I know what you must be thinking.
“A prima donna like you has time to watch movies!?”
Why, yes. And thank you, very much. I make time to do the things I like to do. That is just how us queens do things.
However, as the semester is coming to a close, I have actually had to restrict myself. Only one movie a week. I KNOW!!! Otherwise, I would spend too much time sucked into a false world.
You see, when I watch a movie, I feel it with my entire self. I am not just watching, it is like I am living it, there in the screen! I feel what the characters feel, I see the world through the director’s perspective. I become fully entranced, and sometimes it takes days until I am back to reality.
…It is kind of an issue. I have to plan my week out based on the media I intend to engage.
Though, this is not just sad movies. Even most Disney films. Your typical romantic comedy. Right… this is simply the way of an artist, and I know it has to be why I relate to music so well.
With this in mind, what could a prima donna of my caliber possibly enjoy watching? And that, I agree, is a funny thought, if it were not for the strong female protagonists and enchanting cinematography of the few films that come to mind.
1. Legally Blonde
Could Reese Witherspoon be anymore perfect? Name a more fabulous inspirational and energizing tale of a girl making her own in the world. Go on…
It has stuck with me ever since I first saw it, when I knew that I could be just like Elle. Actually… I really am her.
In the recent Legally Blonde Twentieth Anniversary zoom reunion, and I mean very recent, many of Reese’s colleagues commented on the fact that she really was Elle.
She would get to set, put on the costumes, and have her gorgeous nails and hair all prepped, but it was only an elaboration of the Elle Woods in Reese.
This is what my prima donna is; a sparkly dramatization and showcase of my innermost self. Duh!
2. Pretty Woman
Walking down the street! Julia Roberts is another lady that I admire. Her beauty radiates in every role I have ever seen her in. Pretty Woman is one of the first romantic comedies that I remember loving after seeing it with my mom.
Of course, it also brings the line “Big mistake… big, huge!” Which we quote to each other often, and is one of my life phrases! It gives a good perspective for someone like me to have when some things do not go exactly as planned. But, I know I will get there in the end. 😉
3. The Little Mermaid
I thought I was a princess for a good portion of my childhood (I still do) and me singing The Little Mermaid is actually what got me into taking voice lessons.
Although I listen to Jodi Benson now and giggle, because I am much more of a Mary Costa as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, I still get butterflies like I did when I was young when Ariel does her thing. Her magical, charming, singing thing!
She is the precious gem of the family, she is the perfect amount of whiny and independent, and completely unwilling to settle for the standards of the world around her. Just like me.
4. Clueless
Not only for Cher, but for all of her friends, too. I know the film ends in an odd way, but you cannot deny this timepiece of 90’s fashion, and the instant classic it became. When I watch this one, I cry when Alicia Silverstone’s character gets mugged and has to lay on the dirty ground, ruining her Alaïa dress. How awful is that!
I love imagining myself as an absent minded teen, living my best west coast privileged fantasy… as if! And yes, I do say that in my real life. Do you not?
5. The Sound of Music
I think this is the most obvious of a prima donna’s favorite films.
Julie Andrews was my first realized vocal inspiration. I would watch clips of her over and over again when I was first learning about singing, and she taught me a lot about performing with grace and ease, just how it should be.
“I Have Confidence” is, to date, one of my most listened to confidence boosting anthems. Find me on any dreary day, singing to the world “what will this day be like…”
Bonus points for my sweet sister and I still arguing about who will sing Liesl and who will sing Rolf in karaoke renditions of “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” And, no, I am not joking.
If you find that you are a normal person that does not cry at every little thing in movies, (not even the sad parts?) take a moment to realize how lucky you are.
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