Queue Tips: Dave The Rave

"Dave" is a movie that I remember watching back when it first came out in 1993.  There was a time when my mom and I would go to the movies a lot around this year.  I didn't have a lot of activities to participate in, but for a while this was something that I could regularly look forward to in the weekends.  A couple of movies we went to when they came out were "Jurassic Park" and " Dennis the Menace".  I remember we were at the food court or something and there was a poster of that dinosaur movie and she pointed out that tag line, "65 millions years in the making."  I just kind of nodded, but I didn't really get it.  That was probably the first time I've seen that phrase.  I didn't ask her what it meant.  She seemed impressed with it, and I just wanted to agree.

Anyways, I feel like "Dave" probably came out in the fall maybe.  Or was it late spring?  I was in the seventh grade, and I didn't really have a lot of friends.  But at some point I remember walking on Jordan Avenue toward Vroom Street with a class mate, and we were talking.  I joked with him that "Dave" is great, "Dave" is the best, "Dave" is amazing.  Dave being my name, you see.  And I think he laughed.  I was hoping to make the same joke with other classmates at some point, but it never happened.  I think school maybe ended or something.  In the back of my mind, I think I really did hope people would think Dave to be great and the best and amazing.  Super amazing great.

Googalizing the release date of the film shows that it was May 7, 1993.  So I probably saw it near the end of school.  I think probably that memory of me walking and talking with my classmate was probably one of the last days of school, if not the last day.  I remember feeling a sense of relaxation and no stress.  Seventh grade was a tough one for me, and I wrote a lot about it on my journal at the time.  I also wrote about "Dave" and my little joke with my acquaintance.  Notice I'm not referring to him as an actual friend, because I can't even remember his name or which one he actually was.  

I actually did like the movie at the time.  Rewatching it now, it's kind of amazing how much movies can oversimplify things and expect you to really suspend your disbelief.  Remember when movies used to be an escape?  I'm not sure how well this film did, but I think it was made because people kind of wanted to believe or imagine that politicians can actually be good and actually care about people other than themselves.

Spoiler alert.  This movie is about a guy who looks just like the president of the country.  He gets a chance to take over the role and actually does at least one good thing, albeit in a strange and unorthodox manner.  It was a fun watch at the time.  I think it was refreshing to see back then.  This day and age, I think it's pretty nearly impossible to imagine.

I used to really, really admire my mom at this age.  At some points I imagined her being president of this country, even though I knew it was not actually possible because of the citizenship rules.  In my fantasy, the scenario was that the whole country was just so impressed with her brilliance that they found a way around that.  And then somehow my dad would become vice president.  I was not that impressed with him, especially not ethically, but my mom would keep her in line.  And of course, being the son of the president and vice president, I would be famous and known as well and I would be admired and be good also and all that.  This was just a fleeting fantasy.  Somehow I remembered imagining this while taking a bubble bath in our little one bedroom apartment.

I don't remember when exactly my mom first thought to go to the movies.  Somehow I was thinking that it was when "Jurassic Park" first came out, but Googalizing it show that it was released in June, which is after "Dave".  But then again, "Dave" would probably have still been in theaters that month and we only saw it then, after which I told my classmate about it and school ended.  

Again, I had nothing to do - no sports or music or classmates to hang out with - so when she asked, I just said okay and went.  (Years later, I would just not want to go at all, preferring to just stay home and watch TV or listen to music or something.)  This went on for a few weeks.  Other movies I believe we went to see were "Last Action Hero", "Sleepless in Seattle" and"The Firm".  Hm, somehow now that I think about it, it was really not that many.  But I guess for those few weeks, it felt like a regular thing.

Our close family friends went back to the Philippines for the summer, and I became their house sitter and I took care of their dog in their apartment while they were away.  Unlike us, they had cable TV, and I preferred to stay there most of the time, even sleeping over there by myself some nights.  I would stay up late just watching whatever and be very tired when I actually did come home.  And then around August, my second older brother came over to live with us and things really changed.