Highlights from my 76 year-old father watching 'Harry Potter' for the first time

[stgulik]

Groom: Don, do you want to watch 'The Untouchables'?
Dad: No, I'm sorry, that's too violent.
Groom: Lord of the Rings?
Me: Um, that's still too violent for my dad. Dad, how about Harry Potter? All of us are kind of into it.
Dad: Oh, I've always wanted to see that.
Groom: Are you sure?
Dad: Sure!

-o0o-

Disk 1: HP and the Sorcerer's Stone

Dad: Oh my gosh, they're so young. You know, you see them these days in The New Yorker, that Daniel Radcliffe, and here he looks so young.
Dad: I would have known John Williams wrote the score right away, even if you hadn't told me.
Dad: Now, how did this Daniel Radcliffe get the role? How did they find him?
Me: Well, it's a funny story ...
Dad: And who is this playing Hermione? Her parents must be so proud.
[Harry is in the Restricted Section]
Dad: Oh. This movie seems a little too scary for children.
[Chess board scene]
Dad: I can't believe they think this is a children's movie. Look what just happened to that boy on the knight. It's too intense for children!
[Voldemort pops out of the back of some guy's skull]
Dad: Oh my gosh!
Dad: Did your daughter actually watch this? How old was she? Seven?
Dad. I don't know. That was very intense.
Me: Did you enjoy it?
Dad: Oh yes! Can we watch the next one tomorrow?
Me: Um, are you sure?

-o0o-

Disk 2: HP and the Chamber of Secrets

[I wasn't there, but basically it was 1 hour and 45 minutes of my dad assuring Groom that it's much too violent for a kid's movie, and this Daniel Radcliffe sounds better with his voice changed, and that he can't wait to watch the next movie tomorrow. Yes, he's sure.]

-o0o-

Disk 3: HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Dad: Well now, look at how much they've all grown up. Their parents must be so proud of them.
Me: You keep saying that. What are you implying?
Groom: Sh-h-h
Me: Is this because I never became a child actor?
Dad: How about some wine?
[Snape teaches Lupin's class]
Dad: Now, see? Something is going to happen. I mean, with regard to werewolves. This interlude with Snape teaching about werewolves is classic foreshadowing. You watch.
Dad: Now, how did Professor Lupin know the paper this Daniel Radcliffe had was a map?
Me: Good question. In the book, they explain that Lupin was one of the map's creators when he was a student.
Dad: Well! That would have been helpful to know.
[Hermione pulls out a Time-Turner]
Dad: Time travel! That's how she did it! That was so smart. This actress playing Hermione is brilliant.
Me: The actress didn't personally think it up, Dad.
[The werewolf chases Harry and Hermione in the forest]
Dad: There, you see? A werewolf. I told you.
Dad: This is much too violent to be a kid's movie. I can't believe they think this is a kid's movie.
Dad: How many more movies are there?
Groom: Five
Dad: Oh, great!
[Right at the end, my kid comes home from her summer job.]
Kid: You guys are watching Harry Potter? Grandpa, are you sure?

-o0o-

Disk 4: HP and the Goblet of Fire

Dad: You know, the thing I'm getting the biggest kick out of is watching all these young actors grow up. Especially this Hermione. They're all so good.
Dad: Now, where are they going?
Groom: The Quidditch World Cup. It's a big sporting event.
[Death Eaters terrorize the Quidditch fans]
Dad: How are they supposed to get back to the Portkey? Who's to stop others from stealing it? How does the dad know it wasn't stolen already?
Me: Well ...
Dad: Mr. Weasley didn't think it through.
Groom: He broke the Dad Code.
Me: The Dad Code?
Dad: It's a thing. I would have written him up.
Groom: Me too.
Me: Geez, you guys.
[Ron, Hermione and Mr. Weasley come back to the campground for Harry]
Dad: See? I told you. Here they come back. That Portkey was probably stolen.
[The Goblet of Fire spits out Harry's name.]
Dad: Well, naturally! Otherwise, it wouldn't be a Harry Potter movie!
[Harry is told he must compete]
Dad: If Harry didn't put in his name, why does he have to compete?
Me: Thank you! I've been asking that for years.
Groom: It's a binding magical contract!
Dad and me: Hmm.
[After several stops for wine, we are about to watch the graveyard scene]
Groom: [to me] Stay ...
Me: Grr.
Dad: What?
Groom: She doesn't like this scene. She says it's too scary. She never stays in the room.
[We watch it]
Dad: So that's Voldemort.
Dad: I can see why you don't stay. This is too scary to be a kid's movie.

-o0o-

Disks 5 - 8 [Skipped]

We must have finally reached the threshold of my dad's tolerance for fantasy violence, because from then on, he showed absolutely no interest in how Lord Voldemort would be defeated. The only thing he wanted to know, he said, was how Daniel, Rupert and Emma would look all grown up. He's like the quintessential grandfather! So I dug up three scenes from OotP, HBP ("Oh, is Harry a professor now?") and DH1 (with inadvertent spoiler) on YouTube. We watched them together.

Dad: I'm so pleased those kids turned out so well.

Comments

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

I love it! My dad couldn't sit through a movie if his life depended on it. He always fell asleep. Mom and I used to watch movies together. She saw all the HP, but with her own friends. She liked them, but enjoyed Twilight more. Then again, she's a huge fan of 50 Shades of Grey.

[toblass.livejournal.com]

LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!

Your dad is soooo cute!

[christev.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful. It's always fun to walk the HP journey with someone new to the books / movies, but your dad's comments take the cake!

[beffeysue.livejournal.com]

Thank you for making this wonderful post!!! Your dad cracked me up watching the violent scenes, declaring them too scary for children, and asking to watch the next one.

[kittylefish.livejournal.com]

your dad seems so sweet, lol. and i kind of agree that the movies are scary, at least for young kids, lol, but that's just my opinion. and your dad's. ;)

[garonne.livejournal.com]

That was so much fun to read!

[delphipsmith]

Your dad cracks me up. So protective of the kiddies and their exposure to violence :) You should how him pictures of Emma now and see what he thinks, since she has only gotten more gorgeous. What did he think of Professor McG?

(I was also amused by the "frequent stops for wine"!)

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

When my dad visits, you have to stock particular things, including a generous supply of Bogle red wines.

[slr2moons.livejournal.com]

Yay to your dad for trying HP! XD This write-up was great. XD

BTW, my own ~65 year old dad LOOOOVES HP. He isn't bothered by the violence at all, but then he does love sci-fi and fantasy movies filled with explosions and sword fights. C:

[darklotus1211.livejournal.com]

This is lovely! Thanks so much for posting this.

Neither my mum or dad got the chance to read or see the HP series.

It could have gone either way with my dad (he was a big Charles Bronson, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood fan but also was a sucker for anything heart-warming with kids or animals in it) but I know that my mum would have loved it!

[arcanetrivia]

My ~70 year old mother has seen all the films, but only in a casual way, like she watches most any other action or fantasy or sci-fi film. She was getting pretty confused about some plot points around GoF and had to ask me for a lot of clarification come DH.