Movies My Dad Likes

My taste in movies is a bit like my taste in music, in that there is no real rhyme or reason to my collection. It is safe to assume that the collection of movies I currently own (minus some that were unfortunately lost in the robbery, I mean last break up) represent my favorite movies. Among them are romance, documentaries, scary movies, musicals (OK, maybe an overabundance of these,) cartoons, drama, etc.

I found myself DVRing and then watching Only The Lonely a few nights ago and I sat wondering why in the hell I consistently watch this movie when it is on and what about it I really enjoy. I couldn’t put my finger on it, save for one quality it contained. My Dad loves it. I then walked over to the bookcase containing all my DVDs (and yes some remaining VHS Tapes) and scanned the collection for further evidence of movies I like just because my Dad does. There they sat, staring back at me in all their randomness: Star Wars, Dances with Wolves, The Great Outdoors, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Riding in Cars with Boys, Superman. The list goes on and on.

For the most part, my personal favorite genres of movie can be summed up in Chick Flicks (i.e. Fried Green Tomatoes,) Musicals (duh,) and witty comedies (i.e. Mean Girls.) However my overall list of Favorite movies extends well beyond those constrictions. Our love for things such as movies and music can stem from so many factors other than simply plot, theme or category. Star Wars is the best example because under controlled circumstances I would never enjoy those movies. Poorly acted fantasy about space and robots, not my typical cup of tea. But we watched them when we were little, Dad liked them, so we wanted to like them, too so we could all watch together. They are attached to some foggy memories that I can’t even recall which make me feel comfortable and safe.

I believe that this love of things my parents love extends over to my Disney obsession. Just as my Dad rolls his eyes whenever I get a new pet and then gushes over them when he sees them, he will tease me about Disney trips but secretly loves being there as much as I do. Last time we went to Epcot we walked in grabbed a map and Dad said I don’t care what we do but when can we go on “Ellen’s Energy Adventure?” I regrettably had to inform him that this ride was under construction for the month, and darned if the 60 year old President of a successful Engineering firm didn’t look at me and pout his lower lip in protest. Now that I am older I realized that he loves the Hall of Presidents, so I love going to the Hall of Presidents with him, even though I likely would have skipped it without him.

Whether my love for Disney stems from my parents loving the place and taking us there every year, or they loved it so much because of watching me enjoy it, I can’t be sure. It’s the chicken or the egg question and honestly could be a combination of both factors.

Regardless, it is apparent to me that my parents values, pastimes and taste have a huge affect on my activities and I am glad that they do. Every time I watch Clueless I picture my dad holding up his fingers in a “W’ and saying “WHATever!!”