There exists in our world a canon of songs reserved solely for use at weddings, funerals and graduations. They are interchangeable, depending on the age, gender and occupation of the participants. A few songs that come to mind are Butterfly Kisses, I Hope You Dance and Wind Beneath my Wings. I despise these songs for two reasons.
A. They are tacky, sentimental crap.
B. They make me cry against my will.
Add to this pantheon of emotional pandering Slipping Through My Fingers. I was minding my own business, sitting in a dark theater with my favorite Aunt and WHAM! I had been laughing and suddenly I was pinching my own arm trying not to sob uncontrollably. I can add Mamma Mia! to the list of movies that I cannot watch without tissues nearby. A partial list of these movies follows:
She's Having a Baby
Juno
Home for the Holidays
Little Women
The Family Stone
Titanic (pretend all you want, you cry too.)
Big Fish
Gone With The Wind
Love Actually
Jersey Girl (don't you judge me!)
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
It's a Wonderful Life
It doesn't matter if I watch the whole movie or walk into the room just in time for the money shot, I will spontaneously start to cry. It is a totally involuntary reflex. Now that I am a mother, the list of movies gets longer all the time. If anyone in the film IS a mother or WANTS be to mother or KINDA ACTS like a mother, I am on my way to dehydration. So, just be warned. If you are susceptible to that Father/Daughter wedding dance accompanied by Don't Take the Girl, you might want to wear your waterproof mascara when you go see Mamma Mia! If the aforementioned song doesn't get you, the sight of Meryl Street in iridescent spandex will.
3 weeks ago