Sick day calls for classic film

Libby Moore

If you have ever been sick, you know there are few remedies more effective than lying on the couch with a bowl of soup, a warm blanket and a good movie to pass the time.
This is why I spent last Tuesday evening in a cough-syrup haze watching “Smokey and the Bandit.”
My roommate later told me she entered our apartment and found me staring at the television. Apparently my expression suggested an attempt to grasp some deeply philosophical concept.
She then realized I was watching Burt Reynolds smuggle Coors beer from Texas to Georgia.
“What are you watching?” my roommate asked.
“Smokey and the Bandit,” I replied.
“Oh, I’ve never seen it,” she said, “What’s it about?”
The only response I could muster was littered with direct movie quotes: “Don’t worry, he’s east bound and down. They can’t catch the Bandit.”
My roommate accepted my drug-induced ramblings with a nod and left me alone for the rest of the night.
I grew up watching the state troopers trying their best to catch the Bandit. A favorite of my father’s, it offered everything he believed a good movie should have: an original plot, high speed chases, a little humor, a good soundtrack and a woman who wasn’t necessarily sexy for looking good, but was sexy for having a sharp mind and a good personality.
The low-budget movie, which is now hailed as a Southern classic, encompasses the freedoms and risks that come with a cowboy/pirate image, a fast car and outsmarting the law.
As one of my favorite feel-good movies, I would recommend “Smokey and the Bandit” with your cup of Theraflu.
After watching it, see if you can resist the urge to respond in CB radio lingo.
Ten-four, good buddy!