We started Netflix this month. I'm ambivalent about it. But I'm finding some older movies that I never knew about, and a few are real gems. I watched one last night that was really good, it's called Game 6. The movie uses the allegory of a sports fan following their team (with all the emotional ups and downs that entails) as a metaphor for life.
The main character, played brilliantly by Micheal Keaton, is a playwright whose new play is opening the same night his team is playing game 6 of the World Series. But this is just the overt plot...the subplot is all about how we handle our successes and our failures. And how easy it can be to sabotage the brightest moments in our life because of our own personal demons.
This is a thoroughly human film, that while sometimes dark, never gives up on our capacity for optimism. You don't have to be a sports fan to like it, but sports fans get the added layer of recognition for a kindred soul in Keaton. Robert Downey Jr. plays the much feared and hated theater critic whose opinion will make or break Keaton. It's a fun quirky role (he seems especially gifted at those) that adds a nice bit of the absurd into the mix, because life is also absurd, isn't it?
I despise movie reviews that reveal too much, so I'm not going to give away any more. But if you like intelligent, well-written, well acted movies that give you layers of things to enjoy, this could be a real treat. I'd recommend it.
