life and puppies

It seems like every time I turn around I realize how grateful I am for my parents.  Although they can annoy me like no one else on this planet, I can’t imagine what my life would be like without them.  Maybe I would be less neurotic and anxious, but I would certainly be less passionate and appreciative of the world around me.  Case in point: my love of Hoosiers.  Thanks Mom & Dad for my introduction and appreciative of all things Hoosiers.

I think that a case can be made that Hoosiers is the best movie ever.  But I’m just going to state that it is one of the best movies ever and I’m forever grateful that it’s been in my life since its inception.  Hoosiers is the ultimate David & Goliath story, of course, but it’s just so much more.  I never turn down a chance to watch it.  What makes it so great?

• The sound and the score.  The music is beautiful, but it’s really the squeak of the sneakers on the court that always makes me smile and gives me chills.  The sound of the leather ball on the hardwood floors is so important in setting the tone and the pace of the movie.
• The beauty.  I don’t think Indiana has ever looked as lovely (though Breaking Away may take this honor).  It reminds me of why I love the midwest — no mountains maybe, but the landscape is breathtaking.
• The acting.  I think Gene Hackman deserves an Oscar every year for his performance.  And Dennis Hopper and Barbara Hershey can have one, too.
• The story.  Geez.  Where do I begin?  Yes, it’s about an outsider coming to an insular community that doesn’t want him.  It’s about the underdog succeeding in a way that shouldn’t have been possible.  But it’s really about love and forgiveness and loyalty and morality and discipline and all the things that are good and right and important in this world.  It’s about letting the kid who just mouthed off to you back on the team because he really is sorry.  It’s about not letting the kid who doesn’t listen to you play in the game because he just doesn’t get it.  It’s about second chances because, guess what?  You’re human and you messed up and are the first to admit it.  It’s about forgiving your dad for struggling with himself and embarrassing you in the process.  It’s about seeing — really seeing — who a person is and accepting and loving him for being that person.

I admit it: I am a sucker for a sports movie.  I love sports and I love the metaphors that sports movies make to tell us about life in general.  But Hoosiers is such a world apart from your run-of-the-mill sports story.  It’s pretty much as good as it gets in the film world.  At least I think so.