Pam and I did something we rarely do yesterday. We actually went to a theatre and paid $32 to watch a movie at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. It was playing at a place we had never been to before, the Bow Tie Theatre down in Scott’s Addition. It was very nice and very clean and we almost had the place to ourselves. The plan was to go to dinner at the Tazza Kitchen just a couple blocks away from the theatre after the movie. But the two block drive at 5:30 on a Friday proved too much for these suburbanites. Aside from the insane prospect of waiting three clicks to get through every single light, there were the countless pedestrians darting across the dimly-lit streets at dusk. I decided that I preferred not to risk adding vehicular homicide to my troubled driving record. We somehow managed to find an on-ramp to 64 and beat a hasty retreat to the relative calm of Short Pump weekend traffic, where we had a delightful meal at Los Panchos.
I had this date circled on my calendar because it was opening night for a movie that I had been dying to see ever since I heard it was being made a couple years ago. Jimmy.
I remember one of the first movies I ever saw was when I was 8 or 9 years old. It was called Shenandoah and it starred Jimmy Stewart. I have been watching Jimmy Stewart movies ever since. From Rear Window and Vertigo to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Its a Wonderful Life, I have rarely been disappointed by a Jimmy Stewart film. But I also have been fascinated by his service as a bomber pilot in World War II and lifelong presence in the Air Force National Guard. Despite his status as an Oscar-winning leading man he insisted on risking his life serving his country. Dude ended up with the rank of Brigadier General. We will never see the likes of him again.
As far as the movie itself…I felt like it started out a little sappy but as the story developed it hooked me hard. The fact is, Jimmy Stewart’s story is kinda sappy. It’s hard to believe that someone who lived such a blessed and privileged life actually wanted to risk it all flying a bomber over Nazi Germany when he could easily have done his “duty” making patriotic films, safely out of harms way. To top it all off he goes and marries a woman and stays married to her for the rest of his life, they adopted two boys then had twin girls of their own. It’s the kind of life that these days seems almost supernatural. How could a man from Hollywood be this heroically…good? As this film makes clear—it wasn’t as easy as he made it look. The PTSD he suffered upon his return from 20 deadly, horrifically violent bomber missions in WWII nearly crippled him as an actor. It was Frank Capra, directing him in his first post-WWII film, Its a Wonderful Life, who helped him channel his emotions into some of the most powerful scenes in that movie—or any other movie for that matter. This dynamic was the best part of the film. My heart was in my throat watching him trying to make it through the bar scene at Nick’s. It was worth the price of the ticket just to see that 30 seconds of film.
The kid who plays him in this movie is a newcomer named KJ Apa. Never heard of him. But his portrayal is amazing, from that iconic voice to each mannerism, he nails it.
So, go see it. Worth the money.
But, be careful driving in Scott’s Addition at dusk!
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