Day Eight: Savannah Smiles
Event: Watching Savannah Smiles
When we were younger, my sister and I were fortunate enough to get to spend a lot of time at our grandparents’ house. There were a lot of things that made those days so memorable: crustless sandwiches while watching The Price is Right, sitting on the porch eating halved peaches with Grandpa before throwing the pits in the yard, and just plain being spoiled, to name a few. But one of the highlights of hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa’s was Grandma’s impressive movie collection. She had drawer after drawer of VHS videos (numbered and indexed, no less), each with at least three or four movies recorded from cable. And we’d watch just about anything. I distinctly remember watching The Incredible Shrinking Woman, The Goodbye Girl, Cloak & Dagger, and The Muppets Take Manhattan, among many others. While I haven’t seen most of the movies in years (decades?), there is one that grew to be my all-time favorite movie.
I watched Grandma’s copy over and over and soon Mom made a copy for our house. Then, for my birthday one year while I was in college, Mom surprised me with the DVD!
So, to say I am familiar with the storyline is an understatement, but this movie gets me. Every. Single. Time. Tonight was no exception. Jim watched it with me and didn’t even tease me about the number of tissues I used during the 105 minute movie. (I’m a sap. What can I say?)
If you’ve never seen Savannah Smiles, I highly recommend it. It’s about a couple of crooks whose paths cross with 6-year-old Savannah’s. It’s heartwarming and there are some chuckles throughout. Be prepared for some real jerk-faced characters and don’t be surprised when you lose track of who the bad guys and good guys are.
After you watch it, come back and sing along with my sis and me:
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey, I cry
If I don’t get rye whiskey, I think I will die
If the ocean was whiskey, and I was a duck (quack)
I’d swim to the bottom and never come up (quack quack quack)
Thanks to Grandma for sharing this movie with us so long ago. And to Mom for the DVD. And to Jim for watching for the second time!
