Something old and something new...

So yesterday an old Ginger Rogers film, The Major and the Minor, came out on DVD. I just got done watching it a bit ago and I am so glad I invested the twelve bucks to get it. Such a good movie. I realized as I was popping it in that, even thought it's probably my favorite black and white film, I have never actually seen the whole thing. I came in maybe twenty minutes into it the first time I saw it and then ever since have only caught it in bits and pieces. It's a sweet and funny story that probably could not be told today--though I guess Drew Barrymore's Never Been Kissed a few years back had a similar-ish plot.

Ginger Rogers plays a small town girl struggling to make it in New York City in 1941. She finally decides she's had enough and makes plans to return home to Iowa. The only problem is she's wiped out--the only cash she has left is the money she saved for her return trip home--just in case--problem is, the railroad upped the price of the ticket and the bus drivers are on strike. So she gets the brilliant idea to pose as a twelve year-old so as to get a half-price fair and be able to make it home. The train conductors are suspicious of her from the start, and while evading them she meets a Major in the Army who teaches at a nearby military academy. One thing leads to another and she ends up staying at the military academy with the Major's very jealous fiancee and his fiancee's very smart younger sister. Of course she falls for the Major and is faced with the conundrum of how to explain to him that she's not really a twelve year old girl without risking his ire.

Like I said, it's a sweet story, and the cast is pretty dynamic. So if you're in the market to add a classic to your collection, you should pick this one up, or if you are looking for something fun at the video store, this may be the movie for you.

Of course, the reason I watched this DVD tonight and not last night is that last night my husband and I went out to see a new movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Wow. Freakin' funny stuff. Though if you are considering going to see it I must give you two warnings: There's some pretty immediate full frontal nudity of Jason Segel going on (way more than I ever needed to see of this guy, I'm telling you). It's nothing bad or gross or anything, and it's really part of the humor of the situation, but if you're not expecting it, it can definitely throw you. The second warning is that this one gets pretty vulgar from time to time. Again, it's nothing extreme, and is worked into the humor and the story pretty flawlessly, but it's still there.

Those things aside, this movie was absolutely hilarious. My day yesterday was not good and this made me totally forget all that crap for a while, even with the crazy party of ladies sitting in the row in front of me. This was a very real portrayal of a breakup, even if some of the characters are extreme, the emotion behind them, even all of the side characters, is very real. Plus, there's singing vampire puppets.

So if you don't mind some random humorous nudity or a quick walk on the funny vulgar side, this is a great film to check out. Just beware the crazy drunk ladies with the leis who don't get that once the movie starts the audience is supposed to stop shouting to each other across the theater...

Anyhoo, signing off for now, have a great one!

C