Movie Review: 50/50

Hey there blog world! Guess what? I went to the movies! I know, amazing right?! When I first had Aiden, we decided to stay on top of having "date nights" but whenever we went on these dates, it was sooo hard for me to have a good time and not be worried about Aiden. The only time I don't worry is when he is with my mom because Aiden just LOVES her. He will totally ignore me and look at my mom, laugh with her, he loves her! So yea, I am just more at ease when she can babysit and thank the sweet baby Jesus, she did and we went to a movie!

I hadn't been to a movie theater in months so it was a bit weird. And we also went early - a 5:20pm showing so the theater was pretty quiet.. perfect for an old lady like me =) hehe..  Anyway, I was so excited to not only watch a new movie but post a review because I haven't had much going on in my "movie night" section of the blog. Yay! Here it goes:

We saw the movie "50/50" starring Seth Rogan and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It was fantastic! It was written by Will Reiser and actually based on his own true story and friendship with Seth Rogan. Seth not only starred in this film but served as a producer and I just love, love, love him. I totally went in expecting a fun comedy and though it was really funny, I also cried my eyes out... and I'm not talking about just crying.. It was full on sobbing! So emotional and REAL.. just an HONEST story that captured honest emotions about life, death, family and friendship.

The story is about Adam, a young man (27 years old) who works in radio with his best friend Kyle. He has a girlfriend who is an artist and a pretty good life. After experiencing back pain and night sweats for a while, Adam goes to the doctor and learns he has a rare form of cancer on his spine and will need chemotherapy to decrease the size of the tumor. As Adam undergoes treatment, he experiences a lot in his relationships with his girlfriend, his mother, his best friend Kyle and his therapist. He basically has a 50% chance of survival and we have no idea if he will beat the odds.

There is one scene in particular that really touched me... Adam is about to be wheeled away to surgery and he shows a vulnerable side that we have not seen throughout the entire film. He has a special moment with his mom and it just really brought me to tears because I didn't like this character's relationship with his mom throughout the movie. It kind of made me think of my own family. Sometimes, our family can be annoying but at the end of the day, we would do anything for each other.

I really don't want to say more about the story because this is just one of those films that you NEED to go and see for yourself. It was so inspirational and spoke so much to me about not taking life for granted. It was also hilarious and I must warn you that there is a lot of profanity, some sexual content and drug use... it is rated R after all so not one to take the youngsters to see!

I give it many, many stars! Go see it =)

It's a Film Review! - Bridesmaids

Since having our son, my husband and I have been making a conscious effort to go out for "date nights" or time with friends every so often. It really is difficult being a new mom and leaving your baby even for just a few hours but I know that time out from my sweatpants & ponytail, cleaning up poop and baby spit up is important for me. After a fun night out, I can come home refreshed and ready to give 100% to my little man.

Well, a few nights ago we went out to a great Italian restaurant here in the Bronx called "Patricia's" (I highly recommend the Salmon btw) and then to see the new movie "Bridesmaids". I didn't anticipate much from this movie but absolutely LOVED it! I had to take to my laptop and write about it!

Here's the brief synopsis from Wikipedia: Annie and Lillian have been best friends since their childhood days growing up in Milwaukee; when Lillian gets engaged, she asks Annie to be her Maid of Honor. Lillian also selects four bridesmaids: Helen Harris, the wealthy wife of Lillian's fiancé's boss and Lillian's new close friend; Becca, a newlywed who loves marriage and pities Annie because of her unmarried state; Megan, the aggressive sister of the groom; and Rita, a relative who is dissatisfied with her marriage and three sons. While the wedding preparations continue, Annie's personal life is falling apart. Her cake shop went bankrupt, forcing her to take a job at a jewelry store where she is an ineffective saleswoman and makes very little money. She is kicked out of the apartment that she shares with a pair of invasive twins. Despite advice from her friends, Annie is in the midst of a self destructive relationship with a man who only thinks of her as a sex buddy. Annie's chaotic personal life, budgetary restrictions, and insecurity about Lillian and Helen's friendship begin to take their toll as the wedding draws nearer.

First of all, I must say that be ready to LAUGH if you go see this. I cried from laughter it was so funny but more than that, it was such a great story! So well written and executed with a really great message or two about love and friendship. The Lillian character I could relate to best because I am married and remember the experience of being a "bride". It's so easy to get wrapped up in the wedding because it's a once in a lifetime celebration and every bride wants her day to be perfect. Lillian was kind of insensitive to her friend Annie and wrapped up in "her world" too much to notice that Annie was really struggling. To be fair, a girl only gets one time in her life to be a bride and it's the one time it should be okay to be a little selfish but I remember that feeling and the beginning of feeling distance between myself and a close friend.

I had bridesmaids at my wedding but they weren't nearly as colorful as this group! I absolutely love the character of the groom's sister Megan. She was hilarious but REAL and the most empathetic of the girls toward Annie.

Annie was struggling with her own life and this prevented her from being happy for her best friend. She also felt insecure because of Lil's relationship with Becca (who was a bit evil) her new close friend. That's always a tricky thing when you bring together a "childhood" friend with a "new" friend in female relationships. Becca and Annie were pretty much at war for Lil's friendship from the start. One of my favorite scenes shows this when the girls each give a toast at Lillian's engagement party. Hilarious!

Overall I really loved the "message" about friendship in this movie. Annie demonstrated some CRAZY behavior but she dealt with her feelings about Lil getting married. She wasn't afraid to show how she felt and didn't cover up her jealousy and insecurity... even if it made her look kind of mentally unstable LOL. It was through this realness and honesty that she eventually got things together and found some happiness of her own.

I don't want to say anymore or give anything else away -- if you haven't seen Bridesmaids, GO SEE IT!! I give it ten thousand stars :)