Noggle joggle moggle in Hot town, summery in the city - 2017

13. What book/movie do you recommend to others and why?

Let me cast your mind back cue wibbly wobbly music that denotes a flashback

It’s1998 and I live in Isleworth, West London. I’ve popped into Tesco, as I often do, to buy masses of stir fry veg, quorn and the spiciest hot sauces I could get (to be fair, I usually got those from other places than Tesco, there was an American food shop in the Bentall Centre that did a good range). I also used to buy Cadbury choc mousses by the pallet full!! Anyway, I was down the entertainment aisle and looked through the videos on sale (as was my wont) and I saw Fried Green Tomatoes. It had three things going for it, as far as I was concerned: Mary Stuart Masterson, Kathy Bates and I had heard it was good when it came out but I hadn’t seen it. Oh and it was a couple of quid. That’s four, right?

Anyway. I bought Fried Green Tomatoes and utterly fell in love with a very fictional version of the way life was in the earlier part of the last century in Alabama and Georgia. Now, to be fair, I’ve never been to ‘bama but I have been to Georgia and I lived less than an hour’s drive from the Georgia border. But, the only true contact I had with the state was tires on I 95.

I digress.

It was the third or fourth time of watching it that I noticed (a) it said at the beginning that it was based on the book by Fannie Flagg and (b) she was very involved in the filming.

So I bought the book.

The film takes one of the running side themes and makes it the main theme while the book entwines many themes throughout. So, while they have the same base, they’re different experiences.

And because I saw the movie first, I love them both.

Now, let’s discuss theme. Ok, in the days when I used to spend a lot of time on Reddit it often got a slating as a mom movie. Obviously, I bought it before I even met my kids’ dad, let alone became a mum. So when ever there was one of those threads in which you were asked to describe a movie and see if anyone could guess it I would always go with this:

A wife-abusing man is murdered and is then barbecued before being eaten by the detective trying to solve his disappearance. Or words to that effect.

All us ladies who like those old-lady, gentle movies? We got it. But those blokes who were desperate to seem more manly than they felt, never did.

Why do I recommend it? Because it’s fucking awesome. It’s got gorgeous characters, amazing scenery/settings, it has food to diiiieeee for (and yes, I have the cook book that goes with it).

The only disappointing thing, and Fannie Flagg has said this herself, was that the relationship between Idgie and Ruth wasn’t made more obvious in the film.

The funniest thing is on fandom sites, the arguments between those who would be horrified if there was actually a same sex relationship in their favourite film and so deny deny deny and the rest of us are like “yeah, Fannie wishes it were more obvious too…” 🤣😂😅

It has been brought to my attention that I need to write a film based on the chemical war fare I am battering Phil the Phungus with. I feel that the portrayal of me would come out of this very badly though…