never need it if they could only play basketball in the backyard with their dad, growing up.  All would be right with the world if you had a basketball hoop. We never ever got one because we never ever had a place for one and now we have arrived to this day with emotional baggage. A basketball hoop would have been cheaper than therapy. Do not dwell on the past….

I love Franc. Martin Short invents this character so well. The wedding planner. I am so jealous of him. That is the wedding I want to plan. I absolutely adore that backyard tent wedding. It’s absolutely stunning and I just know I could create that wedding in my backyard if someone would give me the opportunity. Given the fact that it snowed on the day of that wedding gives me hope for planning an outdoor wedding. Of course that was California and this is Calgary. That was a movie and this is reality. San Marino, California. I don’t know if there is such a place but if there is, I want to live there, with its tree lined streets and white picket fences.

The Way you Look Tonite is probably one of my favorite songs with secular lyrics. It doesn’t matter who sings that song. When I hear it I pause and listen and dream that someone might have felt that way about me somewhere …sometime. Sigh.

Anyway, I watched the movie tonite as a distraction from the insanity that is our world right now and it was the perfect choice. I was transported to a gentler, more stable era. A million miles away from here. To manageable problems and happier endings. I mean, they got in a fight and almost called of the wedding because of a blender. Easily rectified. Little misunderstanding. And the craziness in the grocery store was because they sell wieners in eights and hot dog buns by dozens and George Banks was not falling for that ripoff after spending $1200 on a wedding cake and flying all the Sweden relatives over from Denmark and paying $250 a head for every guest at the wedding. Not to mention the new navy polyester tuxedo he had to buy thinking it was Georgio Armani and thinking it was black. Those are the sorts of issues I want to deal with. I know what to do about things like this. Nothing was really out of control. Nothing earth shattering, if you know what I mean.

Tomorrow, Father of the Bride II. I’m so glad there’s another one.