Things Hidden In Movies

Our Everyman at midlife

Despite the chunky class ring Hanks sports on his hand, he is like Larry Crowne in that he never earned a college diploma. That ring, Wilson's 50th-birthday present to him, is from the School of Hard Knocks. His ring says that he graduated "summa cum loudly." He is like Larry in other ways, too. At heart, Hanks' film is about a guy at midlife trying to make sense of a changing world.

At this point in Hanks' career, the American institution whose films have sold $4 billion in tickets, and made him one of the most successful screen actors of all time, wanted to make what he calls "a starting-over movie."

"So many movies are about studio commerce rather than the human condition. I wanted to make one that wasn't about whether the Priory of Sion has hidden something," Hanks says, gently mocking the Robert Langdon movies.

He and Vardalos started on the screenplay "about six years ago." The subsequent economic crisis made it inadvertently relevant. Larry is made up of elements of Hanks, who went to community college in the '70s, and also of his father, a restaurant cook "who wanted to be a man of ideas and words" but whose default job was to be a man of skillets and stockpots.

"I went to junior college with people twice my age," Hanks recalls of his time at Chabot College in Hayward, Calif. Here is where his familiar mock-sarcastic singsong turns earnest.

Hidden Treasure | the Disney Driven Life

{remember this- it’s a theme and stuff}

A girl works diligently in her home.  A place of safekeeping, where she is given food, shelter, clothing.  She does what she is told, and has time to read and to play with her really awesome Chameleon.  There is obviously something spectacular within her, because she creates amazing art all over the walls, which confine her.  Despite having a multitude of creature comforts, her heart is elsewhere and a feeling of discontent will never leave her side.  Somehow she knows deep within her that this is not a life she is intended to live.

How many times do these scenes take place in any given night?  What about in our own homes?  How often have we looked toward heaven and asked for truth?  Asked, “When will my life begin?”

Mom. Husband.  Wife.  Dad.  Businessman.  Teacher.  Clergy.  Attorney.

These are all labels.  They tell a little about who we are, however, society wants to define be all these things?}

We live in a world of round holes and I’m willing to bet we have an awful lot of square (triangle, oval, diamond) pegs out there.  Trying to fit in and be something we are not is an unhealthy and stifling way to live!

It will have us looking in the mirror asking, “Who is this girl I see staring straight back at me?”

{or boy- Hey, Mulan was both for awhile}

I have to confess; asking this question is a good start.  Welcoming the answer to the question is the next step and, I’m afraid, not as simple.  In order to achieve real you must stop doing only the things others expect you to do, and instead, live a life that speaks to your soul!  You must accept the things about yourself you’ve tried so hard to cover up and change…but shouldn’t.  Let’s face it, if you are living a Disney Driven Lifestyle then you have already invested a lot of yourself in non-convention.  Why not go all out?  What?  Are you scared?

Yes.

Creating yourself into who you are meant to be is scary on so many levels.  The birth of an idea, a painting, a website…a spirit- all surprisingly parallel to the birth of a life- will consist of certain aching.  Affliction generates truth in the same way that tragedy helps you see what is truly important in life.  Just as a life-threatening illness causes you to recognize what is most important to you- family, friends, love ; the inner ache of sincerity will instigate you to treasure your authentic self.