Cutlass

An absolutely beautiful short film. Simple in execution but expertly done by all involved. What I loved about this movie, is the tone of it is perfect. Perfect nostalgia of a kid loving something so much with the earnest conviction that the world would end if they didn't get it. So they bargain with their parents. It's sweet and seems universal that we all want to give our kids something but they have to earn it. To teach them the value of what they earn.

What transcends it all is the value they want to raise their kids with, despite underpinnings of failure of their own. The cynicism of life creeps in, the older you get which is often tempered by the exuberance of youth. They are excited about things you long since forgot. In "Cutlas" you share the joy. I love this short. Looks great, sounds great. Well made.

What a happy little film! The daughter wants a guitar, the mom says no. Then she remembers when she was a teenage girl and wanted a shiny red Oldsmobile Cutlass. She thinks of how her Dad reacted, how well he handled it for her.

Kurt Russell plays her dad, and when he first comes on the camera he has a throw away line I could bronze his sideburns for: "I think I've lost my edge." I laughed out loud. I don't know why I like Kurt so much; I don't think he could play Hamlet if you begged him, but he is a great Everyman, and he smooths through this little gem surrounded by all around fine performances.

If you have a sense of family ties, I think you will enjoy this movie. It was kind of the nudge for me to get my girls a dog, for which they have been "begging" me for a couple of years. They _need_ a dog. Life imitates art, or at least is influenced by it.

Currently this movie is on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyluTTt9avA It will cost you sixteen minutes, and there a lot worse ways you could spend that time.