Magnolia Memories

After my last post on movie lines, I had a friend from my past, Lisa, e-mail me that she enjoyed that memory reminder. She was part of the group of friends that saw the movie for the first time in the theater. Since I mentioned previously my love for Steel Magnolias and its ability to fill a blog entry, Lisa's reminder confirmed it needed to be done.

The evening we saw the movie was eventful - obviously if after all these years she and I both remember the details. Lisa, Antoinette, Daniel, Alisa, and I all crammed in Alisa's Mom's car and headed to Showcase Cinemas to see the movie. Now, back in the day, this was the only Showcase Cinemas. That Bardstown Road location we visited has since closed, but it used to be THE place to hang out in the 80's. Oh nevermind there was no stadium seating...who needed that? It had multiple glorious screens to catch all the new flicks. I remember how excited Daniel was about the movie. You see, he loved Dolly Parton...and, being a true thespian, he knew the importance of a person like Sam Shepard actually playing a part in this movie. Add to it the fact that this was originally a play, and Daniel was pumped. We laughed, we cried, we remembered all the movie lines. And we wandered the parking lot looking for our "lost" car when Alisa got past the blonde moment and started looking for her Mom's car, not hers. It was a night to remember.

The memories don't stop there. A former co-worker of mine found out my affinity for movie lines and quoted an extremely obscure line "Looks good, looks real good" to see if I could identify the movie. It was Steel Magnolias....the doctor's response after Shelby's kidney transplant. At Christmas when I told her there was a fire sale at the Baptist Bookstore, she asked me to clean them out of Baby Jesus' to make a wreath...yet another line. Nothing bonds co-workers like a common thread of movie lines.

About 5 years ago, I met a great friend, Brad, who had recently moved to Louisville. In a long ride from Asheville, North Carolina to Louisville, I heard Brad's story. Amidst his story, he spouted, "you can broaden your horizons your way, I'll broaden my horizons mine" and immediately a light went off. Could it be? Another fan? Yes, Brad was a Steel Magnolias fan, too, and had the movie memorized. A small way to bond, but 5 years later, it's interesting to think that movie had a part in developing our friendship in the beginning.

Many people despise the movie, while others love it. In looking back over the memories, the way it has united me with people is a bit uncanny. But, no matter how odd, I wouldn't trade them for the world. If you've never seen the movie, give it a spin. I'll give you my one non-spoiler review....the movie begins and ends at Easter. And, for those of us who are called Christians, our lives must begin and end at Easter too.