Second Act

adam saw I, Curmudgeon, a documentary interviewing serveral grumpy or "negative" people as well as a first-hand narrative my director Alan Zweig, which I really enjoyed and still lingers: “Yeah I know you all saw it at the film festival but I don't get out much. Noted curmudgeons explain that no, we aren't really cynics, we're jaded idealists, and no we won't shut up.” The following is adapted from the comment that I wrote to that entry:

Not sure if he was were being sarcastic, but this movie actually did cheer me up, though it did take me a couple days to understand. If you'll allow me to explain: I'm in my mid-twenties, and in the documentary Alan said something about being in the third act of his life, looking back at the second act feeling miserable about himself. I've just started the second act of my life, and after hearing what Alan had to say, I've started a) shrugging at the inconsequential stuff everybody complains about, like Britney Spears and other fluffery, because you know, I really can't do anything about it, and b) wondering how I can avoid the traps Alan fell into. At least knowing that there are traps is going to be an important step of not falling into them.

This is an important documentary for me personally, and I absolutely can't wait to get it on DVD so I can play it for my friends, some of whom I "saw" in the movie. Adam posts some of the quotes from it, too, and there were some really great ones, like the guy who didn't get laid until he was 24 and how "fucked up" (his words) that was, or like the guy you quoted, about people watching TV just waiting to die. I have an act and two thirds or so to go in my life, and I want to use them to live, dammit!