Weekend Media Freak-out

Distress over my inability to plan my family's media diet was lessened by other folks in similar straits.

There I was. Sunday. Internet connection, Netflix, Hulu, many devices, but somehow completely out of options. I checked on the mobile app that redbox had a film my family would find acceptable and off I went, with the grim seriousness of a man who knows the fate of his evening lies in the balance. Once the word “movie” has been uttered there is no hope of rescinding it. Modifiers of conditionality just don’t work with the young ones.

Then of course when I arrived at the redbox  kiosk the film had been rented, as it was early evening, redbox rush hour. But those who might have doubted me at this moment should seek clergy, for I am a resourceful man of action, exploring all realms of the media kingdom.

Forsaking “We Bought a Zoo” I made an executive decision and “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” it was.

In our family two animals are prized above all others – penguins and lemurs. Pandas as a species finish a distant third in this calculus. Of course this is because of the “Penguins of Madagascar” franchise. All of us appreciate the effectiveness and dedication of Skipper, Private, Kowalski, and Rico. (My wife might be an exception on this point, “too militaristic!”)

Lemurs might have tied for first in our hearts, as Momo, the flying lemur in the “Avatar” series, is a big hit. The concern comes from the other creatures with whom the lemur King Julian of “Penguins of Madagascar” associates. My daughter has doubts that Maurice and Mort are actually lemurs, just similar species sharing a habitat.

Anyway, “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” delivered the goods with anthropomorphic Gentoo penguins being as adorable as one might hope. Jim Carrey, as the distracted developer father, of course reconnects with his own children and divorced wife to find the true meaning of fatherhood, all through the care and hijinks of his endearing charges.

Just a reminder to let you know we didn't watch a screen the entire long weekend (just 75% of it).