A Movie Review (#1)

I was trying my hand at something different. Except, the same old managed to get in the way. So, this is more of an experiment. Well, really, a first draft. Hopefully, it will become something better. 

In the end, it is yet another window into my mind..

(I love this part of history, the stuff that went on more than we are led to believe--not just the tawdry subject matter itself, but how people captured it in stories and images. Here we have a work by John Collet, called the Unfortunate Discovery. The lady of the house walks in on her husband playing with the chambermaid. I love how the broom is placed. And apparently the book in his pocket is called "An Essay on Woman", which, according to Wikipedia, is a "... a pornographic poem dedicated to he courtesan Fanny Murray ... as a parody of Alexander Pope's 'An Essay on Man'.")

Among the handful of things a woman can wear to catch my immediate attention, the uniform probably ranks as the second strangest on the list. Not the stereotypical Catholic school girl look that unimaginative people draw upon to fill up movie and television fantasies. It is hard to draw inspiration from those awkward and humiliating years I spent at parochial school. Nor the countless sexy versions of the common nurse's outfit that plague Halloween super stores. Give me the flowery printed scrubs of a pediatric nurse practitioner, or the puffy shirts and aprons of late nineteenth century nursing staffs. And do not forget the hats: there is nothing like a woman in a hat. But finding nurse uniforms exciting is not bizarre (except for historical focus).  Those silly short cut maids and servants outfits suffer the same fate: so boring, so pedantic (unless, of course, we are referring to the ones found in period shows like Downtown Abbey). Finally, while a woman in army fatigues, or a well-pressed, full dressed officer's uniform, can pique my interest, that is far from a rare fancy.

No, I am talking about the everyday uniforms worn by female employees at certain chain stores and restaurants. Not all of them, mind you. The red polo shirt, khaki pants combo of the Target stores do not do much for me. However, the blue vest, with the yellow logo on the back, over a white button down shirt of the much derided Walmart worker, well, now we are on to something. Yet, simple is not always best. Crazy works, too. When I saw the uniforms of the Scoops Ahoy ice cream store showcased in the Stranger Things, Season 3, I melted, and offered to buy one, for my wife (she has yet to respond, and that was three years ago. 

So, why this long explanation about my fascination with women wearing uniforms? Two reasons. 

First, to provide context for what I am about to explain next. Months ago, I fell in love with a Netflix movie preview (those annoying short clips that play automatically when you try to read the unhelpfully shorter descriptions). This past week, I finally sat down and watched the actual film. And I spent half the time crying. The experience has been on my mind ever since. Yet, it is a movie I never would have considered, except, of course, for that movie preview.

The movie is called The Starling, and it stars Melissa McCarthy. It is a Netflix original film. And up until that fateful day, nearly a year ago, I had never heard of it. So, what caused me to pause and view that particular plot summary? A still image of Melissa McCarthy in a yellow-and-white-stripped shirt, and emerald green vest with a nametag on it. Her store uniform. That was it; I was hooked. (Well, it also helped that another scene showed her in a pair of overalls, boots, and carrying a shovel--there is something beautiful about that, too).

I confess, it was shallow, and a bit silly of me. But as the scenes played on (an annoying aspect of those damn Netflix previews), her facial expressions drew me further into the plot. She was struggling, and I wanted to know why. I saved it to my list, and awaited the perfect time to watch it. That came last week, when my wife went on a business trip, and I had just consumed Chinese food for three people. And there I sat, crying my eyes out, throughout the movie.

The whole ordeal inspired me to consider writing my first movie review. 

Which now leads me to the second reason for the long introduction about my uniform fetish. Once again, I procrastinated. I watched the movie on Tuesday, and for the rest of the week, my mind filled with all kinds of directions to take this review. I was going to research what critics have said about it. I was going to discuss another movie, Ordinary People, and compare the two experiences. I was going draft it by Friday night, so that I could spend Saturday revising it. 

Sigh.

Then Sunday arrived. Morning passed into afternoon; afternoon into evening. And now I needed to get up and start making dinner. Oh, and finish the laundry.

So, I decided to create filler. Intriguing filler. But filler nonetheless.

Hence the first two paragraphs. 

Maybe I will get around to the actual review this week.

Maybe...