Okay, so I’ve been serious all week (in all facets of life father, husband, teacher, technology, religion) so I decided I needed a break and I started flipping through the movie channels. Have any of you ever seen the movie Contact. I know that June Cleaver has because Matthew McConaughey is in it and she is the queen of all things Matthew. But for me, Jodie Foster is in it. Now, any boy who was born in the 60′s and didn’t fall in love with Jodie at one time or another is just a flat out liar. I’ve never, ever thought about shooting the President but I used to wonder what a date with Jodie would be like (long before the press figured out I’m not her type). So anyway, I’m thinking to myself that this would be a good movie to watch since I haven’t seen it in a long time and I remembered enjoying it back then. So I sat right down on the couch with my beer and pretzels and watched the whole movie and man do I have to tell you, this is not one of the best movies that either of these actors has ever done.

Now Matthew is not ever going to be placed in the same category as the great Shakespearean actors but he’s not bad and hey, you get to look at him which, I’M TOLD, is not a bad thing. And then there’s Jodie Foster, she’s been doing this acting thing for a while and she’s got pretty good acting genes and she’s got two Academy Awards and if you’ve ever seen “Nell”, you know she can act. And Tom Skerritt who I love is there but Jiminy Cricket the acting in this movie is atrocious! I’m telling you, if it hadn’t been for the fact that I was spending time with Jodie Foster, I could have turned the TV off and went to bed at any point after the opening scene. I think the only redeeming performance in the movie was David Morse as Jodie’s father. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen this guy do a bad scene and let me tell you, he has had plenty of opportunities. He’s a character actor (like Gene Hackman used to be) who has to do 40 movies to get the money and respect that Matthew gets for showing up at the beach for his morning workout. Look at the list of movies and roles he’s performed and you get the impression he could do almost anything.

So if you really, really, really need something to do one day; find this movie on one of the free channels (no, don’t pay for it) and sit down and watch. Otherwise, there could be grass growing or paint drying somewhere that will get you through that lazy winter afternoon…