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brian-mcgee - May 1, 2018
This one time, Spring 1991, I wanted my dad to take me to see the new Albert Brooks movie Defending Your Life. The only problem was that the stupid theater where it was showing was the notorious Rt. 17 Triplex in Paramus, NJ, where the weekend before, there was a shooting during a screening of New Jack City.
"Are you out of your mind? I'm never going to that theater again." (Fun fact, we were back there in May to see F/X 2)
"Come on dad, there's not gonna be another shooting at that same theater."
"We'll wait til it comes to Hawthorne."
This was his excuse for everything. He LOVED that theater in Hawthorne. I think I saw the majority of the movies I saw in my childhood at that theater.
Thankfully Defending Your Life did open not long after in Hawthorne, and we went to see it, and it's one of my favorite movies.
This exact same scenario would play itself out several months later when Boyz n the Hood opened at the Triplex the same weekend as Point Break. Wanting to see the latter, I didn't tell dad that the former was also playing there, and when he saw it on the marquee, he got pissed.
"Oh great, now I'm gonna have to get shot so you can see Keanu Reeves go surfing."
More than anything else, when I think back on those days seeing movies with my dad, I think about the love.
Photo Credit: Backgrid USA / Splash News
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