Now that I've seen Knocked Up again, I'm revisiting in my head all the classic comedies I can remember. The reason? My question:
Out of all the comedies you've ever quoted, which one do you quote the most?
My answer will be in the form of a list. Feel free to contribute your own.
1.National Lampoon's Vacation
2.Zoolander
3.The 40-year-old Virgin
4.Napolean Dynamite
5.Dumb and Dumber
I bought Knocked Up on Tuesday. It was one of my favorite movies of the year in the theater, and I so bought the 2-disc special edition. Lacey and I watched it again last night, and I found myself laughing less, but liking it more. It is definitely not one of those comedies where the jokes get funnier, or you notice other hilarious stuff on every subsequent viewing. Most of the laughs are one-time things that rely almost on shock value. Normally, that is terrible for a comedy: you laugh once, and then never want to see it again. But this movie seems to be an exception. The characters are endearing and lovable, with all their obvious and enormous flaws. They make mistakes, and then pick themselves up, learn from them, and move ahead. They are genuinely sorry when they've acted poorly, and they do their best to rectify the situation. In essence, they sin, and are forgiven, and try not to do the same thing over again, which is a good lesson for all of us.
I also really like how at first, the two leads are trying to make it work, just because she's pregnant. But then the Seth Rogen character actually matures, and realizes that it's the right thing to do, not just the acceptable thing to do. Another analogy I thought of, was when I was growing up, my faith was very childlike, and Dad always taught me that eventually I would have to "own" my faith, and make it mine. Not because that is what I was told to do by my parents, but because it was the right thing to do. And that's kind of the transformation that they go through: from what society says they should probably do, to what they actually think it right. And that is nice and refreshing. Of course, the movie is not free from crass by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it perfect. But I really, really liked this movie, not just because I laughed a lot (which I still did, even the 2nd time) but because this is a quality film. Judd Apatow is certainly good at what he does.
So my son is now three months old. And the last couple of weeks, he has been changing a LOT. He now smiles constantly (when he isn't hungry or tired), and will actually react to me. I smile, he smiles. I put out my hand, he plays with it. He's so much more interesting! Rather than just smiling because it happened by accident, he responds to his surroundings. It is incredible to see, he seems to be learning so much so quickly! He's holding his head up, he's observant, and he's also starting to sleep most of the way through the night (much to Lacey's delight). He just seems like more of a person, and less like a baby/bump on a log. All that to say, I guess he's a keeper. I can't wait to see how much he changes in the NEXT three months of his life!
BTW, his hair is turning more red, but his eyes are still blue as can be. And he is GROWING like a weed! He's almost 13 pounds, and has grown in length by almost half a foot in 14 weeks. God is good.
We are motoring through these TV seasons on DVD! Just finished S3 of G.A. and I was fairly pleased. Of course, there was your garden variety crap, like a lot of primetime soaps. And then there was the 2-episode arc that was basically a promo for ABC's new show with the redhead...yeah, that sucked. But overall, they were dealing with some pretty significant themes throughout the season that took it in a darker direction - specifically death and infidelity. I think maybe they took it a bit overboard with the whole melodramatic angle, and made EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER miserable in their own way. But the stuff with Meredith in the "afterlife" and dealing with her own mortality and feelings of intimacy was really good. I don't like how much they've changed George's character since his father's death - but that (I would guess) is what happens when you lose the patriarch of the family. It has got to be devastating, especially as non-Christians. And I've heard quite a bit about a big George/Izzie backlash - but I kinda like their relationship. Love, real love, ALWAYS grows out of friendship. So bringing that to bear in their storyline was fine...it just bothered me that it had to be in the context of adultery, since George made an obviously rash decision to marry Callie on the rebound. It's typical Hollywood garbage, but what can I say? We're addicted. The one huge mistake was letting Isaiah Washington get away. Without the Preston Burke character, they are losing the moral center of the show (I"m not speaking about the actor, but the character) and I don't think it will be the same without him. He was magnetic - well-spoken, smart, funny, etc. and I think he will be sorely missed.
I also wanted to add some thoughts I've had about Heroes, that I just discovered. For the 2 people that read this blog - does anyone watch the show? I think that the whole Sylar vs. Peter thing is very much a metaphor for the battle between Christ and Satan. Follow me on this now. Peter's job was to save the world, correct (i.e. save the cheerleader, save the world)? Just like Christ came to redeem/save the world. And Peter's power is that he absorbs the power of the other heroes by coming into contact with them. Sylar, on the other hand, is seeking to destroy the other heroes, by doing what Peter does, only unnaturally (i.e. killing them). So he mimics Peter, the same way that Satan mimics Christ. Satan is the false god, Jesus is the real savior of His people. I could go on, but you get the idea. Cool, huh?
Lacey and I just got done with season 1 of Heroes on DVD. And we really liked it. I wouldn't say we loved it, certainly nothing like we loved 24, The O.C., or Scrubs. But it was a very watchable, very well-put-together show. Of course I like anything to do with superpowers, comic books, etc. So that part of the show was excellent. I think that they put a lot of good ideas of others together, in a very cogent way. My problem was that instead of borrowing, a lot of the show was downright stealing. X-Men, Fight Club, you name it, they stole it. Also, I think that the first half the season, they suffered from Character Overload, so you couldn't form emotional attachments to the characters. But that changed about halfway through, and I really started to care about the people. There was one episode in particular, where I even turned to Lacey and said "Wow, that was REALLY good." Anyway, it doesn't have much of a soundtrack, the whole Jessica/Nikki thing really bugged me through most of the season, and again, it's STEALING. But overall, it was very enjoyable, and we will definitely be tuning in for season 2. Lacey thought the season finale was a bit of a cop-out, and I agree, it wasn't as tense or well-produced as the rest of the season. It was almost like they rushed it. But still, good stuff.
1.Best Movie (released in theaters): Transformers (shout out to Knocked up and Superbad for comedies)
2.Best Rental: Hot Fuzz
3.TV Show: Big Brother 8
4.TV Show on DVD: Grey's Anatomy
5.CD: The Fray - How to Save a Life (honorable mention to The Pumpkins and John Mayer)
6.Greatest Moment: Do you even have to ask?
7.Song: Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's
8.New Place: Notre Dame Stadium...before kickoff
9.News: Christin's engagement
10.Favorite Place: New home, in bed, cuddling with Lacey and Noah
I would just like to take this opportunity to wish my beautiful, smart, sexy, funny, wonderful wife a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! She is the best thing that ever happened to a poor schmoe like me, and has been an incredible wife and mother. I hope you have a great day, and I look forward to many more birthdays to come. I LOVE YOU!