Instant BFFs: If you love these things, then I love you!
by Danielle Hampton
After writing about Halloween costumes for finding your new best friend, it got me thinking about all the weird things that I love, that make me love you, if you love them. Make sense? There are so many times I hear someone mention something and I immediately know we’ll be fast friends. Perhaps that’s a quick judge of character but hello, if you’ve seen Welcome to the Dollhouse more than ten times then yes, I am positive we will get along swimmingly. Just the other day my friend Piper mentioned The ‘Burbs (that old Tom Hanks movie) on Twitter, and my love for her grew immediately. I never meet people who like The ‘Burbs, let alone throw it into a casual conversation via the internet, so it was absolutely friend love at first mention.
So, here are a few things from my weird list of things that will make me love you:
1. Welcome to the Dollhouse. No, not the Danity Kane album (sigh), the life-changing film! I can’t even begin to explain how much I love this movie. And I love you if you love it, as well. In a nutshell, it’s about Dawn, who is a super awkward 7th grader living in New Jersey and the movie follows along as she navigates through the crazy world she lives in. I’m talking garage bands, missing children, and first loves. I told you: crazy. I don’t want to give too much of the story away because I feel like part of the beauty of this film is not knowing what you’re even getting yourself into. All I’ll tell you is that by the end, you will have fallen in love with all things Dawn Wiener (her glasses! her barrettes! her bossy yet lovable attitude!) and you’ll be humming the theme song for days.
2. The Last Unicorn. Okay, so this movie is one of those films that you either love or hate. You either find it amazing and magical or creepy and weird. I happen to be on the amazing and magical side, and if you’re there too, then we should totally hang out. Have you seen it? So many of my childhood movie memories come from this particular film. The quotes, the music, the awkward buzzard with breasts…it’s all a magical little snippet from my younger years that I view as a bonding point when someone else is into it too.
3. Jets to Brazil. Orange Rhyming Dictionary is one of my most beloved albums, but rarely do I meet people who even know what I’m talking about. I believe it was released in 1998, although I didn’t discover it until I found myself listening to Jawbreaker in 1999. It was love at first listen, though, and I still tear up any time I hear ‘Sweet Avenue’. When I met my husband, I discovered he was of the “who the hell is Jets to Brazil?” majority, but now luckily he’s a believer (and listener). And thank God, right? Because if any husband of mine was opposed to those emotional nights listening to ‘Sea Anemone’ over and over again he wouldn’t last too long. Just kidding. Kind of.
4. Any or all of the following shows: Small Wonder, Out of This World, or The Golden Girls. True story – at a Halloween party in college, I noticed a gal wearing a red dress and white pinafore and talking in a strangely robotic voice. I ran up to her and said “OH MY GOD, VICKI!” I think she had a tear in her eye when I recognized her as the robot daughter from Small Wonder, and it was the start of a fun friendship. Pretty amazing, right?
So how about you? What weird little things are you into that would be a total bonding point for a new friend? I’m curious, so feel free to discuss below. Maybe you’ll even find your new instant-BFF in the comments!
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11.24.2011 |
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Out Of This World?! Love you! I couldn’t get any of my friends to watch that show when I was growing up. They all thought it was weird or too silly. I loved it.
Seriously! That song is stuck in my head now too. It’s so good!
I loved small wonder and out of this world! I do the same thing, with different criteria. Like, for Christmas, people who loved Santa and the 3 bears, or emmet otters jug band Christmas, I know instantly I’m gonna get along with. In general though, my list is probably the last unicorn, watership down, and dot and the kangaroo (obscure Aussie movie). <3
DOT! Not so obscure that I don’t know it…”The best fun in the world and I’ll tell you it’s true / is to ride in the pouch of a Red Kangaroo!” Ohh great show. Let’s be BFFs! haha
OMG i thought only me and my weird friends loved Welcome to the Dollhouse. We had a weird thing for Brendan, stemming from his role as “Warren Beaty” in Empire Records!
“why do you hate me?” “Because you’re ugly.”
instant bonding if anyone else owned a free winona shirt, or loves the book franny and zooey, or knows all the words to metal heart by cat power…
The Last Unicorn….definitely amazing and magical. So much so I even read the book when I was 11. This movie has been one of my absolute favorites since I was itty bitty!!! And nobody apparently understands that in my life except for now you! And Small Wonder. Definitely Small Wonder.
