Life is so not fair. But these movies will help you deal with it.
In 6th grade English class, they asked us to write a speech. I wrote mine about movies. To this day, I can still remember talking about Spielberg, the movie theater experience, and all of the genres under the sun. I believe my opening line was: “Everyone loves the movies!”
Spend a day with me and you’ll quickly realize that I am fluent in movie/TV quotes, and pretty damn proud of it. I am always injecting quotes from Mean Girls, Friends (I am so Monica!), Clueless, and Seinfeld...into the conversation -- I honestly can’t help it.
Like books, movies give us a break from our lives and transport us to new worlds. They provide insight, offer different perspectives, make us laugh, make us cry, and inspire us. And, my favorite, they connect us.
Because I know good movies like sommeliers know fine wines, my friend Kathleen suggested that I share this passion with all of you. So, here are my top must-see films out right now:
Bird Box
Sandra Bullock is one of my all-time favorite actresses and as usual, she doesn’t disappoint. I avoided all of the reviews and went into this film completely blind[folded], so I honestly didn’t know what to expect. If you’re not familiar with the plot, I don’t want to give it away. All I will say is, I was entertained and on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was also impressed that Sandra did the movie completely blindfolded.
Life Itself
This film follows two love stories infused with a thought-provoking message. It’s a little slow and confusing in the beginning, but keep going, ‘cause it gets really good. I was literally sobbing. I love the message this movie sends. (Check out my favorite quote from it at the end of this post.)
A Simple Favor
I was so excited to watch the story about Emily’s (Blake Lively) mysterious disappearance that I ran to the theater to see it. Fraught with delicious twists and turns, I was happily surprised to find that this thriller was a comedy, too. I laughed out loud many times. Love love love Blake in this film. Note to self: Be Emily when I grow up. (Haha, just kidding, sorta.)
Peppermint
From the director of Taken (one of my favorite films!), Peppermint stars Jennifer Garner, whose family is killed right before her eyes. When the system fails her, she serves up justice to those that deserve it. I know it’s cliché, but I don’t care. And I don’t care that the critics didn’t like this movie --I did; Jennifer kicks ass in it. And kudos to Jen, whose stunt double estimated that Jen performed 98% of her stunts!
Honorable Mention: The Only Living Boy in New York
A 20-something man befriends his older neighbor (Jeff Bridges) and divulges his salacious family drama to him. I think it’s a must-see for it’s message. This quote from the film especially resonated with me: “It’s just this perpetual cycle of expectations and disappointments. The farthest distance in the world is how it is and how you thought it would be.”
These films are a reminder that life is far from perfect --remember this the next time you’re scrolling through Instagram and coveting someone else’s life.
So here’s that quote I mentioned earlier from Life Itself:
“And while it may be easy to wallow in the tragedies that shape our lives, and while it’s natural to focus on those unspeakable moments that bring us to our knees, we must remind ourselves that if we get up, if we take the story a little bit farther...if we go far enough, there’s love.”
