Terms of Endearment

There are a few times a week that I decide I'm going to escape my life and throw on a movie. Two nights ago was one of those nights. I had lost my phone, something I often do and am grateful for because I hate depending on text messages to make me happy. (Seriously, I suggest if you ever get tired of constantly looking at your phone... Shut it off for a week. You'll be AMAZED at how much less you care! Also, yes, I'm this vain. Go away.) But that night I really wanted to talk to my mother, and I really needed to cry. You ever have those days? It may be because I haven't cried in a weeks or so and my usual laugh to cry ratio is about 3:1.... I'm a fucking mess. Not really. Am I? Life.

Back on track. I could feel my sadness looming and the only way to break my sadness without being able to talk and laugh with my mother was to cry. So on a Saturday night I stayed in and watched one of my favorite films on this planet, Terms of Endearment. I like a wide range of films. From Free Willy to Dumbo to Congo to The Cable Guy to Trainspotting. It takes a lot for me to dislike a film. And Terms of Endearment has a lot of my favorite qualities. It has Jeff Daniels, it has Jack Nicholson, it has romance, it has laughter, and it has honesty. Holy shit balls it has honesty.

There is a scene in this movie that I watch repeatedly when I'm doubting if I want to write for a living. Shirley (MOTHA LOVING SHIRLEY) MaClaine has just yelled at the nurses in the hospital over her daughter being in so much pain. She is walking back in the hotel and she sees Jack Nicholson. You can see her exhaustion, you can see her pain, and when she hugs him and they sit on the stairs I lose it. I lose all my strength and I weep like a third grader with a skinned knee. The way she says 'Who woulda thought you were a good guy?' in that scene makes me break.

And that's why I wanna write movies. That scene. That's why I wanna be in the room to see a woman like that be a power house and to see a man like him steal my heart right outta my fingers by simply wrapping his arms around that woman.

It's my favorite scene in any movie, ever, at the moment. And I got my cry on, I got my emotions out, and I woke up the next morning not only in a much better mood, but feeling so energized and ready to start my day.

I love movies. I love that they can turn your moods around and upside down and be the best part of your day. I hope I get to say one day I helped make a film. Hell, I think I'll go make one right now. And steal every good idea out of Terms of Endearment and throw it in mine. Including Jeff Daniels... is he around?

I also watched Dumb and Dumber because of my said Jeff Daniels crush and the toilet scene still makes me almost do what he does in that scene. Shit myself.

Cheers to Jeff, cheers to Shirley, cheers to Jack, cheers to you.