LAST UNICORN = Fav. Movieeeee <3
I was so scared of the red bull in the last unicorn, and it always made me cry! but I absoloutely adore it! and small wonder is so good!!
Welcome to the Dollhouse!♫ one of my favs too, and I want the band to play in my 80′s party! haha
The Last Unicorn is probably the best movie ever! So good in fact that I leant it out to a friend when I was 12 and she never returned it. Needless to say we aren’t friends anymore. I mean, who could be friends with a Last Unicorn Stealing bitch like that. Fortunately I found a copy for 2 dollars at Value Village not too long ago, on VHS, cause I’m old school like that, and now I feel much better. But not about my x-friend, she’s still a bitch for stealin’ my Last Unicorn.
i probably have seen welcome to the dollhouse more than ten times. i rented it so often, my mother forbade me from getting it on a trip to california when we visited my grandparents. she hated it and the craft because for about two years, any movies i rented included one or both of those. bff criteria, anyone who loves the movie drop dead gorgeous is ok by me
i made my friends watch and they didn’t appreciate it! liking board games doesn’t hurt either.
THE LAST UNICORN. “Unicorns don’t regret”. That is like my motto. Love this!!!
I LOVE THE BURBS!!!!
Ok seriously, I just checked out your blog and I saw “Welcome to the Dollhouse” and automatically thought “I WILL be following this blog”. I love Dawn Weiner and I used to think that Warren was my dream guy, which is pretty sad. AND I love the Burbs, geez. Anyhow, look forward to checking more of your stuff out.
Oh and I still call Brandon “Warren” cause of his character in Empire Records.
ok so i only clicked over here because i saw the pictures of welcome to the dollhouse and the last unicorn. how could anyone think of putting those movies together other than me? love them. love you!
Jets to Brazil (and Jawbreaker) are so amazing! My husband and I used ‘Sweet Avenue’ on our wedding mix CD we gave out as favors! His lyrics and voice give off a mood which is so distinct! Have you ever listened to the musician Rocky Votolato? He has drawn a lot of inspiration from Blake, and his family even has a pet dog named Jawbreaker. Too cute! And of course, who doesn’t love Vicki?! I can definitely remember wanting to be her for several different Halloweens as a child, what a great costume idea for now!
the last unicorn is so beautiful!! i watch it with my sister every christmas! always makes me tear up. and the golden girls are a classic, there are reruns every other weekend night over here in germany
I love Jets to Brazil
Small Wonder, The Addams Family movies (my friends and I all exchanged texts with the lyrics to the Thanksgiving play yesterday), The Burbs & Joe vs. the Volcano hee hee hee
I must have watched The Last Unicorn over 100 times as a kid. We are totally meant to be friends, based on this list. You’re only the second person I’ve ever heard say that they love Jets to Brazil. And the Golden Girls? It’s regularly quoted in my household.
Ooooooh yeah. Jets to Brazil. I’m pretty well versed when it comes to obscure independent music. =) I played that all the time at the used bookshop I worked at!
The last unicorn!! Thank you!! I loved this movie when I was little but it totally fell off my radar!
Have LOVED The Last Unicorn since childhood! Loved Small Wonder, and Out of This World as a kid and Golden Girls is STILL one of my favorites! Also, discovered Jets to Brazil in ’98 while working at my college radio station. Now I need to see Welcome to the Dollhouse I guess.
Welcome to the Dollhouse soundtrack is available on Amazon!!!!
Upon viewing The Last Unicorn, my 8- and 10-year old daughters exclaimed in unison, “Why did you make us WATCH that mom?!” Um. Because it is awesome. No you can’t sleep with me tonight. Stop crying. Babies.
wow. you know, i have forgotten about Welcome to the Dollhouse. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love Dawn’s club “The Special People’s Club”. Her mom actually reminded me of my mom. GRRRRRRR. anyway, i have to find it and make my teen girls sit down and watch it with me. they will love it.
I love Jets to brazil ♥ and welcome to the dollhouse, wow I have to watch it again soon, it’s been a while, thank you