Sometimes I Write

As a woman and mother, I wear many hats. Today I am a movie critic! Our family went to see The Incredibles yesterday afternoon. What a movie! Action & adventure family style. Max was so excited to finally see it. He’s been salivating over the commercials since the first preview came out. Thursday afternoon is a great time for families with small children to go to the movies. We were 5 of the 9 people there.Our theater is even equippd with a cry room, which turned out to be a good thing for Pete. Without giving away too much of the movie, I’d like to share a few of my observations. It’s about a family of superheroes that live a suburban life and deal with some of the same issues we deal with in real life…Dad hates his job, Mom’s at home with the baby, son gets into trouble at school, daughter feels awkward with other kids and “hides” from them when she can. They aren’t allowed to use their powers because they live in a lawsuit happy world, and all of the “supers” in the world were forced into a relocation program. They have to live undetected in society. Maybe I’ve just been in youth ministry so long that I can’t help pulling out spiritual applications from everything I watch and see. Are you with me so far?

This movie was full of scenarios and topics to discuss with my son, some good and a few bad. I was thrilled that this movie portrayed family in a positive light. Yes, they had their faults (the husband lies to his wife, the son is mean to his sister, family communication needs work, etc.) but when it came down to it, the family members were fiercely loyal to one another and came together to work as a team. The characters did learn their lessons about honesty, loyalty, consequences, and identity, some of them the hard way, and I loved that! Aren’t we just like that? I especially liked Violet, the daughter. When she doesn’t have to hide who she is anymore, she really blossoms and her confidence level skyrockets. Even the baby at the end of the movie bands together with his family to help defeat the bad guy. I do wish they had chosen a better example of transformation for him though. Several times during the movie Max and I turned to each other to say, “Whoa! That was cool!” Pete and Zoe slept through most of it, which was fine by me. They’ll have a chance to see it again – when we buy it on dvd. For those of you who really know me, you’ll know I’m a list lover. Here’s my list of what I loved about our family date yesterday, and the movie itself:

• I got to spend time with my family while doing something that all of us love -going to the movies…yes, it was passed down through our genes!
• I was entertained and challenged as I picked apart the film’s “lessons”.
• Max and I shared a Pepsi with two straws.
• The wife did her best to love and encourage her husband and be a good parent. It wasn’t just about her own agenda. ( A good lesson for me!)
• She rescued her children when they were in danger, but also told them the truth about the dangers of the world – some people will not stop just because they are children – they would hurt them anyway.
• Mr. Incredible had a good friend to share his frustrations with – a friend who really knew him – secret identity and all.
• I already mentioned Violet. It was interesting watching her hide who she is, only to gain confidence and strength when she was finally able to be & show her true self. (I have watched this play out in countless teenager’s lives in the past 10 years.)
• The bad guy didn’t start out bad…he started out wanting to do good, but when his jealousy overtook him, he became someone none of us wants to be, a vengeful person.
• My favorite lessons? In the end, this family learned that there are ways to live in society and blend in a bit without compromising who you were made to be. They also learned that sometimes you have to work together with other people to fight the evils of the world.
• There are five family members – Dad, Mom, daughter, son, and baby…sounds like my family, which is pretty incredible too!
• For the rest of the day, Max ran everywhere we went, and he and Zoe called Pete “Jack Jack”. HaHaHa

What a great movie…did I already say that?