Movies Men (And I) Love

I fully intended for this post to be about over commitment. You know, how so many women have difficulty using the word ‘no’ and all the reasons why? But this week is Mob Week on AMC and that changed everything…

I grew up in  a household with its fair share of testosterone: father, brother, grandfather, and cousin (male), with a strong influence from my favorite uncle who I saw often. I attribute some of these males with an abounding love of movies that most women shy away from and most men consider a rite of passage to watch. Case in point:

My brother: The Dirty Dozen; Scarface; and the Blues Brothers          I can easily recite 90% of the dialogue from Scarface and 95% of the Blues Brothers. I watch these 3 movies every time they’re on like the female population watches Pretty Woman. (Also a classic, but come on—we’re talking Tony Montana and Elroy and Jake.)

My Uncle: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly; Hang ‘Em High; and High Plains Drifter                                                                                     The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is easily 4 hours long and we’ve watched it almost every holiday in the last 10 years. (Ok, maybe not your typical holiday viewing.) It would be unfair of me however, not to credit my uncle with his influence on my love of old movies as well. Chick flicks or not, Sorry Wrong Number, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Rebecca, if it was in black and white, he knew it and all the actors and actresses and their histories. Who knew poor Vivien Leigh was an alcoholic. Sad.

My father (and indirect inspiration for this post): The Godfather’s; Goodfellas; and Casino                                                                              Yes, I grew up in NJ, in a community with a strong Italian presence. So when the Dapper Don—that’s John Gotti for those that don’t know—did anything, it was front page news in our local paper—The New York Daily News (which I still read incidentally). So it was all very real. Seriously, who doesn’t have some sort of fascination with the mob on some level? Horse heads in beds. I mean, these movies are based on real people—come on!

So thank you AMC. Thank you for the classics. And thank you for Mob Week, I’m enjoying it tremendously, (they’d be even better if they weren’t edited, but you can’t have everything). I embrace my feelings for the movies men and I love. And I’m sure I’m not the only woman who feels this way.