After two hectic weeks, I had a chance to chill on Sunday afternoon. Since I’m not allowed to watch the Pats play—as that might jinx them somehow—I cuddled up with my laptop to watch a free movie through Amazon Prime. (Just kidding about jinxing the Pats. I’m not a sports person and the husband yells at the TV sometimes and that ain’t fun.)

First movie choice: Holiday Engagement. The premise wasn’t very original but I thought a light, romantic comedy could be fun for my tired body and fried brain. Ugh. I didn’t last 20 minutes before I killed it. Story lines are used over and over again in fiction. Look at how many times Cinderella has been done, and people still enjoy the story. This was just horrible. Uninspired. Boring. Predictable. Flat, stereotypical characters. No chemistry between the romantic leads. And completely offensive to me as a woman. I paused the movie at one point to check when it had been made. 2011? Really? More like 1950’s attitudes. Oh, darling, you don’t need a job. Once we’re married, you can run charity events and save the puppies of the world. 0 out of 5 stars.

Second movie: The Big Sick. I watch most movies with the husband and that means thrillers, action-adventure, sci-fi or anything that loud and moves fast. So when I watch a movie alone, I usually choose a romance, something thoughtful, a light comedy or something offbeat. Something he wouldn’t normally watch. The Big Sick had all of these elements. A little offbeat, some comedy, some romance and it made me think. I like how grounded in everyday life it was and still managed to have emotional weight. And I appreciated the glimpse into another culture and the adaptation to American life. 4 out of 5 stars.