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March 27, 2008
Baby's First Movie!
After dinner last night, Grandpa Bob wondered if we might want to watch a movie. Alden was in a sleepy, agreeable mood, so we decided to give it a try. But the pressure was high to make her very first movie a good one. We pondered.
Some of you who know me well may have heard the story of my long unsatisfied desire to watch the Wayans Brothers 2004 masterpiece White Chicks, starring Shawn and Marlon Wayans, two fine American actors.
In this film, they portray two hardscrabble FBI agents willing to go the distance to solve the "Heiress Kidnapper" case. How far, you ask? This far:
That's right, Shawn and Marlon go way undercover, spending the weekend in the Hamptons in full white chick regalia in an attempt to solve the crime. Hijinks ensue.
I have been drawn to this movie with an irrational exuberance ever since I saw the trailer, four years ago now. Could they really make a feature film with such a preposterous premise? Apparently so.
Anyway, I have been pleading with Robbi for years now to watch White Chicks with me. Admittedly, I could have watched it alone, but the real triumph would be to sit on the couch watching the film with my loving wife. When we signed up for Netflix a few months back, I quietly added White Chicks to the queue. Strangely, it never seemed to reach the top.
But lo and behold, checking the mail yesterday after arriving home from the hospital, there it was a Netflix envelope containing the prize I had sought for so long. Robbi claims that she was being benevolent. But I wonder if in the midst of all the labor, childbirth, etc, she merely forgot to move something above it in the queue.
In any case, the question of what should be Alden's first movie became moot. She is, after all, the perfect candidate for the film: a chick, and mostly white, but not all white. She more than many other American viewers represented the demographic Keenan Ivory Wayans was hoping would see this important film and thus internalize its vital commentary on the issue of mixed-race identity in our land.
We settled in. The credits rolled. "White Chicks, " I thought to myself. "Man oh man, is this my lucky day."
We positioned Alden for a clear view of the screen. She was riveted, clearly, as the action began. And then, to my extreme disappointment, she fell asleep, missing what could have been a seminal moment in her young life.
Next up? I'm trying to decide between Airplane and Austin Powers. I'm taking this child's education seriously.
Posted by bogenamp at March 27, 2008 12:15 PM