One of the worst things a parent can do is forget what it is like to be a kid. Kid’s lead complicated lives. They have all kinds of emotions they aren’t quite sure how to deal with, and some of them turn to different things to cope. Be it fighting, drugs, music or sports –kids’ desires can overwhelm them. With me, it was music. I spent hours in my room just listening to various records, tapes and CDs. And I made tapes for friends and — more importantly — girls I liked. The songs said things I wasn’t wise enough to put into words.
David (Ethan Moskowitz) is in much the same boat. He loves music, and he has a crush on an older girl named Amber (Olivia Avila). As to be expected, Amber thinks David is just some “cool” kid. David is okay with that, though deep down he wishes he could be more. To bond with her, he makes her mixed tapes from his vinyl collection. He also ditches his youth group to see her at a club, and when his dad finds out, the music collection goes up in flames.
My father used to threaten the same thing. He couldn’t ground me because, like David, I spent all my time in my room. My father, like
David’s, forgot what it was like to be a kid.
“Wow and Flutter” is a fabulous movie that will appeal to the same crowd who laments the fact that “Freaks and Geeks” is no longer on the air. It’s not a comedy, like that show was, but is about the same things. It’s about how life can be so cruel, but how all that bile can disappear with just one kiss at the right moment. It’s about trying to find connections and making them stick. It’s about growing up and how painful it can be. Parents forget that, too, and then they make it worse.
To all the Davids out there: You’ll eventually get what you’re seeking. Watch this, and you’ll understand that better than any parent ever can.
