We really had an enjoyable evening last night. Along with Amal, we invited my colleague and next-door neighbor Indelib over for dinner. So, the moment I got back from work (around 4pm), I attacked the kitchen, managing to make two dishes — a first for me. The first was Chicken Divan with Broccoli Casserole and the second was Tuna Macaroni Casserole.

Since I didn’t detect any ailments among our guests following the meal, I deduced that the dinner was a success. Indelib brought with her the movie Before Sunset, the sequel to Before Sunrise, so after we had our dessert and choice of coffee or tea, we excitedly pressed play to see if it was as good as before.

Before I share with you my humble review of the movie, let me go back in time and tell you how much I enjoyed Before Sunrise the first time I saw it. I thought it was just perfect — one of the best movies ever made. I loved everything about it: the scenery, the engaging dialog, the romantic flavor and an ending open to interpretation. So you can imagine my excitement when I got my hands on the sequel. I thought it would be an extension of the beautiful dialog and stunning imagery from some ten years ago; I’ve been waiting for the sequel since I posted about it last July.

But I was disappointed. The movie was not bad, don’t get me wrong. It is just that the two protagonists became so jaded through the years and so am I. As a result, the movie served as a reminder of how jaded and less optimistic you become as you grow older — to the extent that you stop enjoying watching movies that discuss being jaded! I really wish I didn’t watch it. I felt it ruined the idea I carried in my head of those two up-beat young idealists wanting to conquer the world in the first film.

This movie revealed characters that I had idolized throughout the years to be young and stupid with unrealistic ideas, as their lives moved on and developed into one big misery. I really did not have to see that! I want my young, happy, motivated characters back. I wanted to cherish the memory of them. Now, after this movie, I find Celine and Jesse to be two immature, fake, whining, pampered youngsters! Ah, I should not have watched it! Ok, enough blabbering. Time to wash the dishes.