Over the years, I’ve been trying to make my way through folktale traditions from all across the globe. This one is both familiar and not. You get the first forms of stories like “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” an early alternate version of “Chicken Little” (I think), and several tales and adventures featuring Ashlad, a male counterpart to Cinderella. Oh, and tons and tons of trolls of various anatomies and attitudes. If you like the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson tales, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy these, too.
Not my usual kind of choice here, but I liked this movie quite a bit. A young woman takes mushrooms and summons her future 39-year-old self. The older self jokes with her, warns her, and tells her to enjoy her life and family. It’s done a lot better than that summary makes it. It hits harder if the viewer has children. They go through so many phases, and you love them all (mostly), but there’s always that slight trace of bittersweetness when some interest or fun thing they did as a kid disappears. I’m at the age where I find myself tearing up watching commercials, so this got me a few times. Overall, the message is simple but well-written. Love your family and friends. Love yourself. Love others and enjoy the times you have. Simple but so tricky in the muck and mire of living sometimes.
I watched this with a friend, and he didn’t like it as much as I did, so your mileage may vary. Depending on your age or temperament, it might seem too sentimental, though that was not true for me.
I’ll be playing with Kelsey Rae Copland in March in Fairhope, Alabama. I’ll post details for that soon or you can check the event out here.
Stephen McClurg 