Helen, What Are You Doing For the Next Ten Years?

I enjoy going a little bit outside my comfort zone. Most of the time I'm richly rewarded, sometimes not so much.

When we went to the Angelika last weekend, I grabbed a free movie pass to a movie I have never heard of called The Thing About My Folks. I figured it was at least looking into. If it sounded interesting, we'd go.

We do the free movie pass thing every once in a while. Over the years, we've seen Mickey Blue Eyes, The Phantom of the Opera, and some others I don't remember right now. The only time we've been burned is watching 3 Kings. I still have recurring nightmares where I'm forced to watch that movie like Alex in A Clockwork Orange.

Well, tonight was a real treat. The movie was great. Even though the passes were free, we didn't save anything at the concession stand. But I got a nice low-interest loan that allowed me to get dinner and some snacks.

The movie, written by Paul Reiser and starring Reiser, Peter Falk, Elizabeth Perkins, and Olympia Dukakis, explores the various relationships within each family: husband and wife, father and son, son and mother, and how the unspoken mysteries of each family is a unique entity in itself.

I've been a big Paul Reiser fan for years. I first remember watching him in My Two Dads. (Yeah, I'll confess; the only reason I watched it was because of Staci Keanan. So what?) But I really learned to appreciate the way he encapsulated the absurdities and inaneness of marriage and life in Mad About You. I've seen those episodes so many times, I can't help but incorporate certain Paulisms into my everyday language.

Here is where I must make another confession - my utter and complete jealousy of Paul Reiser. This is, after all, the man who was handsomely paid to make out with Helen Hunt for almost a decade. Man, that must be a tough gig.

But, I do like him for is Everyman quality. If his own personality is emblematic of the characters he plays, life really is as simple, as he put it, a bowl of milk and come cereal.

At the end of the film, we were surprised by a quick Q&A session with Reiser himself. That was a pleasant surprise. He talked about how the movie is semi-autobiographical, that the role of Falk was written with him in mind. Dukakis, even though her role was minor, did the movie for free; Perkins actually pulled out of another film to work with Reiser, and took no pay.

I'm amazed at the film industry and the movie making process. He talked about how he talked to every major studio for funding, but no executive would take the project. Not enough violence, car chases, or sex. Reiser eventually went the indie route, and is now traveling from city to city to promote the movie.

As he ended his session, he asked that we, in return, help promote the movie.

So, clear your calendars for September 16th. Go see this movie. Trust me on this one.