I’ve probably watched too many movies. I confess that while I’ve found some better than others, I’ve enjoyed just about every movie I’ve ever seen. Many were fun, and some were meaningful. Before someone accuses me of having no ability to tell good from bad, I want to add two things. Thing One: as a part of the first world, I admit it’s a privilege to be able to watch movies. Many people have never had the opportunity. Thing Two: there are certain genres I generally stay away from – psychotic horror shows, pointless pornography, and puerile comedies. Sorry, I won’t mention any names, but my dear readers might conclude that movies having words such as Texas, chainsaw, massacre, saw, cheerleaders, naughty, or words to the effect of anyone “doing” someone are extremely low on my list.
I admit I’ve been drawn to action-adventure movies – the kind of stories some call “bootleg romanticism” – stories in which the heroes must overcome insurmountable odds to rescue someone or save the world. If there is violence in these tales, at least it has a point. Now that I think of it, I like stories that have a point. I also like science fiction and superhero movies, as much for the escapism as for their references to real-world problems. I understand that few of these movies are “great,” but many are good, at least in terms of what they set out to portray.
I’ve read many comments saying that this or that movie was terrible – in the vernacular, it “sucked.” Often, I recall that when I watched the same movie, I thought it was entertaining. In many cases, the movie was based on a comic book, certainly not a book like Doctor Zhivago. When I think back to the comic books I read while waiting for a haircut – there were too many to count – I’m just grateful someone took the time to bring some of these stories to live-action cinema. While there is no doubt room for improvement, in my mind the fun outweighs the flaws. I find I can enjoy practically any movie for what it is rather than complain about what it is not.
Some might read this and think I’m a sucker who likes sucky movies. I think it’s possible to like some movies more than others without whining about how some are not all they could be. Much of the criticism I see amounts to, “This is not the movie I would have made.” To this I reply, “Then line up some investors, hire some actors and a crew, and make your own movie. Talk is cheap.”
People complain that their life is not all it could be. Their spouse or their relatives are not everything they want them to be. Their friends don’t do things the way they would. The restaurants they choose don’t make dishes that suit their taste. Yet, to use a worn-out cliché, life is what it is. Life has imperfections. I’d argue that often these add to its richness. Who said life would be perfect, much less fair? We get upset when things don’t go our way, but there are no guarantees they will. When things do go our way, even a little bit, maybe our reaction ought to be appreciation rather than quibbling. Maybe we shouldn’t expect things to be what they’re not.
I saw a clip of Keanu Reeves talking about his upcoming sequel to “John Wick.” When he was asked what the audience could expect, he replied, “It’s a John Wick movie.” Will there be action? Will there be weapons? Will there be gunfights? The answer is the same: It’s a John Wick movie. In other words, don’t expect it to be something it’s never going to be.
Now, I’m not saying we should accept life as it is. Far from it. If our lives are not the way we want them to be, we can take steps to change things. We can make our own movie. And of course, domestic violence, child abuse, bullying, and exploitation in any form are never acceptable. Period. I’m not talking about accepting life as a movie that advocates or causes harm to anyone. And I’m not talking about honoring your spouse, your parents, your boss, your friends, or even your children no matter what. People must become worthy of our respect, not to mention our loyalty.
Nevertheless, we can choose to make life worse than it is. We can find fault, sew division, and stoke discord. We can turn molehills into mountains of grievances on a moment’s notice. Or we can expect and accept imperfections. We can allow people to be who they are (within reason). We can like people as they are without insisting that they become as we want them to be. The lyrics to It Had to Be You come to mind. “With all your faults, I love you still…” We can learn to see past each other’s faults. We can cultivate our ability to love others as we hope they would love us.
MurrayWorks 