Movie Queue Monday: "American Pickers"

 

American Pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz

I know what you are thinking: What? A show about antiques? What could be more boring? That's what I thought until I watched "American Pickers". This entertaining reality tv show is definitely more "Indiana Jones" and less  "Antique Roadshow". I don't normally watch a lot of reality television and am not that interested in antiques, but I love this show because "this isn't your grandma's antiquing", to quote their mantra.  Less stuffy that "Antique Roadshow", this History Channel show feels more like an American treasure hunt. "Pickers"  Mike and Frank scour the back roads of the American countryside for "hidden treasures" ripe for the "picking" for their antique business based in Iowa.

Crawling into junk piles, tunnels, attics, barns, basements, and other often unsavory places, Mike and Frank have an eye for valuable items and a knack for bartering with the owners.  Oftentimes they just show up at people's houses and asked to look around, and, surprisingly, most people let them. Many of the people they buy from are elderly and live far off the beaten path in rural, remote areas. It is kind of sad to see the conditions some of them live in—literally crammed in with a ton of junk—but Mike and Frank seem to treat them with the utmost respect and listen to their fascinating stories about the different items they have collected over the years.

The two "pickers" have great rapport and banter back and forth like brothers, which makes the show that much more entertaining. I also feel like I am learning something about antiques and popular history by watching the shows, which helps me to feel a little less guilty about watching the entire series in one week.  :) Recommended- four out of five stars. (Some adult language and occasional sexual innuendo might make it inappropriate for children)

I Love You [Wo]man?

"I Love You, Man" = Classic "bromance"

These days I feel like I am in my own girl version of  "I Love You, Man". If you haven't seen the film (I don't wholeheartedly recommend it, but it has its moments) it is about a groom (Paul Rudd) who realizes he doesn't have any guy friends he would want to be his best man. With the help of his fiance he then begins to "court" a number of potential guy friends.  In my version of the story, a stay-at-home mom who has recently moved to a new city where she knows hardly anyone thirsts for any adult conversation  seeks someone to chat with during the work hours of the day. On the occasional outing outside of my "hermitage", I look around at the moms at the park or in the grocery store and think of ways to strike up a conversation. What I come up with in my head usually sounds like a pretty lame pick up line:

"Do you come here often? Wow, that is a really nice stroller"

or

"Cool carseat. Is that heavy?"

or (even scarier)

"Isn't it nice out I wore pants today because I thought it might rain and the weather report said it will be cooler later and are those running shoes I have wanted to find a new pair since my old ones don't fit after the pregnancy and I saw some cute ones at DFW but they were expensive and I couldn't find my color and do you live nearby we just moved and live in that neighborhood and where do you do your grocery shopping...etc" (in other words all the unspoken thoughts I've had pent up all day)

I'll let you know how my inevitable attack on some poor woman goes my version of the story ends.