90DoOD: Question 5

So it continues: lots of emails from people that I can't date. Or won't date. Or just...say no thank you to.

Consequently, Question 5 is on the blog today.

I know you're thinking, "Uh, Reba, you forget Question 4...."

Yes. I'm aware. I'll come back to it, I swear.

Question 5: Favorite movie of all time? Why so?

Picking favorites isn't easy for me. Without a doubt, the only favorites I truly know are

My favorite person in history: Jesus.
My favorite color: purple.
My favorite college: North Carolina State University.

Any other favorites...I just don't know.

However, I will bend my must-please-everybody brain and pick out a winner.



You've Got Mail.

Have you seen it? If not, you should.

It came out in 1998, right at the beginning of the internet's takeover of the world. AOL was all the rage and the words "You've Got Mail" had a whole new meaning. I was only nine years old at the time, so it was a few years until I watched it, but, I swear to you, it was love at first viewing.

The film tells of Kathleen Kelly, who owns a children's bookstore in New York. It is a small but profitable labor of love -- until Foxbooks, a mega-chain of super-sized bookstores, begins building across the street. Joe Fox, an executive with the family-owned firm, is directly responsible for this particular branch. Kathleen despises Joe and everything he seems to stand for. The future of her very livelihood is in doubt. When Kathleen and Joe are not working, they are logged onto their respective computers, where they've each met a wonderful friend. No one else has shared-or is even aware of-their intimate, anonymous electronic conversations that begin with the magic words "you've got mail." --IMDB

I couldn't have said it better myself.

The film is loosely based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  When I found this out, it took the movie to a whole new level. I've always loved reading and books, even when I was a kid and it wasn't cool. The fact that someone could take a piece of literature, put a modern spin on it, and then market it to the masses for the world to drool over fascinated me.

A few reasons why this wins as my favorite movie:

1. Kathleen has gumption. I love female characters who tell it like it is while still being a lady. She is a successful career woman with a close group of friends. She stands up for what she believes in and fights for what she wants. I love that she has an open heart and a soul of steel.

2. The central setting is a bookstore in New York City. I have had an unending love affair with NYC my whole life -- the city that never sleeps, where stars are born and dreams come to life. And it's a bookstore. Need I say more?

3. Watching it now in 2013, the screech of the dial-up internet makes my heart very, very happy.

4. I love the evolution of the love story. I'm a romantic at heart and to see the tumultuous, volatile relationship ebb and flow into happily ever after... *sigh*

 "You've Got Mail" is my go-to movie for a sick day. Or a rainy day in need of warm blankets and hot chocolate.

I'm pretty sure I've just talked myself into putting this on the calendar over Thanksgiving break.