The Interleaved Movies of Spring Break

In addition to spending the days together, I made a point of watching movies this week with my boys. We watched six from Monday through Friday:

Night Movie Daddy Always Says
From This Movie
Comment/Reaction
Monday Fletch
“I charged [it] to Mr. Underhill’s American Express Card. Want the number?”
“Can I borrow your towel for a sec? My car just hit a water buffalo.”
Although the oldest bet me five dollars he would not laugh through the movie, he did; both boys liked the dog chase in Utah.
Also, as I mentioned, my boys have heard the soundtrack of this film for a decade or more, so their eyes lit up when a song played that they recognized.
Tuesday Real Genius
“That’s a wonderful story, Bodie. I noticed you’ve stopped stuttering.” There were no bets, but they liked it.
Wednesday Airplane!
“Looks like I picked the wrong week to….”
[Definition of what it is], but that’s not important now.”
You know, the parodies don’t age very well for a new generation because they don’t recognize what’s being lampooned.
Thursday Top Gun
“I feel the need, the need, for speed.”
I mean, I guess. I am not sure I quote this film much.
The oldest was ready to enlist. So it has the intended impact even almost forty years later.
Friday Hot Shots!

Hot Shots! Part Deux
“Why me?” / “Because you’re the best of what’s left.”
To be honest, I don’t quote either of these movies much either.
The boys did not like the movies much; again, the parodies don’t age well, even though they saw the film the first one of these two was parodying the night before. They liked the second one better because it had guns they could try to identify from their video games.

When looking for these films in the disorganized library, I thought it was on VHS because I remember getting it on VHS for my dad, who liked the movie. But I must not have come away with that VHS–we own both of them on DVD.

Fletch and Real Genius were on videocassettes that held up and looked pretty good even though I bought them both probably twenty-five or thirty years ago and watched them a bunch in those early days. Top Gun was also on VHS and looked pretty good; it’s not a first pressing or whatever, though, as it lacks the contemporaneously controversial Pepsi commercial. The first time I saw Top Gun was in the trailer park at Jimmy T’s trailer; his father got it right when it came out. I am not sure if I’ve seen it since.

I titled this The Interleaved Movies of Spring Break because look at the connections between the films:


Fletch Real Genius Airplane! Top Gun Hot Shots! Hot Shots!
Part Deux
Val Kilmer x x
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar x x
Lloyd Benson x x x
Harold Faltermeyer x x
Bunny slippers gag x x
Popcorn x x
Scenes at air fields x x x x x x

You see? They’re all connected.

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