Academy Awards tonite. Here’s a funny video that asks “What Movie Is in You?” It made me ponder what is my movie. A number of favorites ran thru my mind ranging from Butch Cassidy to Pulp Fiction. And then I thought of Mike Raley’s favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Mike would always reference this movie as a lesson on how to deal with and treat people. Mike still watches this movie every Christmas. (Makes me smile too knowing that Jimmy Stewart’s character is named George Bailey as in Raley!) Found this bar room scene from the movie where the bar tender responds to a request for mulled wine at the 1:00 mark “We serve hard drinks in here for men who want to get drunk fast. And we don’t need any characters around here to give the joint atmosphere.”
Maybe that’s not how you should treat people.
So what movie is in me? Had to think about it some but landed on Diner a film that I can always watch and enjoy over and over. I like the fact that it takes place in Baltimore, revolves around the Colts’ 59 Championship game and most of all involves a bunch of guys sitting around talking about the world and it’s problems. Feels very familiar you know? Sort of like Buzzy’s. As the following critic noted:
“The boys/men knew they could attain refuge and solace at the Diner! Be it from eating French Fries with gravy, expounding about first experiences, bickering over nothing whatsoever, and most significantly, thoroughly and completely understanding each other! No matter what happens they will always have the Diner!!” (From IMDB)
One cautionary note about Diner before you try and track it down per my recommendation – it’s not over-the-top action wise. I recently loaned it to Brady and his fiancee Catie after I asked Brady if he was going to have Catie take a Ravens’ quiz before he’d agree to marry her. (A sub-plot in Diner actually involves this very item only the quiz was on the old Baltimore Colts.) Neither Brady nor Catie cared for the movie.
The Mickey Rourke character in the movie is based on Barry Levinson’s real life friend Boogie Weinglass who founded the clothing store Merry-Go-Round (click here for details how it grew and then went south.)