This weekend, I was finally successful in my weeks-long quest to convince Miles to watch one of the most significant of my life — E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, a movie I first saw when I was about his age that also holds the distinction of being the first film I have any recollection of seeing in a movie theater. He was reluctant at first, despite somehow knowing virtually every plot detail in the movie (“Do the kids find him?” “Is he an alien?” “Do the scary people come for him?” “Is he trying to get home?” “And the bikes fly?” You get the idea.). However, he finally warmed up to the idea when I told him that I’d pick up a special snack just for the movie.
Miles spent much of the first twenty minutes or so sporadically burying his face in Jaclyn’s blanket, but just like young Elliott, Miles gradually learned he had nothing to fear from E.T. By the time E.T. found the beer stash and started stumbling around, Miles was absolutely delighted.
The final verdict? Well the moment the movie ended, Miles said, “You know what my favorite part?”
As we waited for a response while the credits rolled, Miles eventually said, “Uh…what was his name again?”
“Whose name?” I asked.
“The one who just went home.”
“E.T.???” I asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, E.T.,” he replied. “My favorite part was when E.T. saw that guy with the hat and he thought it was a boo-boo.”
For those wondering, it was this moment:
The Perils (& Pride) of Paternity 