I am aware that my taste in movies could be considered not so good by some, strange by others, or just simply bad by a few. I admit that I’ve come home from the video store with a few flicks that have turned out to be turds but generally I’m a pretty good judge of predicting whether a movie is going to be good or not. Just for clarification that would be my opinion of good.

My wife knows it’s risky to send me into the video store alone with no specific list of movies. When I get home with my latest cinema master piece in hand my wife will ask what I rented and I’ll say, “I’ve never heard of this one but I thought it would be good.” To which my wife will explain, yet again, that there may be a reason we’ve never heard of the movie. Well there’s only one way to find out if “Get Smoochie” is good or not.

Like most things in life everyone has their own likes and dislikes which is why I don’t really care what critics have to say about a movie. It’s all a matter of personal opinion and why should I care if someone else liked or disliked a movie? I only care if I like it, since I’m the one plunking down two hours of my life let me be the judge of whether it was worth it or not.

My opinion is that a good movie sucks you in and makes you think and feel both during the movie and long after you’ve ejected it and made a mad dash back to the video store risking an eighty dollar speeding ticket to avoid a one dollar late fee. Whether a movie accomplishes this is also a personal matter as a movie may suck you in but could possible just suck for someone else.

I try and keep this in mind when someone suggests a movie to me and I watch it and hate it. I don’t go beating on their door and demand to be reimbursed for the two hours they just stole from me by suggesting that I would enjoy “Facing the Giants”. I’m sure they meant well and I won’t let their poor taste in movies become a tipping point in our friendship. Don’t insist I will love your brand of entertainment and I won’t insist you will love “Northfork”.

Recently I brought “Touchback” home from the video store. As usual I had never heard of it, and as usual I briefly entertained the idea that there may be a reason I hadn’t heard of it, and as usual I ignored that reasoning. This time it worked out. “Touchback” was a good movie that the entire family enjoyed and it met my stringent movie requirements of making me think and feel.

The main tag line of the movie hooked me, “Would you give up everything you love for a shot at everything you’ve ever wanted?” It’s a good question and the movie does a nice job of exploring this possibility in a “It’s A Wonderful Life” sort of way. The movie will make you ponder the glory days of your youth and the various paths you’ve chosen, the ones that have chosen you, and the ones you looked up but for some reason didn’t follow.

Of all the paths I could have stumbled down this one suits me just fine.