Monday, October 24, 2011

The Mighty Macs: Behind the Movie

This writer went to see The Mighty Macs at the theater yesterday afternoon. (An aside here; I learned something about matinee times. AMC matinee rates go up at 4pm, but Regal Theaters show admirable restraint in waiting until 6pm. Saving two bucks with a family of four gets one big-@$$ bag of popcorn with change.) The movie is worth seeing, about a time when women's organized athletics were barely taken seriously. That they presently are in the USA, is because of Title IX (requiring equal access to athletic programs in public schools), and because of Cathy Rush.

You can read all about her, and the team she built to legendary fame, at a page called The Real Mighty Macs. From there, you are directed to a page at the Immaculata University website, where they have videos of the team playing, including this segment produced by ESPN.

The movie lives up to its G rating. There is nothing with which to take offense here, and the movie still keeps its edge, without getting too sentimental.

One recurrent theme in the movie (besides the wearing of conspicuously plaid outfits), is how some young women in those days appeared to identify themselves in terms of whether they'd marry, or who. To challenge this is not to call marriage or motherhood into question, but the value of self-identity. In high school, I knew girls who only dated jocks, some having the boy's jacket before the end of the first month of ninth grade, and who would find a ready replacement (again, another jock) when things went south.

What happened to them? Do I really wanna know? Nah. I don't need to. I saw this movie. You should too.
 

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