AuburnChick's Adventures

Last week, the Mr. received an email invitation…

We were invited to a screening of the movie Nerve.

I pulled up the movie trailer because I had not heard of it.

The trailer looked good, so we decided to go.

I had to go to the theater early to pick up our tickets.  Note to self:  always take my Reel Rewards card.  You have to be a member to get the invitations for movie screenings, and they need to see the card to distribute tickets (limit of two per card).  I was extremely upset when I saw people being turned away.  I had not taken the card.

Now, bad moment here, okay.  Just forgive me.

The lady in line behind me offered me her key tag…the Reel Rewards one…so I wouldn’t have to leave.  The guy in front of us had told us that they weren’t using the numbers for anything.  Y’all.  The drive to the movie theater takes almost an hour because of traffic, not because of distance.  I live in a tourist town, and this is high season for us.

So, I handed over the keys with the card on them and was given two tickets after the lady WROTE DOWN THE NUMBERS.

Yeah.  My heart was convicted.

The lady behind me took her turn and was asked if we were together because YOU CAN ONLY GET TWO TICKETS PER CARD.

We were so busted.

I stepped forward, handed the lady the tickets, and fessed up.  I explained that I had left my card at home.

Why or why don’t I trust God in even the smallest matters?

Sheesh.

The lady behind the counter told me that she could look up my card by my phone number.

:::hung my head in shame:::

I felt horrible.  She was extremely gracious as I apologized, face as red as could be.

I got my tickets, but my heart felt so soiled, a bit of joy robbed from the experience.

I had four hours to wait, so I did a bit of shopping, coupons in hand.  Ulta always calls my name when I’m at this mall.

Then, I visited Red Brick pizza and ordered my favorite vegan combo and sat down to read.

It was such a pretty day, so I was able to sit outside after I finished eating and read some more, finishing my book and starting another.

The Mr. met me at the theater around 6:30, and we waited to be allowed into the theater.

The movie finally started!

Let me tell you, I quickly fell in love with Dave Franco.

Swoon.

He was simply adorable in this movie.

Swoon.

Sorry, Mr.

His chemistry with Emma Watson was spot on.  She was precious in this role, her character so lovable.

The premise of the movie is that Vee (Emma) is a goody-goody who lives in the shadow of her best friend.  She finally gets mad and decides to play a game called Nerve, where “watchers” create dares for the “players.”  Each dare has to be recorded on the player’s phone while the watchers look on.  For each dare completed, the player earns money, with the earnings going up the longer the player stays in the game.  The ultimate goal is to win in the finale.

Through “fate,” Vee meets Ian (Dave Franco) when she chooses him to complete her first dare on.  They pair up quickly, their numbers of watchers goes up, and the dares get more elaborate.

Eventually, things turn nasty when Vee tries to quit the game, a big no-no, and has to find a way out.

What I Liked

As mentioned before, the chemistry between the characters.  Oh mercy.

The premise, which is actually two-fold.  You have a girl who’s becoming her own person, which I totally love.  I see my students fall into the traps of unfulfilled dreams all the time.  Vee’s story is their story.

Mainly, the movie is a commentary on the influence of social media and our fascination in “watching” others’ lives evolve through it.  I loved how the movie opened and completely identified with all of it…the use of technology…the Macbook…even answering the phone on the computer.

The scenery.  New York at night…all lit up…so beautiful.

The action scenes.  The Mr. and I actually held our breaths at various points.

What I Didn’t Like

In the first five or ten minutes, there is full rear nudity…gross.

Shortly after that, there is a conversation that had some sexual references that made me very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, this didn’t continue.  I simply don’t understand why producers think they need to include such stuff in the opening of movies and television shows.  Totally unnecessary.

I also didn’t like the prevalence of underage drinking.  The mass party scene painted underage drinking in a favorable and NORMAL light.  I cannot be okay with this.  Yes, I know it happens, but seriously.  If you’re putting a movie out there with a good message, you can eliminate some of this stuff.

My Overall Opinion

The Mr. and I agreed that the movie was cute.  Would we pay to go see it?  No.  It would make a fun movie rental though.

With that said, I think my teenage students will love it.  I hope they see the bigger picture at the end of it.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: Dave Franco, Emma Watson, movies, Nerve | 1 Comment »