I
love this film. It makes me sad every
time I watch it, which is fairly frequently, that it flopped as hard as it did. The visuals are bizarrely over the top to the point that it’s
practically hypnotic. And the world it shows runs on speed, adrenaline and slapstick. Yet, the family
interactions and emotions feel insanely real.
John Goodman, in one of many fatherly appearances, as Pops exemplified
hard work, integrity and the love of his family above all else. He has many awesome lines, like the "nonja" reference. In the scene where they only have a couple days before the big race and no car, he asks how long the bad guy's fancy factory takes to build a vehicle, and when he hears, thirty six hours, his matter of fact answer, "Then we'll do it in thirty-two, come on, let's go," makes my whole family cheer every time.
The main scene for Dadly heartstring tugging is his “farewell” to Speed, where he does what all Dads have to do sometimes, admit they made a mistake, and show he’ll continue to provide what Speed needs from a parent:
The main scene for Dadly heartstring tugging is his “farewell” to Speed, where he does what all Dads have to do sometimes, admit they made a mistake, and show he’ll continue to provide what Speed needs from a parent:
I was afraid that what happened to Rex was gonna happen to you,
and I just couldn't
take that.
But what I realized
at Cortega...
was I didn't lose Rex when he crashed.
was I didn't lose Rex when he crashed.
I lost him here.
I let him think that a stupid motor company meant more to me than he did.
I let him think that a stupid motor company meant more to me than he did.
You'll never know how
much I regret that mistake.
It's enough I'll
never make it again. Speed,
I understand that
every child has to leave home.
But I want you to
know, that door is always open.
You can always come
back. 'Cause I love you.”
Sing 2016
Time
for this Dad to admit a mistake. I thought this movie looked hackneyed and boring in the
ads, and a big step down from the studio’s Minion based films. I was very wrong, as my daughter will point
out regularly. After seeing it on a
plane, we bought the film and the extended soundtrack. She’s got it in her heaviest
rotation. It's a basic plot, but the gags are great, the emotional connections
once again feel real, and the music is fantastic. The Dad Teargeeker moment goes to “Big
Daddy” the gorilla criminal whose son is
Johnny played by Taron Egerton. (In what was likely an extended audition for Rocket Man.) Big Daddy was voiced by the voice of Darth
Maul himself, Peter Serafinowitz. (Who
will be featured in the overdue, slightly truncated, but still coming George Awards for this year.) We all hope our
kids will follow into the geekly arena’s we’ve lived in or enjoyed, yet sometimes,
they find their own stuff. Big Daddy’s
realization, and subsequent escape for a personal bond, boldly illustrates the moment of pride in
realizing how amazing your kid has become:
Small Soldiers 1998
Yes,
I love this movie too, and it needs more air time. Kevin Dunn, who usually plays a Dad, or an
army guy who’s a father to his men, plays Stuart, Alan’s father. We’d all like to protect our kids from
everything, or at least pay retribution to what we couldn’t protect them
from. After spending far too much time
on anger management, and seeming to not trust his son at all, he displays he
completely believes his boy’s crazy story about dangerous living action figures. Then he takes revenge
on the idiot marketing guy who caused the problem with a full blown, cathartic punch in
the face. It happens right after this picture,
seriously, just go watch the movie.
Endgame, 2019
Yes,
this movie was a giant geek weep fest from start to finish, and so was its predecessor, but that’s
not what I'm talking about. It’s Paul
Rudd as Scott Lang that grabs the Dad moment. He grabs all the Dad moments. Let’s face it; all
of his interactions with his daughter were masterfully done in both Ant Man and Ant Man and the Wasp.
However, the ultimate Dad Teargeeker moment comes in Endgame.
After terrifyingly searching the monuments for her name, he finds
his own. His expression running home, realizing what she must have gone through was rough to
begin with. Then it cranks up further when
she answers the door five years older than their last meeting. His response personifies what all parents feel about
having time fly so fast, and not being able to be there for every single moment
for our children.
Bambi 1942
It may be the most
famous tear inducing film in history, but that’s not why it’s on the list. Thanks to my Aunt Irene’s masterful
impression of “Your mother can’t be with you anymore” at inappropriate times, I
usually laugh at the darkest part anyway.
No, the key scene for me is at the end, where Bambi stands beside the Great Prince of the Forest, who looks at his son with pride, knows he’s done well, and walks off. I now understand both sides of being acknowledged and doing the acknowledgement myself.
No, the key scene for me is at the end, where Bambi stands beside the Great Prince of the Forest, who looks at his son with pride, knows he’s done well, and walks off. I now understand both sides of being acknowledged and doing the acknowledgement myself.
And I miss my Dad constantly,
No comments:
Post a Comment