The Cosby Show.......................Fun in the Summer Sun

The Cosby Show
E for Everyone


Okay, so maybe that should really read fun out of the summer sun.  It has been so blasted hot that I have been trying to find inside things for my kids to do that do not involve me.  Then I saw this on Netfilx Instant Viewing.  "Ya'll will probably like this."  were my words of wisdom as pressed play and began to exit the room.  Only I didn't exit the room.  As soon as the theme song came on, my foot was stuck in the door.  Here, I will link it for you.  If you are of an age where you grew up watching this show, take a deep breath and let the memories flood you.  It is like finding a letter from an old friend in the bottom of a drawer.

 Folks, if you have not already done so, you HAVE to watch this with your family.  We have been laughing hysterically for days now.  My husband asks for it when he comes home from work.  It has also opened the door for me to tell the kids things about myself that I had forgotten.  Stuff that this show triggered memories of.  "You know know when I went to my first year of college, this show was so popular that everything stopped when it came one.  Whole dorms would crowd in the TV room to see it."

I am about the same age as Denise so it was a little strange realizing that, though I am neither a doctor or a lawyer, I actually have more in common with Mr and Mrs Huxtable now than with the kids. But that only added to the fun. This kind of humor doesn't get old.  Sure there is a line or two that only I got ("Nobody who isn't on stage singing with his four brothers needs a $90 shirt") but they are few and far between.

One good surprise was that Malcom Jamal Warner was way funnier than I remember.  It was also kind of nice to look up his bio and find out that he is a child star that seems have escaped the perils of being one.  Makes me want to go look up his more recent work.

Another fun surprise was how much of the supporting cast I remember.  This little fellow walked in the door with Rudy and I yelled "Oh!  Peter!"  I pulled that name out of the dark recesses of my brain.  He then rewarded me by providing me with one of the biggest laughs I have had in a long time.






Does it hold up

Nope.

BWHAHAHAHAHA!  Of course it does.  Get thee to the TV and watch some Cosby!

Here is something to wet your appetite.

Father of the Bride

Father of the Bride
PG

In spite of the fact that I have not seen this movie in years, and I mean since it was in the theater in 1991 years, I think about it a lot.  While that may seem a little odd to some, there is a good reason for it.  My oldest son, who heretofore will be known as The Athlete, is a ginormous Brad Paisley fan.  Mr. Paisley is married to Kimberly Williams, who is now officially Kimberly Williams-Paisley.  Brad Paisley has song in which he mentions going to see this movie with a date other than his now wife.  Here it is for anyone who hasn't heard the song.  It is even the very first part for the impatient. So anyway, one Friday night when we were casting about for a family night film, this one came to mind.

Does it hold up?

The short answer would be yes it does.  But when have I ever stuck with the short answer?

My kids in particular thought it was hysterical.  Even my husband, who had somehow missed seeing this before (SAY WHAT?!?!?!?!?) thought it was funny.  I confess that I did not find it as funny as I remembered it being but I had a terrific time watching my kids and husband laugh, so that made up for it.  The scene where Steve Martin is lurking around the future in-laws house is a classic and had us all rolling.

 And you know a movie is a hit when the family goes around quoting it to each other for several days afterwards.  There was a downside to the quoting thing as the one line I wish had NOT been in the movie was the most likely to be quoted.  Remember early in the film when the family is meeting the fiance and the flustered Dad says "be sure to fasten your condom"? Yeah, I didn't remember that part either.  But I do now.  Around here we just call it a teaching moment and we had the pleasure (and I use that term loosely) of pausing the movie and having an impromptu conversation of different means of birth control.  YEAH.  Note the fellow to the right for my true feeling on that.  Not a bad thing of course.  Just not a top drawer Family Night activity. 

What to know before viewing?

1) Steve Martin looks way younger upon this viewing than he did the first time around.

 2) I will save you a Google.  Yes the little brother is a Culkin.

3) I will save you a second Google.  Yes the flamboyantly gay wedding planner sidekick is the same guy from Law and Order Special Victims Unit.  Kudos to him  too cause it is such a different role and both are done well enough it took me a LONG time to place him.  He doesn't even look like he has aged.  Way to go B.D.Wong on good genes, a good cosmetic surgeon, or both.

4) Here is what Common Sense media had to say on the matter.  I think they are about right though I did let my 6 year old watch.

Three Star- "I Liked It"

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing.

Here is the original trailer for you viewing pleasure.

The River.................................Does It Hold Up?

The River
PG-13

This is a film from back in 1984 when Sissy Spacek was billed before Mel Gibson.  A simpler time when we were all focused on Mel's dreamy blue eyes and manly "ass-ets" (please forgive me) and not so much on the horrid things that proceed from him mouth.

This is a tale of the Garvy family as they are fighting to keep their farm and their way of life when everything seems stacked against them.  It is an American drama of one man fighting the system, the elements, and his own fatigue. In the end, he triumphs.  At least for the time being.

Does it hold up?

Now introducing my new feature.  Sometimes I like to go back and watch films that I enjoyed in the past and see if they hold up.  This one was a favorite of mine when I was 17(ish).  I lived down the block from something that was brand new, a video store.  I would walk  there and rent this VHS every few weeks. I loved it with all my heart but I have not seen it in probably twenty years.  So, does it hold up?  Yes and no.  I don't love it as much as I did then but I still like it.  And young Mel.  Whew. Yeah.  In the end I think my 17 year old self was highly influenced by the Mel factor.  The scene pictured below made my 17 year old heart sing.  Even so, I have to say it is a pretty good film and my teen self was showing the seedlings of good taste.

What to know before viewing?

1) Hats off to farmers everywhere.  If it is half as hard as this film portrays it, I don't know how you do it.

2) If "Evan is awesome!!!!!" ever shows up on this blog in a random spot, I have been hacked by a certain person in my household. Just sayin'.

3) Sissy Spacek lives up the road a piece from me and I once saw her in the airport.  She was every bit a cute in person as she is on film.  I didn't realize it was her until after she was gone because I was thinking she was a customer at the bank I worked at at the time.  That is probably all to the good anyway because I would likely have acted the fool had I known it was her.

What about the kids?


PG-13 is on target.  The stress level is high and there is a semi-nude scenes.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and here.


Three and a Half Stars- "I Liked it" plus