For Christmas, I bought my parents “Spring Forward” on DVD. Here is a plot summary from http://www.imdb.com: “As the seasons change in a Connecticut town, two men of different age and backgrounds who work together outdoors for the local park system share thoughts and feelings that gradually deepen into a relationship approaching father and son. Paul is just out of prison for armed robbery, assigned to work with Murph, a middle-aged vet whose grown son Bobby is dying. Paul is trying to control his temper and build a spiritual side based on reading. Murph is a down-to-earth Sancho Panza to Paul’s more ethereal ideas. And Murphy seems to need forgiveness for mistakes as a dad.”

Well, they finally watched it and yesterday when I called my mom, I asked her what they thought of it. She said about four or five times in different ways, “Well, it sure was different.” She said they thought it was kind of slow.

Then she asked me why I had bought them that particular movie. I said that I just thought it was a nice, thoughtful movie that was well-acted. I really liked Ned Beatty (who plays Murphy).

She said, yes, he was good, but he hardly seems to do any WORK in the movie. “Like the scene where they’re painting the fence,” she said. “He picks up the paintbrush and then puts it back down and he never does get around to doing anything. Dad said that that’s what those government jobs are like, though”