Kick Ass, a guilty pleasure

The day started off with a kettlebell breathing ladder, 1-20 single arm swings (doubles for mrs. meguro), and then 42 kg suitcase hold for me, your basic griptastic day. No burpees, however. With the exercises out of the way, I'm feeling pretty good and then mrs. meguro suggests we see a matinee while the kids do the homework they had neglected till the last minute. "Cool," says I, "Date Night?" Date Night's just the type of film two adults ilke mrs. meguro and I can identify with: parents trying to keep the spark of romance burning bright while parenthood, jobs and routine conspire to blow it out. "Nah," she says, "let's see Kick Ass." Kick Ass! Here I am volunteering to see a chick flic. Hey, I'm trying to connect.

Violence is not my wife's thing, even if it's the cartoony, over-the-top, hyperviolence seen in the spate of super-hero movies of late. She cringes at every biff, pow, splat. That mrs. meguro would suggest Kick Ass, I can only interpret as an act of love, because movies that go boom, well that's my thing. Kick Ass delivers lots of explosions and carnage with a healthy dollop of dark humor. We found ourselves laughing out loud throughout the film along with the rest of the audience.

Not midway through the movie, the laughter becomes a bit strained. It's one thing to witness the transformation of the least likely character to hero, with hilarious stumbles along the way; it's a common hero story line. The character of Hit Girl in Kick Ass resurrects Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle in a plaid skirt and purple wig. This is when mrs. meguro and I squirmed a little in our seats. Hit Girl metes out vigilante justice like the best of ninja assassins with the mouth and attitude of a war weary marine. Through Hit Girl, we confront the limits of our ability to enjoy violence as entertainment. I've been inured to cinematic violence from overexposure, no matter the level of ferocity. Kick Ass, the movie, breaks age and gender lines and in the process makes pornography of gun play and salty language. I've had enough for a while. For the next date, mrs. meguro and I will see Date Night or another romantic comedy.