I Should Stick to Bourne Movies

                I sat there watching the last few minutes of the film and suddenly realized there was quite a bit of noise behind me.  I thought at first it was some inconsiderate knothead slurping the last few drops of soda from his cup.  Then I realized the same sound was present a few seats to my right.  Then up to the left behind me.  It was sobbing.  People all over the theater were not just wiping a few tears from their eyes.  They were sobbing.

                This is exactly the kind of situation that a guy like me loves.  It is so easy to skewer people who cry out loud at a movie.  I remember a young lady crying at a drive-in movie presentation of Love Story many years ago.  I feined compassionate understanding, but in truth was quite clueless as to why anyone would allow themselves to be so affected by fiction.  But I must refrain from my natural propensity toward mockery.  You see, I shed a few tears toward the beginning of Les Misérbles.  Anne Hathaway’s presentation of I Dreamed a Dream just got to me.  It certainly wasn’t because her singing was so great, though partially because it wasn’t great, but really because her acting while singing was so convincing.  An interesting side note: All the songs were sung live on the set; no dubbing and lip-syncing.

                I thoroughly enjoyed the whole movie, though I missed a couple of minutes about 2/3 of the way into the story.  I have to stop drinking the large diet sodas when the movies are over two hours long.  I had not read the book or seen the play, though I was familiar with some of the better known songs.  I was impressed with the overriding theme of the redemption of Jean Valjean.  His conversion, precipitated by a loving, forgiving priest, changes his life immediately and continues to direct his conscience throughout the rest of his life.  What a great message.

                By the way, I was viewing this movie solo.  My wife had already seen it with some other women, and she was out of town tonight, so I decided to go by myself.  I have gone to movies by myself before, but have never felt as conspicuous as I did this evening.  I have no explanation for why this feeling came over me tonight, but I definitely felt a little out of place and wondered a few times what people think about a guy who watches Les Misérbles by himself.  Do they assume I’m single?  Had a fight with the wife?  Got a gun under my coat?  Is so weird I can’t get a date?  Gee, now I wonder if they saw me wiping a tear from my eye during Hathaway’s song. I never have these thoughts when I watching Bourne movies.