I’ve decided to have a little fun today – so please don’t take any of this too seriously.
Those of you who periodically follow this blog are probably aware that I’m a videophile. I love feature films and documentaries and on occasion, have been a faithful follower of selected television shows and series. The common denominator among the things I watch is that they must engage my mind and/or emotions. In other words, I don’t normally watch something simply to pass the time or as an ”escape”. As a father of two females (Shana: 12 and Rachel: soon-to-be 14), I’ve seen all the major ”girl” movies and most of the popular kids movies of the past 10-12 years. In recent times, however; with Rachel’s emergence as a young woman, I’ve also learned to understand and negotiate my way through all things “chick”. This obviously includes “chick flicks“, which I am often compelled to watch because our family is democratic about managing its Netflix queue. Here’s a link to an article from 2008 in the New York Times about this genre.
The other evening, we watched a movie that was obviously selected by Rachel & Barbara (my wife) - Julie & Julia. Unbeknownst to me, it was written and directed by one of the acknowledged queens of the “chick flick” genre, Nora Ephron. Had I known this, I wouldn’t have been such a reluctant participant because I’ve really enjoyed several of her films, including Silkwood (w/Meryl Streep and Cher), When Harry Met Sally, and Sleepless in Seattle. Guys, go ahead and cringe if you must! I prefer to think of it as making me a much more “rounded” person ;-).
As it turns out, Sleepless in Seattle has become one of Rachel’s favorite films. We’ve watched it countless times together, reciting bits of memorized dialogue - much as I did with my father and the film The Magnificent Seven (Calvera the bandit, after telling a brief story: “I merely wanted to show you what little religion people now have.” Sotereo the innkeeper, in response: “That I can see for myself”. Calvera jumps up, slapping Sotero twice across the face and growls: “Don’t see!”).
Like her father, Rachel has become quite the connoisseur of media – particularly books and film.
Personally, I found the movie to be delightful and was particularly impressed with Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Julia Child - that is, the image of Julia Child most of us had from watching her on TV over the years. Afterwards, I reflected on the movie and did a little bit of research on Julia. By most accounts, she possessed two characteristics that I believe are essential to achieving excellence. First of all, she was absolutely fearless. This doesn’t mean she didn’t have any fears or failures – she had plenty. It simply means that she never allowed them to dictate the course of her life. This struggle to “overcome” engendered a strong sense of determination, which in turn, allowed her to persevere through adversity and setbacks. The second characteristic that caught my attention was her adaptability or flexibility. Time and time again, she was forced to adapt to changing circumstances, to roadblocks she encountered, and to resistance or discrimination on the part of others. Invariably, she managed to find a way through or around.
I found the portrayal of Julia Child to be inspiring – as did my daughter, Rachel. In that regard, the movie conformed to one of the fundamental tenets of a modern-day “chick flick”: it portrayed a strong woman, who was in many respects ordinary, but who was able to accomplish extraordinary things in life. That’s something you don’t need to be a “chick” to appreciate.
