Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Monsters University Morals

I just got home from seeing Monsters University with the kids and here is what I love about this movie:

SPOILER ALERT---(Is there an adult reading this that is really, really concerned with not finding out about the plot/ending of this movie?  I guess it's possible.  So heed the warning.)


What I love about the movie is that when Sully and Mike (I'm not even positive those are the main characters' names...I was busy chowing on popcorn and dreaming about the fantastic outdoor patio I'd like to build one day...)

Where was I?

Oh yes, those crazy lovable monster characters lie and cheat and do some major things that are against the rules and they get expelled from the University.  And they don't get a second chance!  The head mean lady in charge comes to them at the end and wishes them well but she isn't going to take them back into the program.  In order to reach their dream of becoming "Scarers" they now have to start out in the mail room and work their way up in the company.  If it were a Harry Potter book, Harry would get rewarded and thanked for breaking all the rules and be some kind of a hero because it would turn out that his special-ness trumps all.  In Monsters University, that crap don't fly.

And that's reflective of the real world, so I appreciate it.

I hope my kids realize that consequences don't get glossed over by feel-good charisma or noble intentions.  Are there times when going against the rules for the greater good is the best choice?  Maybe so.  But that doesn't happen nearly as often as people seem to think it does.  Usually rules are stepped on for selfish motivations and a mistaken idea that one is an unique exception to the rule.

Well done keeping it real, MU.  This mom thanks you.

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