Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
I had no idea I was celebrating an anniversary. But that’s exactly what I ended up doing last week in an attempt to break the mold.
Whenever I talk about a movie I rented on DVD or borrowed via public library or Netflix, I’ll get a friend who sarcastically asks if DVDs still exist. Sorry, bud, but not every movie worth watching is available on streaming.
I decided to dip into my own collection, and came across the somewhat forgettable Billy Crystal movie, “Forget Paris.” If you haven’t seen it, it’s the story of Crystal trying to recreate “When Harry Met Sally,” but change the characters and background just enough to make us think we’re watching a completely different vehicle for Crystal to do a 90-minute standup routine.
Released on May 19, 1995 — there’s the anniversary — “Forget Paris” starts and stays at an Italian restaurant in New York, but it is really the story of Mickey and Ellen with each later-arriving friend adding on to the story before the subjects finally arrive.
There are two main reasons I like watching movies that are too old to be widely discussed but too young to be considered classics.
The first reason is that everything is different. Mickey Gordon is a referee for the National Basketball Association, which means the movie is full of cameos from then-NBA players. But you watch it now and none of those players are around anymore.
There’s even a scene that refers to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s farewell tour, and you realize that was an old event when the movie came out … and the movie came out before the rookie season of Kobe Bryant, who just had his own farewell tour. Also, there’s no video review, and there’s a team in Seattle.
The second reason I enjoy these movies is you find out how much things are still the same. Mickey and Ellen meet because he’s an airline passenger and she has to help him when the airline loses the coffin carrying his father. Air travel was terribly inconvenient back then, too.
“Forget Paris” has mixed reviews — its percentage on Rottentomatoes.com is 50 percent — because it never really challenged a viewer, but it was still a decent movie because it served as a reminder that relationships usually go south when the people involved don’t put the same effort into maintaining the relationship as they did starting it.
“Forget Paris” turned 21 last week, and it’s not included on any streaming plan I’m aware of. I’d recommend you find a copy and watch it, or any not-so-recent movie.
I forgot there’s a third reason I like watching slightly older movies. The DVD goes right to the movie, and you don’t have to skip through 10 minutes of trailers. Anniversary or not, that’s always worth celebrating.
Kevin Wilson is managing editor for the Clovis News Journal. He can be contacted at 575-763-3431, ext. 320, or by email:
