The Quickest Way to Clear a Room

Some movies just don't bridge the generation gap very well.

Remember how I talked about Wedding Crashers, which on its own merits is a very funny movie, yet how my wife and kids didn't really enjoy it too much in each other's company?

Well, another movie like that is The 40-year-old Virgin.

Watched it last night on dvd, in fits and starts. Started watching it with my wife and two teenagers. Quickly decided that the 13-year-old can finish watching it later in life. The 16-year-old went out and came back, but saw most of it with us.

And it was funny.

But I would like to watch it again in adult (ie. not my children) company. There are just some jokes that are funny because you can relate to them. HOWEVER, even the *concept* of parents being able to relate to jokes of a sexual nature, can cause extreme distress in teenage children. Since, after all, they were, despite their fervent hopes, *not* a product of immaculate conception.

Anyway, some movies are *completely* unwatchable in parental company, as I found with my own parents.

Back when my wife and I were dating, around 1984, we watched a video with my parents.

Very briefly.

It was called Eddie Murphy - Delirious. Anybody remember that? Stand-up comedy performance? Back when Eddie Murphy was *really* filthy and *really* funny? Before he went all Daddy Daycare?

Well, we sat down to watch this. One of his very first jokes was his shtick about Mr. T being a gay man, and bending over and simulating... ok, well if you saw it you remember.

My mother jumped up like she was shocked by lightning. She said something like, "Good heavens, I can't watch this!" and immediately left the room.

My father, about ten seconds later, after careful consideration, said, "Well, I guess I better go up with your mother", and was gone as well.

*Never* have I ever seen a room clear so fast. It was like magic.

Maybe I'll pick it up sometime, and see if it works on my kids too!!


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(If you want to reminisce, or never saw it, here are some memorable quotes from Delirious on the Internet Movie Database)