He Stole My Line

A few weeks ago I watched George Romero's Land of the Dead at the theatre. Normally, I scout the reviews before surrendering my hard-earned cash at the box office. But I'm a die-hard zombie fan, and especially of George Romero's dead flicks. I even visited in person the Pennsylvania mall where Dawn of the Dead was filmed. So when my older son Greg asked me why I wasn't waiting for the reviews to come out before heading out to the local cineplex, I told him that Land of the Dead was different. "It's an event movie. Reviews don't matter."

Event movie means like, say, Star Wars or Titanic. So this past weekend Greg was heading out to see "Wedding Crashers" starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. I had seen previews of this movie and was dubious as to its value. It seemed more like a rental to me. So I asked Greg if he wanted me to check the Yahoo movie reviews first. He replied, "It's an event movie. Reviews don't matter."

Funny how when your kids snatch onto a bit of wisdom you supply, they twist it to suit their purpose. Greg's response reminded me of when he was just a young high schooler, maybe a freshman or sophomore. I asked him to help me move some boxes. His response was that if he interrupted his homework to help me move those boxes, he wouldn't be able to make his bedtime. When I replied that he could stay up the extra five minutes it would take to move those boxes, he chastised, "Don't get smart with me, dad." Stole my line there too. (Sigh) I always thought dispensing parental wisdom would be easier.

"Gee, dad, I never thought of that." Beaver Cleaver, from Leave it to Beaver, a fictional family comedy from long ago.