What Movie Are You Embarrassed to Love?
Posted in Uncategorized on 05/20/2010 02:37 pm by jess
[That’s my answer. A picture’s worth a thousand words, and while this post is only half that, you don’t need to read it to provide your answer. You will, however, miss an amazing coincidence unless you read!]
Right around Thursday is when I run out of steam with the work-week and start posting questions on Facebook like, “What pipe-dream profession do you wish you could have?” or “What were the favorite foods of your misspent youth?” The answers are always great–etiquette consultant! spy! Lick-em-ade! Hot pockets!–and add a real boost to my productivity. Some people work best when they are totally unplugged, but I find that as the week wears on, I work best when I have frequent, fun, brief distractions.
Today, I’m going to try a little experiment: putting the question on my blog. I’m excited to hear answers to the question,
What movie are you embarrassed to love?
I ask because of a funny coincidence. Fellow Tenner Jenn Hubbard and I were both psyched to be on the Summer Blast Blog Tour, she on Writing and Ruminating and I on Shaken and Stirred. Amazingly, we both referenced the incredible Hugh Grant-Drew Barrymore movie, Music and Lyrics. (Is anybody else noticing the conjunctive titles here? “Writing and Ruminating”–“Shaken and Stirred”–“Music and Lyrics”–“Nice and Mean”… I tigress.)
Anyway, I had to laugh, because while Jenn relates to the youths of today (I haven’t read her book, The Secret Year, just yet, but I’m dying to), she has a very thoughtful blog, and I’m basically kind of an entertainment snob, so the fact that we both have a thing for this goofy, kind of predictable movie was quite a surprise.
But I even cringe to dismiss the movie, because it is so great! First of all, it start out with a dead-on-the-nose (if that’s not from the redundancy department of redunancy) spoof of an 80s video, featuring Hugh Grant’s character, called “Pop! Goes My Heart”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGLXpIojJkg.
A movie that can put that together knows what it’s doing, right? Plus there are incredibly charming scenes of the songwriting collaboration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9uk2eFTbVYAnd Hugh Grant is funny, right? Sarcastic but also suave. You’ve got to be observant to pull that off, too. There’s a wicked parody of a Brittney Spears type (I’ve given you enough YouTube links to last the lunch break, but just put in “Buddha’s Delight + Music and Lyrics), a legitimate backstory for our creative collaborators…Darn it, I’m not going to be ashamed anymore: I love Musis and Lyrics! I think it’s great. It’s charming and real and has New York City in the background and Hugh Grant in the foreground, and Drew Barrymore is pretty cute, too.
And now I want to know–
which movies are you
kind of
sort of
embarrassed to love?
05/20/2010 at 4:57 pm
I love dance movies, I gobble them up, even the bad/cliche ones. I would say Step Up is a movie that I’m embarrased to love. I actually don’t have too many movies that I’m embarrased to love, TV shows on the other hand… (way too many guilty pleasure shows!)
05/20/2010 at 5:03 pm
Ok mine is Stricktly Ballroom. I LOVE that movie but very people know of it and they don’t sound real excited to see it when I tell them the plot 🙁
05/20/2010 at 5:04 pm
Ok it would help if I could spell STRICTLY BALLROOM!
05/21/2010 at 10:30 am
Strictly Ballroom as a movie of embarrassment? I think of that as a great indie film breakthrough. Shed your embarrassment, Jill!
As for Ari–ooh, movies with dancing (or cheerleading) are indeed a guilty pleasure. And now you’ve got me thinking with this whole TV Shows You Are Embarrased to Love business. Maybe that will be next week’s question, and I can try to put into words why America’s Next Top Model is the car-wreck I can’t look away from…
05/22/2010 at 6:28 am
I’m afraid I’m too much of a non-snob, entertainment-wise, to be embarrassed about my movie faves… BUT I do have some tv shame. Shall I divulge, or would you like to save that topic for a later Thursday distraction?
05/24/2010 at 1:47 pm
I think we’ll save the TV shame for this week. Who’s the Boss? Me! And you are saved by the bell…
05/26/2010 at 5:13 pm
Yes, TV shame week! I’m looking forward to your explanation of why you can’t look away from the ANTM model mess. I feel that way about Gossip Girl….
05/27/2010 at 12:46 pm
Guilty pleasure movies… for me, sports themed comedies.
Lady Bugs (Rodney Dangerfield) etc.
I’m saving the Mighty Ducks for a special time. Maybe after my first “Medical 50yo man procedure” when I need cheering up.
I also like Dazed and Confused much more than I should.
Ballroom Dancing is a great movie. “Bring It”, perhaps a bit more of a guilty pleasure… IMHO
P8
05/27/2010 at 5:15 pm
Ooh, sports-themed comedies–a noble category! That’s why I like “Bring It On.” Tres sportif.
Ari, I think you’re going to have to wait until next week for TV Shame. But feel free to gear up to gear up reasons to love Gossip Girl (I love it, too! I wish I could dress like Lily Van Der Woodsen Bass Humphrey.)