Day 20 (17): My favorite movie and why it's so special to me.

I don't really have a favorite movie in the sense that I want to watch it over and over again. I've long been a fan of 40s musicals and two of my favorites from that time are Yankee Doodle Dandy and White Christmas. There are some more recent movies I like a lot as well. They are In Her Shoes, Legally Blonde and The Mask.

I like Yankee Doodle Dandy because it shows James Cagney at his finest. He considered himself a dancer above all else, although his acting skills made his bad guys so realistic. 

I like White Christmas because of the songs, the romance and because I had a crush on Danny Kaye. Actually, I think I liked almost all red-haired actors when I was young: Cagney, Kaye, Ron Howard, etc. But, I loved the set and the final scene of snow and one-horse open sleigh. 

The three newer movies I liked because they showed people others around them couldn't see - in other words, there was someone within each of the protagonists that even they didn't see in themselves. They were all underestimated by their peers and often overlooked. 

In Her Shoes showed a girl who really didn't like any job she had. She wanted life to be easy and fun without any large effort on her part. Her sister was her guardian and kept having to pick up after whatever mess she'd get herself into. When she discovered letters from a grandmother she didn't know was alive, she decided to show up on her grandmother's doorstep. Grandmother, who hadn't seen her since she was an infant, could see promise in her that no one else could. It turned out she had excellent taste in shopping and matching clothing styles to personality. Because of her grandmother, she found a business niche  that only she could fill. She was able to use her love of shopping and fashion to become a personal shopper for others living in her grandmother's retirement village. Hidden talent brought to light.

Legally Blonde approached a similar topic in a different manner. Elle had been raised that beauty was what got you things in life, but when her boyfriend broke up with her to go to law school, she decided she'd go, too. To everyone's amazement, she was accepted in Harvard. When she realized that the ex-boyfriend simply didn't think she was intelligent enough to be of value to him in life, she determined to prove that she could do anything she put her mind to. And, she did it in spades. Never underestimate anyone using preconceived notions.

The Mask with Jim Carrey was great! Meek and mild bank clerk who is overlooked by everyone, especially women, finds a mysterious mask that transforms him into the person he can only imagine himself being. That person is within him, but is buried so deeply that even he doesn't recognize him. The movie is reminiscent of Walter Mitty with supernatural fantasy added. In the end, Carrey's character has saved the day and shown himself to be far more than anyone had ever considered.