Post #124

Swingers

11th January 2004, early afternoon | Comments (20)

Hand shadows from www.20kweb.com

Ever since my girlfriend broke up with me (back in January 2002) my cousin Kim has been telling me to watch the film, Swingers:

Kim
Now, Dunstan, stop crying for a moment and watch Swingers, it’ll totally change your perspective on this whole thing.
Dunstan
*blub*
Kim
Look, we’ll get it out on video and it’ll make you feel so much better!
Dunstan
*sniff* But *sob* she’s *sob* gone *sob* oh *sob* god! *sob*
Kim
Right… Look! Shadow puppets! It’s a dog! Ruff Ruff… Meeow!
Dunstan
*sob*
Kim
Sheesh…

She did try, bless her.

Anyway, last night Swingers was on TV, so I sat down to watch it. After fifteen minutes I gave up in embarrassment: I could recognise an awful lot of my own behaviour in Jon Favreau’s character and it was cringeable.

I set the video and went off to bed.

This morning I made some tea and toast (hmm, time to try Philadelphia-on-toast again, haven’t had that since I was with Dom) and settled down to resume watching the film.

It really is very good.

I’m very much over my breakup, I’m not like the main character, and my friends aren’t like his friends, but I could certainly relate to the story. It managed to portray the whole situation wonderfully well.

By the end of the film I was dancing around to swing music (still in my dressing-gown), smiling my head off. I did 74 press-ups without stopping, I went and had a shower and a shave (I did little hoppity-skip things as I went up the stairs). If I lived near an airport I probably would have jumped on a plane to San Francisco.

Something in the film made me happy, and hopeful for the future.

So, if you’ve split up with your girlfriend and feel like nothing in this world can penetrate the shell of misery you’ve built around you, listen up: Go get Swingers out on video. It really will help.

And for God’s sake, stop that sobbing… Look! It’s a Bird In Flight! Coo, coo…

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Comments (20)

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  1. Dris:

    Haven't had a recent break-up, but I'm going to have to watch that movie.

    Future reference. :)

    Posted 2 hours, 57 minutes after the fact
    Inspired: ↓ Scott Johnson
  2. Wes:

    If by "Philadelphia-on-toast" you mean cream cheese, let's just say it's kind of like ambrosia at least for me. Try it with a little lemon juice mixed into the cream cheese and dill on top. Also good with salmon on top, of course, either just on top of cream cheese or with the aforementioned preparation, or with plain cream cheese, tomatoes, onions and capers. The cream cheese is the medium through which all the other tastes go.

    I acknowledge that bagels are comparatively rare outside the U.S. and Canada, but if you can get them that will make the experience even better.

    Posted 3 hours, 5 minutes after the fact
    Inspired: ↓ Scottbp, ↓ Dunstan
  3. Scott Johnson:

    Even if you haven't gone through a breakup recently, the movie will definitely lift your spirits. This is Jon Favreau at his best.

    Posted 6 hours, 3 minutes after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Dris
  4. Ben Scofield:

    Any particular reason you'd want to fly to San Francisco? IIRC, Swingers is set in Los Angeles.

    I do love Favreau (and Vince Vaughn, for that matter) in that movie... not to mention Heather Graham.

    Posted 8 hours, 16 minutes after the fact
    Inspired: ↓ Dunstan
  5. Dunstan:

    Yes it is set in LA, Ben - but San Francisco is where I'm planning on going for a while, so it was the first place that popped into my head :o)

    Re. Heather Graham - she makes a nice cameo doesn't she? Really brings the film together there.

    Posted 9 hours, 15 minutes after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Ben Scofield
  6. Ben Scofield:

    Ah, that makes more sense, then. Enjoy the SF trip!

    There were two things I really enjoyed about the Heather Graham scene - Graham herself (I thought she looked great in the swing style), and the band playing at the club. Heather Graham I've since only seen in movies, but I've seen the band (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy) twice in person.

