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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Finest Hours for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
The end of the school year is upon us. And it can't come fast enough. I don't know about you, but I'm over all these last minute giant school projects, book reports that have to be 5 pages long for a 3rd grader, and the never ending reading logs. It's the last week of school. Why is my kid reading???? I checked out long ago. If it wasn't for the husband, my kids would have checked out too.
Since my recovery has been mostly from the couch, my family has nicknamed me, "Couch Coach". I don't have the energy to attend a lot of their functions, or the pain tolerance to sit in the bleachers. Most of our quality family time involves watching movies. I love a good movie night, don't you?
The problem I have, is that we have an almost 16 year old and a 9 year old. It's hard to find a movie that will entertain them both. Sometimes the oldest will get bored and head off to his room, and other times the 9 year old will fall asleep. So when we find a movie that all 4 boys like, along with mom and dad - we've found a gem.
I was so excited when Izea asked me if I'd be willing to screen the Disney® movie The Finest Hours. That's like asking me if I wanted to eat a bowl of ice cream. Or go grab food at Chipotle. This was right up my couch coach alley. The fact that there is a military story involved for our boy-- total bonus.
My kids are very familiar with the military lifestyle. Major Hoff retired when our older boys were little, but we still make it a priority to visit military bases and allow them to see the inner workings of the military.
Major Hoff and his brother. Hawaii 1960's
The 2 youngest Hoffs. See any similarities?
One of the things I think we enjoyed the most about the movie is that it involves the US Coast Guard. My kiddos have been around Army tanks and helicopters, and Air Force fighter jets and cargo planes. We haven't actually spent that much time with anything Navy related or ships or boats from the Coast Guard (mental note to add that to summer activities).
One of the Hoff boys on an Air Force C-17 cargo planes. Our youngest lost his first tooth on the same type of airplane a few years later.
Put my kiddos in a cargo plane and they are right at home. I'm not sure how they'd do with a Coast Guard ship though.
Especially in a storm.
Holy Moly!
One of the best parts of the movie is how much it focuses on being brave, even when the odds are stacked against you. I love that it is BASED ON A TRUE STORY, so my kiddos know that even though it's a movie, it's based on real events. Even a few days after watching it, they will bring it up saying, "Could you imagine?".
For me, I loved the costumes and props for the time period.
Those pleats, along the flat front. The peter pan collar. Oh my seamstress days have me swooning all over this dress! The red nail polish and lipstick. Sigh. What an era!
Check out the steering wheel on this car. The door paneling. Could you imagine taking a turn in that car with no power steering? Again, notice the nail polish!
This was also the time period that my grandparents served, so I especially enjoyed that. The story line about asking a commanding officer for permission to marry was a very true story for my grandparents. The officer told my grandfather he didn't think it was a good idea. HA! They were married almost 60 years. I'm glad they decided to rethink his wisdom.
So what do you think? Will you be adding The Finest Hours to your must see movie list? Do you have a hard time finding a movie that everyone in your family enjoys? This is the perfect movie for your Memorial Day weekend!
You can find The Finest Hours on Blu-ray™, Digital HD, & Disney Movies Anywhere May 24. Don't forget to watch the bonus material, "Against All Odds : The Bernie Webber Story" to see the extraordinary story of the greatest small-boat rescue in Coast Guard history from other perspectives.
What's on your summer viewing list? Drop me a comment!!
GI Joe says
It was a great movie, all of the boys enjoyed it, even this boy!