The Film Club (2008) is the story of a very unusual education. Some years back David Gilmour, a Canadian film critic, was struggling to keep his son interested in school. He hit upon an unusual cure for the lad's boredom. He would allow his son to drop out of school but the boy had to promise to watch three movies with his dad every week for a year.
And so it began with The 400 Blows, and went on though Basic Instinct, North by Northwest, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Citizen Kane. The Night of the Inguana, On the Waterfront, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Plenty, The Third Man, and A Hard Day's Night.
And they talked about these films. Gilmour made a few comments to his son about what to watch for before each film, most of them perceptive and some entertaining. And on it went. Sexy Beast, Giant, and Apocalypse Now. 8 1/2, Notorious, and The Shining.
And they talked. Because they talked so much about the movies and because they were open and honest with each other Gilmour became closer to his son that most fathers tend to be with 16 year old sons. The boy asked for advice and Gilmour tried to give it to him. Sometimes he took it and sometimes he didn't. Girlfriends came and went. And so did the films: Annie Hall, Around the World in 80 Days, and Mean Streets. The French Connection, Last Tango in Paris, and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
I couldn't put this book down. In fact, I bought it Sunday morning and finished reading it before I went to bed Sunday night. And now I want badly to watch these films that Gilmour and his son enjoyed: Jungle Fever, Beetlejuice, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Roman Holiday, Duel, and Jaws. A Streetcar Named Desire, Some Like It Hot, and The Professional. Swimming with Sharks, The Great Gatsby, and Hannah and Her Sisters. Lolita, The Bicycle Thief, and High Noon. Casablanca, The Godfather, and Internal Affairs. Dead Zone, Bullitt, and The Big Sleep.
Fortunately, there's a filmography at the end.
