Opinionated? Who? Me?

Last week, a woman I work with was talking about a segment she heard on the radio show she was listening to on her drive in from work where the DJs were discussing 5 blockbuster movies they didn't like. She expressed her astonishment that one of them was Titanic. "How can anyone not like that movie?" she asked.

Now, one of the things I have learned to do as I have gotten older is to keep my mouth shut when dictated by the situation. However, there are times I fail to correctly assess the situation. That's when you find me saying things like this:

"I don't like that movie."

And when a stunned individual then says to me, "Why not?", I say:

"I don't like the love story between Jack and Rose. It's stupid."

I then would perhaps go on to talk about how I hate the way Hollywood presents love, that I think it's ridiculous to believe that this guy who she knew for a few days is who she will spend an eternity with (apparently among strangers who died in the tragedy that took his young life) rather than, say, her husband and family. I mean, Rose has a granddaughter in the movie. I assume this means she had a husband at some point and she has children as well. But the movie ends with her death and her then returning to a doomed ocean liner to kick up her heels with a guy who taught her to spit. Okay. Whatever. (Also I might throw in something about how it was a little uncomfortable sitting next to my brother in the theater when the third major star of Titanic -- Kate Winslet's breasts -- made their appearance.)

Then someone might say, "But people don't want reality. They don't want to see people picking out cat litter together."

Then I might reply that I am not suggesting that movies have to be realistic. I have no problem with movies that are unrealistic, that my problem is with movies that promote ideas and values that I think are destructive.

Then everyone might get very quiet and look a little shocked by what I just said. Things might feel a little tense. So I might try to lighten the mood a little by saying with a laugh,

"Not that I am opinionated or anything."

And when someone says, "But he was the love of her life," I may just hold my tongue instead of saying, "Precisely my point," no matter how much it pains me to do so.