Last night, my dad ("Papa" to the uninitiated) took the kids to see Zathura. It was Jumanjirific. It should have been rated PG-13, and had a whole lot of behavior between the siblings that was ugly. Some might call the following spoilers, but I'll instead call it a warning:
The story had the six year old say to his ten year old, "You're such a Richard!"
You know what I mean. I was not pleased.
Then there was a preponderance of what Cotter would say the "s word," and the "h word."
Shut up.
Hate.
Beyond this...oh, and the frightening images of enemy lizard aliens with huge, jagged, dripping teeth and the boys' sister being sucked into a black hole--screaming in terror while her brothers clung for life with their fingers ripping into the splinters of the floorboards of their disintegrating house --it was a fun, happy frolic of a movie.
Seriously.
The too-typical brotherly tension was a necessary plot element to arrive at an important climax, it was just painful to make the journey, from the perspective of a dad who has invested a lot of time and effort to develop a strong relationship between my own children as siblings. I understand that the contentious relationship displayed in the movie is typical, but there's something about seeing it on a big screen that glorifies it, unintentionally or not.
The credits roll soon after the "happily ever after" moment, but at least it was there, giving some hope and affirming a message that brothers and sisters are a gift to be enjoyed rather than a burden to be endured.
I'm thankful for my own relationship with my brother, Jamie (who is due to arrive on Wednesday!). I didn't come to this realization of gratitude for him until I was in college. And we both have the scars to prove it. Today, he is one of my best friends and closest, most trusted confidants. I don't know a more perservering, hard-working person. I love to laugh with him and there's no better person with whom to watch a Bronco game.
November 22, 2005 8:39 AM