Ann
Ipock
Humorist,
author, speaker
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Georgetown Times Column
It’s their movie and they’ll cry if they want to
By Ann Ipock August
25, 2004
It’s been a long time since a movie has made me cry; but when I
recently watched The Notebook, it seemed everyone in the theatre was crying.
Whereas I dabbed my eyes off and on, others sniffed, some softly sobbed,
and others constantly blew their noses. I haven’t seen folks that
upset since the Beatles broke up.
Indeed, I’d rate The Notebook on average, a three-Kleenex, or in
my case, a three-popcorn-smeared-napkin movie. Those napkins also came
in handy, inside the restroom before I left the theatre, when I used them
to wipe the mascara stains off my reddened cheeks. Hey! Did you know that
butter makes a pretty good eye makeup remover?
This movie watching happened on a “girl’s night out”
that had been planned for weeks. Several of the church staff where Russell,
my husband, works and the staff’s spouses were honoring our associate
minister, Scarlett Tanner, who was marrying Wayne Hester the following
weekend. We numbered about a dozen in all, and took up an entire pew—I
mean, row—in the theatre. Sitting smack dab in the middle was Terry,
our church secretary. She was the sobber in the bunch, as it turned out,
but I’ll get to that in a minute.
I sat next to Sara Dee, our minister’s wife, and we shared a bag
of popcorn. I specifically ordered a LARGE so we could get a bucket, but
no! Wrong theatre. They had no buckets, only bags. Don’t you hate
it when two people are trying to wiggle their greasy fingers down into
the bottom of the greasy bag at the same time and nothing comes out? But
I always say: What is a movie without popcorn? (And if there’s a
handful of chocolate, caramel, and nuts mixed in, honey I’m downright
giddy!)
Russell must have told these ladies ahead of time to seat me near the
end, because that’s where I ended up—the aisle seat. He would
say this because I am a “movie talker”
(I discuss scenes, ask questions, and comment from time to time). But
again, I was downright quiet compared to the emotional outbursts around
me. I can’t help myself when I see Sam Sheperd on the big screen
and ooh and aah—then ask, “What did they just say?”
Look at it this way: Since I was at the end of the row, that cut down
on my talking by 50%, since I had only one person next to me, not two.
I don’t want to give away the plot of the movie, but several times,
I found myself tearing up with a lump in my throat. Like in the first
few moments, in the opening scene where the camera scans a breath-taking
view of a creek sunrise (it’s rare I see one in person) and a lone
boater. Sara Dee said to me, “Are you crying already?” That
was the only time she spoke during the movie. She is sooooooo good—such
a polite movie goer! She doesn’t even squirm in her seat like me.
I felt so self-conscious, but forced myself to refrain from taking off
my shoes and sitting with my left foot under my right knee, like I usually
do. Another part where I gently wept was when Allie’s parents forbid
her from seeing Noah anymore. But mostly, I stay composed and kept my
emotions in check.
And as I said, I won’t tell you what happened in the movie, but
I do want to tell you what happened in the movie theatre! When the movie
ended, no one moved—at least, not in our row. I think they were
in shock. Then the sound barrier broke with Terry’s sobbing! At
first I thought she was crying, but that sound changed to laughter, and
then back to sobbing again. I thought someone was going to have to slap
her to stop the hysteria. Then her mania spread to several other friends,
and pretty soon, I was the only one not crying.
We all stopped in the bathroom before heading to Tom and Jerry’s
(as our friend, Willa called it); but it’s really Ben and Jerry’s
ice cream. In the bathroom, we realized how truly awful we all looked.
Red noses, splotchy cheeks, flat, limp hair and puffy red lips. It was
pitiful, y’all. Don’t worry, the brisk night air and cold
ice-cream helped to snap us back to reality, and we gained our composure
before going home.
I read The Notebook when it first came out in 1996 and I was particularly
interested in the fact that the setting was in Craven County, N.C., where
my parents grew up; more specifically, New Bern. Much of the book’s
setting took place where my parents often visited, such as the Masonic
theatre, which is still standing. Talk about a small world. In fact, we
went to a wedding in New Bern recently and drove around downtown just
for old time’s sake before we headed back to my parents’ home
in Jacksonville, N.C. Nicholas Sparks also mentioned in the book places
like Fort Trotten Park, Gaston’s Drugstore (where my Dad worked
as a teenager), Brice’s Creek, and Hearns Jewelry—all familiar
landmarks to my parents. But like movies sometimes do, in veering away
from the book, I only remember the Masonic Theatre being mentioned. When
I discussed this movie with Dad, he told me that when he worked at Gaston
Drugstore, it was housed in The Elk Temple building, a four-story building
with a basement. It was the tallest building in New Bern at that time.
This was in the early 1940’s.
So, there you have a lesson in emotions and history, all in one column.
I think everyone has recuperated from the movie, and I’m glad to
say that Scarlett and Wayne
are happily married and enjoying their honeymoon. And there lies the only
hint of how the movie turns out—you’ve GOT to go see it! Be
sure to bring your Kleenex.