Movie Night With Our Daughter
Last night, my wife and I introduced our older daughter to a couple of classic movies. It was a cold night, we a had a fire burning, had just finished a nice dinner, and we were looking for something to do. (The younger kid was sleeping over at a friend's house.)
The first movie we suggested was The Sting (1973, directed by George Roy Hill). Our daughter was a little skeptical -- she didn't think it looked like something she would enjoy. But my wife assured her that at worst she would get to spend a couple of hours looking at Robert Redford and Paul Newman, and that seemed to convince her. She wound up loving it. I mean LOVING it. All the twists and turns, the rising tension, and, yes, the vintage eye-candy. I was reminded of just how great a movie it is. I happen to like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the first Redford/Newman collaboration, even more, but still, it was a pleasure to watch it again.
After watching The Sting, we could have suggested just about any movie, and our daughter would have gone along with it. But we were on one of the American Film Institute sites -- 100 greatest movie quotes, I think it was -- and there were so many quotes from Casablanca, that we decided to watch that one. She didn't like Casablanca quite as much; it's a bit more dated, a little slower. Still, she did enjoy it, and was quoting it time and again today.
For me, one of the great pleasures of parenting, particularly as my kids get older, is introducing them to some of the things we enjoy: our favorite foods, our favorite places, and our favorite movies. Last night was loads of fun. I'm looking forward to having another movie night some time soon.
The first movie we suggested was The Sting (1973, directed by George Roy Hill). Our daughter was a little skeptical -- she didn't think it looked like something she would enjoy. But my wife assured her that at worst she would get to spend a couple of hours looking at Robert Redford and Paul Newman, and that seemed to convince her. She wound up loving it. I mean LOVING it. All the twists and turns, the rising tension, and, yes, the vintage eye-candy. I was reminded of just how great a movie it is. I happen to like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the first Redford/Newman collaboration, even more, but still, it was a pleasure to watch it again.
After watching The Sting, we could have suggested just about any movie, and our daughter would have gone along with it. But we were on one of the American Film Institute sites -- 100 greatest movie quotes, I think it was -- and there were so many quotes from Casablanca, that we decided to watch that one. She didn't like Casablanca quite as much; it's a bit more dated, a little slower. Still, she did enjoy it, and was quoting it time and again today.
For me, one of the great pleasures of parenting, particularly as my kids get older, is introducing them to some of the things we enjoy: our favorite foods, our favorite places, and our favorite movies. Last night was loads of fun. I'm looking forward to having another movie night some time soon.