Birth of a Curse
Even if you're only vaguely familiar with what the MBBB is all about, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that every strenuous event of ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, or handball needs to be counterbalanced by an event where you can just kick your shoes off and relax. As all of the participants are avid movie watchers, watching a movie as an event seemed like an excellent choice for the 1st annual May Birthday Bash Bonanza.
After putting all of the films in the marketplace under a ton of scrutiny, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was agreed upon. A parody of the long-running James Bond film series and anchored by Saturday Night Live all star Mike Myers, it was guaranteed to provide plenty of laughs. Unfortunately, the first signs of trouble didn't take long to surface. As we entered the theatre to claim the perfect seats (two-thirds back, center aisle), we noticed that we had all the choice in the world. Only two other people were joining us for this wacky adventure. At the end of the film, most of us just hadn't laughed much at all and left disappointed that the execution hadn't lived us to the premise. Though Eugene still claims to this day that he loved Austin Powers even on the first go-around.
Despite our bad luck the first time, we felt we could find a better movie during the second MBBB simply by watching a film on VHS. After all, why limit ourselves to only a handful of movies in the theater when we could choose from thousands! A few of us had heard good things about Blade Runner, a science-fiction movie set in the near future starring Harrison Ford. We all anticipated a rip-roaring ride with Han Solo/Indiana Jones flying spaceships and firing futuristic weapons. Little did we know that this was not an action film; rather, the plot plodded along with little in the way of excitement. In fact, things moved so slowly, that Rolly even fell asleep on Span's sofa! We had been duped, and though we didn't want to admit it, it appeared that some supernatural force might be working against us with regards to choosing an enjoyable title.
The Curse Continues On
Though we had worked ourselves through two mediocre (at best) movies the previous two years, there wasn't a soul that thought we had to worry about seeing Star Wars for MBBB3. We had waited decades for this movie and the trailers and commercials looked fantastic! It was so disappointing that the movie was so bad that it caused some of us to actually nod off during it. In fact, when the credits rolled and some of the audience started to clap, we all looked at each other with these incredulous faces and exclaimed, "Seriously?!"
And so we moved on, gluttons for punishment. Lucas may have let us down, but not Tom Cruise! Risky Business, Top Gun, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire: this guy knows how to make an entertaining movie! Not only that, but this was the sequel to one of his best: Mission: Impossible! You can read David's take on the proceedings in the MBBB4 recap (it's rather funny if they weren't so sad) but, suffice to say, this movie was just plain dumb. At one point, the villain is asked what he wants and he replies, "Stock, Mr. McCloy. Stock options, to be a little more precise..." as if we don't know what "stock" is! Exhausted with our bad luck, we finally conceded that watching a movie during any future MBBBs would be an absolute waste of time.
The Curse's Legacy
The funny thing about the MBBB movie curse is that, as we reflect back on the movies we watched, we find that some of them are actually good, even great. Austin Powers became one of our favorite movies to watch AND quote: "Allow myself to introduce...myself." "Who...does...number...two...work...for!". Marc even had a co-worker at one point that had the Dr. Evil laugh down to the tee; of course, she didn't realize she sounded like Dr. Evil, which only made it funnier for the rest of us. Likewise, some of us owned up to the fact that Blade Runner is a science fiction masterpiece. As for Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace? Well, let us just direct you to this review of the movie if you haven't seen it already: http://redlettermedia.com/plinkett/star-wars/star-wars-episode-1-the-phantom-menace/.
Oh, and one other aspect of the curse that's not often mentioned: collateral damage. In 2003, the MBBB members considered, if only for an instant, to thumb their noses at the curse. After all, the sequel to one of their favorite movies was to be released on May 15, 2003. Enter The Matrix Reloaded. There wasn't much debate, however David even noted that one of his friends pleaded with him not to release the curse on such an anticipated film. It was too late; even though the MBBB members didn't see it as part of the annual MBBB event, the movie was still stained. It turned out disappointing instead of earth shattering. It could have been worse, though. No doubt if it HAD been an official part of the MBBB, it would have ended up as terribly as The Phantom Menace did.