The Taber Family Blog

Gran Torino

Wow. We saw a really good movie last night. I’ve been wanting to see Gran Torino for quite a while, but it’s been difficult because I know it’s not suitable for kids, which means Denise and I can only watch it when the kids are not with us. Well, last night we were kidless again, so we set aside some time and decided to finally watch it. We both really enjoyed Clint Eastwood’s portrayal of a crusty, racist Korean War veteran living in a working class neighborhood that had long since evolved into a multicultural melting pot. You really want to hate him for his outdated and close-minded ways of looking at other people and life, but by the middle of the movie you begin to root for his eventual transformation.

The movie is quite heavy and has some very course language and violence, but the overall message is what’s important. And that message is that we all have to live together, protect each other, help others even when it feels wrong and just get along. The ending of the movie was quite unexpected for both Denise and I, but it totally made sense and worked perfectly. It had us both in tears. Awesome!