When our kids were here for Christmas, our daughter brought the movie "Up" for all of us to watch. It has received great reviews and our s-i-l, who taught movies in highschool, thought we would enjoy it. I admit it was very well done, but I could not get by the beginning where he loses his wife of many years. I was watching it with my wife sitting next to me on the sofa, but not paying any attention to the movie. I was almost in tears by the end as I related his situation to mine. I would be interested in comments from others who have seen the movie. How did it effect you? Could you put aside the saddness of the beginning to get the fun of the later part? Would you advise people in our condition to see it, or not?
I enjoyed the movie, but yes--the beginning sequence where he is reflecting on his life with his recently departed wife is a little too sad for people like us. Maybe because my husband "left" me (in the Alzheimer sense) when I was relatively young (early 40's) and I have a special and not entirely admirable way of building an emotional wall to protect me from dwelling on the fact that he's not the man I married, I could sweep the initial sadness aside and go on to enjoy the movie.
I have just watched it with my grandchildren and dh and admired it very much, enjoyed it mildly. It was sad, but so many movies are. Can't start avoiding all movies in which the death of a spouse occurs.
Plus it seems that any movie made by the Disney Studios for family viewing always has someone's mother, father, wife, husband dead at the beginning of the movie or they lose someone very quickly.
I had to stop taking my grandchildren to see Disney films in the theater because my sniffiling and noseblowing followed by hiccups embarassed them. lol cs
I watched the movie twice because of reports of some sadness in the film and didn't want my husband to react badly to it. I watched it by myself one night and the next we watched it together. We both loved it! What a wonderful theme, a husband fulfilling the dreams of his wife. Hopefully, when we're all alone we can do some of the things we promised each other we were going to do and. hopefully, we will be healthy enough to do it after all the stresses we are going through now.
There was one section in Alvin and the Chipmunks that set me off. A guy meets a girl and me watching it had the tears flowing. I could laugh at myself but my reaction was a bit of a surprise to me.
Isn't it surprising how such little things can have such a big effect on us? Maybe it's because we have to hold it together for our spouse's sake and can't let them see how we really feel most of the time. Having to wait until they're asleep or (my favorite time) when taking a shower so they can't hear us crying is so confining. The best way for me to hold it together is to think of our many blessing.
Yes, I cried in the beginning too, altho I thought the movie was charming. Yes Deb, you are so right,in disney movies, if the mon (wife, father, etc) were there, there would be not story. Notice the little boy did not have a mother either, and dad was unavailable. Bambi's mother was shot at the beginning of the movie and the list goes on. I also cried at the beginning of star trek when the capt died and we saw them on the same weekend. But I'm on the edge of tear all the time anyway. That's what being a caretaker does to you.