With the munchkin in bed and a steady stream of crap on TV (how can that be possible with 100+ channels?!), the man and I are left with nothing but our home movie collection from which to select the night’s viewing. There’s some to-ing and fro-ing as we bicker between us until I pick up a film I’ve fancied re-watching for awhile, one of my all-time favourites: The Fisher King.
My husband groans.
“You want to watch that again?”
I shrug. “I just fancied it.”
“But it’s a love story.”
“So?”
“You don’t get enough of that crap with your books?”
“What’s wrong with a love story?”
“It’s boring. Stupid. Pointless. Take your pick.”
“Oh for God’s sake … look, if that was the case, why are there so many romantic comedies?”
“Don’t ask me. I don’t bloody watch them.”
“That’s ridiculous!” I gesture wildly to our groaning DVD collection. “I defy you to find one film here that doesn’t have a love story in it one way or the other.”
I don’t catch him, but I swear he rolls his eyes.
“Look, regardless of what you may think, love’s at the centre of almost everything.”
He sighs patiently. “Whatever, Vik.”
“Find one, then!”
“What?”
“Name me one film we own that doesn’t have a love story in it somewhere.”
He snorts, indulging me with that maddening smile of his that suggests that he’s placating an idiot. With the same smug grin, he turns to the shelves and runs his eyes over the titles: Star Wars, Natural Born Killers, Cars, Meet the Parents, About A Boy, Ocean’s Eleven …
“Um …”
His superior grin is fading now: Top Gun, The Lion King, High Fidelity, Silent Hill, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Grease (embarrassing, I know, but it’s my guilty pleasure film), a billion James Bond movies …
I grin. “Well?”
… Monster, Spiderman, Memoirs of a Geisha, Monster Inc., The Goonies, Never Been Kissed, Silent Hill, Labyrinth (whoops – another guilty pleasure), As Good As It Gets …
“Have I made my point?” I have to admit, I’m feeling pretty smug myself now.
“Shut up.” He turns away – no doubt primed to stomp off to the couch – but turns back sharply, a title catching his eye. Suddenly he’s jumping in the air – yes, my thirty-four-year-old husband is leaping about like our child thirty years his junior – and waves a black DVD case in my face.
“HA! Ha! I got one! The Exorcist! There’s no love in the Exorcist!” He throws it down onto the floor as though hammering home the winning touchdown.
I sigh. “You’re a sad, sad man, babe.”
No related posts.
I thought of one right away . . . The Shawshank Redemption. It’s one of my favorite movies.
I do love love stories, though!
Hmmmm… was the younger priest in The Exorcist — wasn’t he in love with someone? Wasn’t that how the devil got to him in the end? I vaguely remember that even The Exorcist has love . . .
Then again, there’s the whole “married to the church” with priests. Surely that must count.
On the other hand, it’s wise to give him one movie. Perfect defeats can lead to bitterness.
LOL! This was a fun post, and it illustrates something that a lot of people don’t realize, even those people who belittle romance — there is some level of love in most movies. It’s a nearly universal emotion we all crave.
You’re not wrong Bettye – but as I don’t own that film, my record is in tact! LOL
Love rules the world…even the one below….
LOL! That’s something by hubby would do.
I remember going to First Blood (the first Rambo flick) on a date. God, that guy was clueless. Anyway, as he’s driving me to a place where he’s hoping to get lucky, he’s saying, “Man, that was a good movie. None of that mushy love crap.”
He sooo did not get lucky, if you’re wondering.
Who says the “love story” has to be romantic love? There is certainly a strong love story between a mother and her child in The Exorcist.
Sure, if you want to include all types of love, you’ll have a tough time picking out a movie without some form or another.
A movie that came to mind for me was Pan’s Labyrinth. Poignant, cruel, beautiful and terrible, it is also about love, but not romantic love. I don’t think hubby would have liked it, even if it was in the middle of a war. It seemed more real than any Stallone movie.
I did think about persuing that with him, Michele, but as he was already decidedly stroppy I thought I’d let him have his empty victory.
Thanks for your comments, guys!
Wow. I felt like I saw all “boy movies” this summer, without any love in them. But even Die Hard 4 has a hint of flirtation at the end.
The little cynic on my shoulder is wondering if the reason why there’s even a little love story in some of those “boy movies” movies is so women will be willing to watch the movies, too.
Alienate the women and they lose at least half of their buying audience…
[...] Vikki–I LOVE TFK! It’s one of those eternal stories. That being said, sounds like your man and my Mr. Man have something in common–they’ll keep going until they THINK they’ve won the argument at hand…. [...]