The Good Dinosaur, Just That

Anytime Disney and Pixar get together I usually think, "Instant Classic," but for whatever reason the previews for The Good Dinosaur were underwhelming. I wasn't dying to see it, I wasn't waiting for opening night to come so I could watch this new movie, like I was for other Disney films. But I knew I would see it eventually, on a night that I just wanted something simple to watch.

So on a Monday night I suggest it to my brother, and we head out. I thought there would be lots of families there for Family night, but we go anyway. We walk into the theater. There is one family there. One. Two parents. Two kids. And us. This doesn't bode well for the movie. We settle in. Previews start... And can I just say I laughed more at the preview for Zootopia than at anytime during the movie. (Like it was almost embarrassing at how much that preview tickled my funny bone... We couldn't tell if the family was laughing at the preview or at me. Sorry, not sorry. Those sloths killed me!)

Plot Summary (SPOILERS):

Arlo is the runt of his family. He wants to make his mark like the rest of his family does when they do a good job. But the problem is he is scared of everything, even the chickens he is in charge of feeding. (Seriously though Arlo, I am right there with you! Chickens are terrifying. I'm utterly scared of birds.)

Me waiting for chickens to move away from the door. Scary chickens. No I wasn't joking!

His dad tries to encourage him and gives him a new job of trapping and killing the critter that is eating all of their food storage. When Arlo can't bring himself to kill the cute little critter (human child) and lets him go, events follow that lead to the death of Arlo's father and then Arlo being swept away and lost. He survives with the help of the Spot (the human critter), meeting friends and foes along the way, and ultimately overcoming his fears and making his mark.

Arlo protected by Spot

Soundtrack:

Wasn't anything to holler about. Good, but not spectacular. This one is kind of fun.

Overall Thoughts:

Really I kept thinking, this seems a lot like Lion King... like a lot. I mean there was the death of his dad, a stampede, even a vision where his dad comes back to guide  him. So the plot didn't feel very original. What I did like was that it had a real western feel to it. Herbivores were farmers, and Carnivores were ranchers with herds of bison, and there are rustlers and everything. I liked that the T-rexes were not the bad guys and even galloped when they ran. I liked that Spot had doglike attributes. I did cry near the end... but I cry at tissue commercials, so that really isn't a measure of how great it is, but that I was invested enough. So the Good Dinosaur, was just that, Good. Not great.

I was far more attached to Spot than Arlo... 

Trailer:

Parent Guide:

If you have a gaggle of kids, you probably don't want to spend the $70 to see it, wait for it to come to video. Death of a parent (but it's Disney, I mean come on, what do you expect). Some potty humor. Death of some animals for food. Perilous situations.



AND here is the trailer for Zootopia that had me in fits... I'm a little ridiculous.

Is This Really an Option?

Browsing around Netflix, I was in the mood for a RomCom, so I perused some of the holiday titles, when I started to notice a pattern. A Holiday Engagement, Holiday in Handcuffs... do you know what these two movies have in common? That the women in these movies have a guy pose as their love interest, boyfriend, or fiancé. And for whatever reason, these guys go along with it, pretending to care about these women, and of course being forced into emotionally intimate situations. All for the sake of their families leaving them alone about finding someone to spend their lives with, or to gain their approval. And you know what happens? These guys end up falling for these desperate women!!! Happily Ever After... Really? But then I thought of a new movie that just came out this year... Love the Coopers, and it looks like Olivia Wilde's character does a similar thing... Really?

I started thinking of other movies that have similar plot lines, but not just Christmas time themes. Here are some I came up with... The Wedding Date, One Small Hitch, The Proposal, Pretty Woman, Green Card. I am sure there are even more out there, but this makes me wonder, have people actually done this that it is such a common story plot?

Then I start thinking a little more... Has this strategy actually worked for people? Is this a sound dating strategy? I mean, I am the only single female in my family, I have reached the ripe age of 30, the subject of my dating life or lack thereof is mentioned at least once during each family get together, blind date setups are offered constantly, and my desperate-o-meter is on the rise, is this a strategy I should consider? Approach a man I find attractive and seems to have everything going for him and proposition him in pretending to be my boyfriend and eventually he will fall desperately in love with me? Essentially, the thinking is if someone pretends to do something long enough they will  develop those feelings... Interesting... so you are saying I could get anyone to fall in love with me as long as I get them to pretend that they are for long enough... Extremely interesting.

... Where is Tom Hiddleston?

... though I don't think I can afford his usual acting salary... stupid teacher salary!

Man, I love Hollywood logic. (Also why if I ever had an acting husband, "Sorry Honey, tell your agent you can only do action and horror films now.")

Though I don't think this is something I could actually pull off because I can't even approach a man to have a conversation with me, let alone ask him to pretend to love me.