The 'Reel Mom' makes her column debut

Written by Sally Sanders
Monday, 06 July 2009 12:40

Since 1999, members of the Schumann family of Ridgefield have written movie commentary for the Arts and Leisure section, first under the title "Take Two" and now under "Reel Dad." Mark, the father, and sons Jonathan, Matthew and Garrett, have expressed their (often contrasting) points of view about films week after week over the years — but Leann, wife and mother, has till now never contributed her voice.

This week Leann — who regularly goes to the movies with Mark and the boys — ventures to two new films and, in an Arts and Leisure exclusive, reports her views for the first time. Introducing, the "Reel Mom” at the movies.

As the mother of three sons who love the movies — and the wife of a movie fanatic — I am bombarded with opportunities to watch films with my family. I am not a picky moviegoer but there are certain kinds of movies I simply don’t like. Don’t invite me, for example, to a war or action film. Those are not for me.

This week I was invited by two different friends to see two different types of movies in the middle of the afternoon, something I can’t ever remember having indulged in. The first film, The Hangover, is something I would never have considered on my own while the second, The Proposal, is a typical chick flick. Here’s what I thought of them.

Quite unexpectedly, I like The Hangover a lot, even though the end credits are not to my taste. It is entertaining, outrageous, fun and almost sweet. It was worth the price of admission for the shock value alone when I told my family that I had seen it. Color them stunned.

The Hangover tells the story of a small bachelor party jaunt to Las Vegas. The groom to be and his two best friends are joined by the bride to be’s brother — a bit of a misfit who is included because taking him is the right thing to do. Initially, the groom sets restrictions for the group, to keep everyone’s behavior in check. But through a series of misadventures, that plan gets tossed off course, and the men wake up the next morning with a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, a destroyed penthouse, and no sign of the groom to be. Their search for their missing friend — as they look for clues of their wild evening — is a lot of fun. The movie is sweet, silly, outrageous and, in the end, everything works out.

I generally don’t go for frat boy humor and, based on the commercials, that’s what I expected. But The Hangover has less of this than anticipated and, until the raunchy credits, is actually endearing. I would recommend it for anyone who is looking for fun at the movies.

The Proposal — with Sandra Bullock — is a predictable, romantic comedy that borrows quite a bit from many movies we have all seen.

Sandra Bullock plays a high powered New York City publisher who is so consumed by the success of her job that she, a Canadian, fails to take care of her immigration requirements. As a result, she surprisingly finds herself on the verge of being deported and, in flash, gets the idea to marry her American assistant as a ploy to stay in the country. Then a weekend trip to Alaska, to “tell” the “groom’s” family, turns into a romantic adventure that, after several twists, delivers a “happy ending.” The Proposal is entertaining, and could make anyone want to visit the beauty of Alaska.

As the mother in a family of movie fans, I get many chances to watch films. Sometimes I say “yes” and sometimes I do my own thing. This week, it was fun to escape into the dark theater with my friends.

Find out why buy viagra online without prescription , and much more. The meds you need cheap kamagra ,The Lowest Prise! Here you can buy abilify online at low cost.