dual personalities

I still have not baked an apple pie, but even so, we are enjoying autumn to the max. Everywhere we turn in our new neighborhood, there are trees full of changing leaves.

I’m very happy to don a sweatshirt and jeans for a long stroll (and to not break a sweat). I have a new routine of walking to the local library on Friday afternoons, which means I hear a lot of school-departure shrieking and see happy commuters who have also made it through the week. I’ve also spied some impressively decorated Halloween facades — people here get very into lawn decor. We are not big Halloween fans, but it’s fun to live in a place where children are out and about and excited about things.

I am rambling! Our autumnal weekend also involved brunch in the city with friends, something I haven’t done in years and years. It was fun to see friends for a meal and be home in time for a Saturday afternoon nap. On Sunday, it poured rain all morning, so I stayed in bed and read. I spent a lot of time this weekend supine!

I do want to report that we watched a new movie: Can You Ever Forgive Me? starring Melissa McCarthy.

The film is based on the true story of the writer Lee Israel, whose failing career prompted her to forge letters by famous authors for cash. We watched it over two nights, which was possibly not the best decision, since the movie dwells in a bad place for well over an hour. (I.e., we didn’t get any positive moments until night two.) Since Israel isn’t exactly a likeable character, we were left wondering: is redemption coming? Where is this going? Surely someone will be hurt by this? As I ask about so many movies these days, who, exactly are we supposed to be rooting for?

But Melissa McCarthy (clearly trying to prove her “serious” chops, and in a terrible hairdo to boot) was quite good, and the story was relatively gripping. We wanted the other shoe to drop! The ending pays off, though it then wraps up quite quickly considering the time you’ve put in through the slog of the crimes. I might have liked a bit more of a moral triumph. As I write this, I realize how I really feel: perhaps I only recommend this movie if I’m grading on a curve. It isn’t a remake, or a live-action version of a Disney movie, or an unnecessary sequel… sigh.

Perhaps if I want to watch a New York movie with vintage typewriters and library visits and earnest literary endeavors, I should just rewatch Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Varjak, Paul is a writer worth rooting for!