I don't know how I've missed this 2004 film before last year, though, in my defense, I'm usually pretty occupied being a busy, vibrant woman, ya know.
I guess that's one benefit of having a pandemic still lingerin' on - I have no choice but to slow down and smell more warm roses.
In this case, it's view more seasonal movies.
(smile)
It doesn't hurt that I like Steven Weber and his "aw, shucks", stuck-on-himself, style of humor that he has carried on since "Wings".
(smile!)
This time, he's 43 years old and playing a divorced father who is far more wrapped up with being a CEO than being a good dad, or even a good son, or even a good brother, or even a good boyfriend... catch my drift?
This year he's been especially negligent and neglectful and needlessly dismissive of others.
Now, he has twelve chances to get the day right, so he can finally wake up on Christmas.
Unlike Phil in "Groundhog Day", he has someone to help gently guide him through these second chances: nurse Angie, there every time he wakes from being dead, played sweetly and charmingly by Molly Shannon.
So, since I made a list - and checked it twice! - of the many ways he died, let's take a gander, shall we?
1) Literally smushed by the pointing finger of the gigantic metal hand above the front of his headquarters for "The Buck Stops Here". I couldn't help but think of the classic Dan Rowan routine on "Laugh-In"! I guess it was still top of mind from the luncheon with Yvonne when remembrance of the 1970's skit had first popped into my head!
2) Mindful of the falling sign, he had exited through another door... only to get run over by the snow plow!
3) He changed up his exit, taking the elevator instead of the escalator... only to have the cable snap and plummet him down 24 stories!
4) This time he used the back door, not aware that the snow plow would ram into a giant metal trash bin... that then rolled right over him!
5) Changing his routine and the order of his day, he thought he was on the right track... until he fell into an open manhole!
6) This time, he had been uber-extravagant with gifts, sending a 22-foot boat to his 10-year-old son, prompting a distracting phone call from his ex... that sent him flailing directly into the path of a flambe at the restaurant!
7) It's 11:57 PM and he's relaxing in the jacuzzi, watching the clock as he opens a bottle of champagne to celebrate a successful day of no death... then the cork flies into the chandelier over the tub and electrocutes him!
8) He took over his brother's party, making it uber-extravagant, with chefs all round... then gets skewered as that's being dismantled!
9) He decides to only do things that please him for the day, including a couples parachute jump... that ends with him going splat!
10) After a day in bed after his girlfriend dumps him, he heads to the office... where he opts to jump off the roof.
11) Helping others was his goal when he spent the day at the homeless shelter... but he lost a big business deal and ticked off all he loved by avoiding their calls all day... so he deliberately let the fickle finger smush him again.
12) This was to be the last chance he had to 'get it right' - so, he spent the day showing his staff they were important to him, and had the fancy lunch with his girlfriend and encouraged her to find someone better than him, and attended his son's choral show and spent the afternoon with him, then even went to his brother's party and was nice to everyone... but he had a heart attack - nope, just heartburn from the eggnog! He woke up and it was Christmas!
I loved it!!!
I even cried, just a little.
And I'm looking forward to seeing it again next year!
(smile!)
No comments:
Post a Comment