Romantic Comedy Overdose

My romantic comedy intake has increased 1,000 fold since getting married in December. That didn't take much, because the last romantic comedy I remember seeing was on a movie date in eighth grade.

One of our first joint married decisions was subscribing to Blockbuster Total Access. It was a beautiful moment, not realizing the difficulties ahead.

After registering we headed to our local Blockbuster, 48th and Pine. I was giddy as we entered the store. Movie title after movie title scrolled in front of my eyes - documentaries, mob movies, foreign films, suspense thrillers. Married life will be good.

We had a casually romantic evening planned, which included dinner at Vientiane Cafe and then relaxing at home with a movie. So to expedite the movie picking process and get the romance started (at least that's what I was thinking) we decided to separate, pick a few movies, meet back, and select one. Ten minutes later I had my three - Godfather, Into The Wild, and Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room.

A slight grin was on my face as I showed what I thought to be the perfect movie combination. How could she not like any of those three? Well, she didn't. And with a wider grin then mine displayed her three selections: The Nanny Diaries, Enchanted, and 27 Dresses.

I took a deep breath as I thought to myself how could she not like any of mine, and how could she like those? I didn't want to say anything rude (trying to remember some guidance from our pre-marriage counselor), but I am sure my face said it all (as she confirmed with me later that night).

Is my future movie watching experience going to be filled with romantic comedy after romantic comedy? My stomach sank at the thought.

This seemingly simple process turned out to be quite the opposite. We left Blockbuster without a movie and didn't make our dinner reservation. Tom Yum soup and Sweet Basil Chicken was replaced with a cold sandwich from our fridge. Not what I envisioned.

I am not declaring all romantic comedies bad and foreign films good. But we must acknowledge that we have movie preferences, and those preferences matter. They matter because movies are an influential form of entertainment and will not remain neutral. In light of that it would be wise to evaluate our preferences.

What do you base your movie preferences on? How does the movies artistic expression and content reflect God's character? If God isn't glorified by the content or the artistic forms, then don't waste your time - whether it be a romantic comedy or a documentary.