I watch cowboy movies when I’m homesick.
This is for a couple of reasons. My dad watches cowboy movies every time they
are on TV. He owns most, if not all, of
John Wayne’s cowboy films, but never watches them on the DVDs or videos. If there’s a western on while he’s flipping
channels, he’ll stop. Cowboy movies in
the background on a Saturday afternoon is part of home to me.
Even remakes of classic westerns have good memories. For example, when the True Grit remake came
out, my brother and I went to see it opening day at 10am (it was Christmas
Vacation). We were the only people in
there under 60, and that instantly was something we’d brag about for the rest
of the break. Plus, it was pretty fun to
see another interpretation of a film we had grown up with.
Finally, I feel like they make me proud of my heritage as an
American. I don’t mean my ancestors were
necessarily cowboys (I believe they were mostly the religious pioneers westerns
tend to make fun of), but being an American automatically gives you claim to American mythology. And when you see those stories with grizzled anti-heroes riding into a town to beat the bad guys, it gives me a little thrill of pride. This is mythology that is uniquely American, yet enjoyed by the entire world.
I am currently flying back from a business trip to a foreign
country, and on the way over there I watched the remake of The Magnificent
7. It helped me with my homesickness. It
reminded me of my dad and my brother, and happy Saturdays spent with
family. It gave me something I could
claim as my own, even 30,000 feet over in the air and 6,000 miles away.
I watch cowboy movies
when I’m homesick. And it really helps.
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