Move Over Siskel and Ebert

Okay, so in the last post, I gave a detailed description of why I am homeschooling my oldest child for kindergarten (and consequently some things that are not my reasons for homeschooling).  Then, I got this fantastic email from an on-line homeschool group I joined a couple of months ago asking us to screen a movie and blog about it.  Seriously.  Does it get any homeschool-cooler than that?

So, we made a fresh batch of Tang, popped some popcorn, picked out our favorite candies from the stash, and sat down with our secret link and password to watch Snowmen, which premieres in select theaters nationwide on October 21st.

Snowmen, which premieres in select theaters nationwide on October 21st, is an inspirational story about some kids who want to do something big.  As a parent who is trying every day to instill equal parts idealism and pragmatism in the minds of my two growing boys, I am grateful for a story that teaches them that they are never too small.  Well, they are too small for the big slides at Great Wolf Lodge, but that’s not what I mean.

First off, I had to pause the movie one minute in to explain to my children that yes, you can really build snowmen like that in real life.  Having grown up in SC thus far, they would be more apt to relate to a movie called Sandcastles, which I’m hoping will change when we experience our first pacific northwest winter.  After a brief conversation about the fact that yes, we might be able to build snowmen like that and no, not today, because it’s October, and that’s just rain, I hit play again on Snowmen, which premieres in select theaters nationwide on October 21st.

We watched the remainder of the movie in relative silence, permeated by popcorn crunching and a few moments of boisterous laughter from Will, aged 6, followed by mimicked boisterous laughter from Ben, aged almost 3 (yikes!).

I should be completely honest here.  Even at 31, I can’t flip past Goonies or The Sandlot without stopping to repeat a few lines.  I, like so many of my generation, never missed an episode of Saved by the Bell.  You want real honesty?  I would still watch Full House  and Family Matters if my Friday nights weren’t spent catching up on my DVR’d Jeopardy episodes.  How about this?  My DVR completely fills up during the month of December between ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas and the Hallmark Channel.  The point is, even though my list of all-time favorites includes Reservoir Dogs, Blade Runner, and Life Is Beautiful, I will never get too old or too consumed by movie-snobbery to sit down with a movie that brings a smile to my kids’ faces.  Frankly, amid the hokey one-liners and kid-friendly snot and poop jokes, I found myself genuinely entertained by Snowmen, which premieres in select theaters nationwide on October 21st.  (We even get a cameo from Beverley Mitchell of 7th Heaven fame, and it doesn’t get any cheesier more family-friendly than that.)

Overall, Ray Liotta’s depiction of a goofy, but loving dad was slightly less intense than his Henry Hill from Goodfellas, and I did wish Christopher Lloyd would show up with a Delorean.  Other than that, Bobb’e J. Thompson and Doug E. Doug performed a respectable ode to Cool Runnings, and the adorable performances from Bobby Coleman and Josh Flitter made this exactly what the film needed to be--an excuse for me to catch some snuggles and snacks with two of my favorite people.  
Parents should know there are some tough subjects broached in the plot line, so be prepared to answer some questions, but personally I’m a big fan of answering questions as they come, and what better way than through a form of entertainment?  Think of the film as an updated Stand by Me for a younger crowd--with a lot less cussing and sexual innuendo.

When it was over, I asked each of the boys what they thought of the movie because really, who cares what I think if the kids hated it, right?  Will said, “It was good, especially the part about snow.”  So PROFOUND.  Ben just said he wanted more Tang.  So there you have it.

Go see Snowmen, which premieres in select theaters nationwide on October 21st, and if anyone hears that Christopher Nolan needs someone to preview the next Dark Knight movie, please direct him to my blog.  Clearly, I have a talent for these things.

Also, if you want any other info about Snowmen, which premieres in select theaters nationwide October 21st, visit: www.snowmenmovie.com.


Check out the trailer here: