Proud to be an American

I don't watch movies. I haven't been to a movie since the 3rd Lord of the Rings. I don't care for the whole "movie experience" - crowds, noise, sticky floors, rude moviegoers, ten bucks to watch crap I wouldn't let my mother or daughter see. We have cable, so HBO & Cinemax are part of the package, but I only know that cuz I watched "Ratatouille" with the boy I was minding last summer.

Today, Handsome Hubby & Lovely Daughter went to see "Slumdog Millionaire" & both loved it. Then they talked about an HBO movie Kait had seen Tuesday & Duffy had read something about this week in the base paper - "Taking Chance" with Kevin Bacon. Coincidentally, it was on today at 2:30. After Kait went home, Duffy decided to watch it (he loves movies), but because I'd read about it, knew what it was about, but I don't do movies - I stuck with cleaning up the kitchen & doing laundry. It was loud enough for me to hear most of the beginning & after 10 or 15 minutes, I had to sit down & watch.

Part of the attraction for me was where much of the movie took place. I've been in the Billings, Montana airport more than once, I've driven the road along the Yellowstone river between Billings & Wyoming...just 2 years ago, as a matter of fact. But the whole story is simple, compelling, heart-wrenching, & satisfactory in a way that doesn't come in "entertainment" venues much these days.

If you don't know the plot, Kevin Bacon plays a Marine officer who requests permission to return the remains of a young Marine killed in Iraq to his family, from Dover, DE to a very small town in Wyoming. This is not an assignment given to senior officers, it's what Sergeants & PFC's do. And it's true. The officer really made this trip, and, according to what Duffy read, took "copious notes." There's not a sour note in the whole damn thing.

It's an amazing story. A beautiful movie. See it, if you get a chance (HBO on demand).

Keep the kleenex box close.