While I can't say it's bad, ultimately I just don't care about the nostalgia that this film celebrates.

Kari and I had a rare opportunity to rent a movie to watch after the kids went to bed. She said she wanted something with romance. I was in the mood for a comedy. We settled on 'Adventureland' because it had both elements and it seemed to have gotten relatively good reviews. Plus, it stars Jesse Eisenberg, who I really enjoyed in 'The Squid and the Whale'. Frankly, I was disappointed. It seemed cute, but little else. Perhaps I've grown weary of these nostalgia films centered around kids in their late teens or early twenties struggling to find love and determine what they are all about. I found the characters likable but predictable. It wasn't much of a surprise when one character did or said something, and nothing ever surprised me over the course of the film. It's not that it was bad. I just wasn't that interested.

Eisenberg simply played simply a more confident and mature version of the character he played in 'The Squid and the Whale'. Even the same esoteric, literary geekiness defined both characters. Kristen Stewart played Eisenberg's love interest with the same apathetic, too-cool cuteness that defined her character in 'Twilight', although she did show a bit more emotional depth this time around especially in the later scenes. SNL cast members Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, while often amusing on SNL, were simply weird and out of place, as if they thought they were in an extended SNL sketch that didn't work. (You know, the ones that air after "Weekend Update".)

Ironically, the one actor whose performance I liked the most was Ryan Reynolds. I say ironically because I typically can't stand his frat boy style of comedy. He was remarkably toned down but effective. He wasn't going for cheap laughs or playing to the mouth-breathers. Instead, he had an understated strength in his performance that played more like a dramatic role than a comedic one. He certainly wasn't the comic in this film, and it worked.

In the end, though, I simply didn't care enough about the main characters. By the end I wasn't even rooting for the guy and girl to get together. I watched the film with the same amount of interest that I sometimes look at old photos from high school: "Aw, isn't that funny?" "I remember that." "Huh. I wonder what happened to him." In the end, I concluded, "Man, I'm glad I'm not at that stage of life anymore." I guess that's why I've tired of these films. They celebrate a time in peoples' lives that seems so carefree and blissfully ignorant of the real challenges that await them. They're content with a few good friends, the occasional romance, and the more occasional weed. But I choose not to celebrate that time. I'm glad to be done with it, and I never want to go back. Not because it was all that bad but because I like my life now so much better. Relationships, life problems, and life successes are more nuanced and multifaceted, with complexity that I find interesting and challenging. A film like 'Adventureland' just seems too simple, predictable, and boring by comparison.

Shall we assume that children's behavior should always be nice and appropriate? Not so fast!

Recently I saw a trailer for the upcoming movie adaption of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. I immediately saw the artwork of the original book in my mind's eye. The muted, neutral tones and the perfect pencil lines. I felt the myrth of King Max's "rumpus", and saw the gnashing of the Wild Things' "terrible teeth". (I was thrilled when I learned that Kari had gone out and bought the book that day.)

When I think about that book, though, the biggest part of my memory goes to the feeling of liberation that I remember as Max found the freedom to be wild. He tried to be wild at home, but he only got in trouble. When he went to the Land of Wild Things, however, he could use his imagination to be as wild as he wanted. When he got lonely, though, he knew he could go home to his hot supper.

I realize that we don't always like it when our kids want to explore their wild side. We want them to behave, act right, not terrorize the dog or run in the house. While there is nothing wrong with those expectations, we also have to allow them to be wild sometimes. Being wild allows them to learn what they are capable of. They can feel free to resurrect their more base, animal instincts that most adults wish to suppress. Max found a way to do that in his world. But I want to do a better job of allowing my kids find it in theirs too.

Board games, wine, and simplicity: the ultimate relaxing weekend

My grandparents own a great little, rustic cabin in the piney woods of East Texas, right on the shores of Lake Sam Rayburn. It's only a 3-hour drive from my house in Houston, so a helicopter might not be imperative, but there's no other place for relaxing on a weekend. I started going there as a kid and loved the simplicity of the life you are forced to live. Although there is an air conditioner, indoor plumping, and other basic amenities, the complete lack of connection to the work-a-day lifestyle is what I love about it now as an adult. No TV, no internet, no cell phone reception, not even a land line (there is a land line phone at the neighbor's down the street for an emergency). It's the perfect place to go for the ultimate R&R weekend, complete with canoeing, bird-watching, swimming, and lounging. And the board games. LOTS of board games. Nothing better than playing Risk or Monopoly around the chiminea on the back porch while the sun sets over the lake while finishing a bottle of chardonnay.