    Posted 10 hours, 27 minutes after the fact
  7. Pat:

    It's true, that movie is so money!

    Posted 15 hours, 6 minutes after the fact
  8. Scottbp:

    Wes... two of the my top five bagel joints are in
    a. london UK (brick lane)
    and
    b. Wellington NZ (brooklyn)
    [the rest ARE US based]

    embrace global bagelness! (yay for bagels!)
    as for the cream cheese... you go Dunstan!

    and as for the shadow puppets... yay for kim!

    Posted 15 hours, 9 minutes after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Wes
    Inspired: ↓ Dunstan
  9. Kitta:

    I've had a few people tell me to watch that movie, I might keep my eye out for it when I go rent some videos next.

    Posted 18 hours, 19 minutes after the fact
  10. Dunstan:

    I used to work around the corner from Brick Lane (in London), and I'd often go and buy a huge bag of bagels from the 24-hour bagel shop. Lovely stuff.

    Ooh, if you have your 3D specs handy (and who doesn't) you can see the shop here:
    http://www.sue-davis.net/e23d/bagel3.html

    Posted 20 hours, 42 minutes after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Wes, ↑ Scottbp
  11. Gambit:

    Great, I've got a friend who cant seem to get over his last breakup, eventhough it was the best thing that ever happend him, will have to reccoment it.

    Posted 1 day, 1 hour after the fact
  12. Kim:

    Not so sure about the shadow puppets as a means of therapy. I do find however that the tree starfish game cheers you up no end......

    Posted 1 day, 1 hour after the fact
    Inspired: ↓ Dunstan
  13. Dunstan:

    Hee hee ;o)

    Posted 1 day, 1 hour after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Kim
  14. Patricia:

    I love the movie. After seeing it I went through a period where I so badly wanted to take up swing dancing. Unfortunately, VA isn't and wasn't the sort of place where you could find a place to do that.

    Hmm. I have the DVD. I think I may just have to pop it in tonite.

    Posted 1 day, 10 hours after the fact
    Inspired: ↓ Ben Scofield
  15. Ben Scofield:

    Patricia - if you're in Northern VA, there are still a number of active swing nights. For while, the swing revival was huge around here.

    Posted 1 day, 10 hours after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Patricia
  16. Chris Burkhardt:

    I've never had a girlfriend... perhaps this movie will cheer me up over that? :)

    Posted 3 days, 9 hours after the fact
    Inspired: ↓ Dunstan, ↓ Seriocomic
  17. Dunstan:

    It's not often I laugh out loud over comments, Chris. But that one has me chuckling away here :oD

    Posted 3 days, 9 hours after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Chris Burkhardt
  18. Seriocomic:

    I too let out a loud chuckle until I caught myself thinking "he might be serious".

    Will add the movie to the "must watch" list.

    Kudos also, Dunstan, for having one of the only sites offering a "preview" of the post that actually looks like the friggen final result.

    Posted 5 days, 15 hours after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Chris Burkhardt
  19. James:

    I loved ur "coverage" of Swingers. Great movie. Everything about it is great. It's the only movie out there that really hits at a "shy guy's" heart. I myself am shy. I spend my life dreaming of the day when a very tall woman(en) will make a move @ me. What can I say, I'm 1 of those guys that love it when a woman makes the 1st move cause it shows me that I wont b the only 1 ? all the ?. I hate the fact that men must make the 1st move but women have the final say-life sucks. Y can't women make moves 2?

    Posted 11 months, 2 weeks after the fact
  20. SHEILA BEECHAM:

    Hello
    Me and my partner George are now having to to move from Big

    Meadow Road, after being discovered for being swingers. Our

    son david who is a builder by trade has bought us a new home

    at 10 Hill Grove moreton, ch46 0sa, to cope with the

    embarrasing situation. The other couple Mr&Mrs Mearns are

    also contemplating moving their home, after our son found

    out the truth one night. What our your thoughts 0151-6775049

    Posted 2 years, 2 months after the fact

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