I finally saw Spellbound tonight. I loved this film. I identified so much with the kids. (I think I mentioned before that I missed out on going to Nationals by four places myself.) God, they all looked so awkward. Were we really like that? It was like watching Welcome to the Dollhouse all over again. But in spite of my own over-identification and mortification, I loved seeing them try and cheering their successes. They’re good kids.
More interestingly, the movie made me terribly homesick. Yes, it poked some gentle fun, but I think it also emphasized the very best of American values and traditions. I started out feeling uncomfortable with the Australian audience around me (who sometimes seemed to be laughing a little too hard at people that bear more than a passing resemblance to my own family) but by the end I was incredibly proud of the film’s message. (And those same Australians were audibly gasping at the difficulty of the words and cheering on the contestants.) Now I just wish I were home for Thanksgiving… *sniff*
5 responses
I know exactly how you feel. Really. Big Hugs!!!
Yeah, for some reason Thanksgiving is just the *worst* in terms of the homesickness…
as someone who’s not getting home for christmas, i totally empathise. it always makes it harder when something really reminds you of home as well. for me, it was a doco on the perth zoo on channel ten the other day. you know you;re homesick when you are looking at trisha the elephant and thinking “oh, trisha, how i miss you!” 🙂
yes, yes we were all that awkward. I wish you’d been there for the Thanksgiving when Tiny felt the need to tell me how happy she was I ‘Grew out of my ugly phase’ b/c she was worried about me for a while. Oh yeah! That was big fun. Now I’m told how beautiful I am every time I see her and give her a sufficiently hard time. God love your family. 🙂
Heh. See, that anecdote just killed a little of the homesickness. 🙂
When we were home last summer everybody was all, “Wow! You really look great now that you lost all that weight! You’re pretty!” and I’m like, “Gee, thanks for evidently putting up with me during my horrid fat troglodyte phase!”