Small Town Famous

There was a movie that hit theaters last week that I've been anxious to see.  "Gone Girl."  It's based off a book that I have not read.  I have a hard time getting into books or movies that have a lot of hype.  "Gone Girl" has a ton of hype.

But then one day I was scrolling through my facebook feed and saw something about how "Gone Girl" was filmed in Cape Girardeau, MO.  I was intrigued.  The Bar, one of the settings in the movie, looked a lot like The Corner Pub I had frequented years ago in my college days.  After some research, I think that it was.  The bar had been shut down for a long time and it looked so similar to what I remembered.  But, my memories are dated and fuzzy.  The bridge from Cape Girardeau to Southern Illinois, however, was unmistakable.  I drove that bridge many a Saturday night to the good old Purple Crackle.  Main Street looked eerily familiar and even some of the nice subdivision shots felt familiar.  I was obsessed.  I had to see this movie.

I still didn't really know anything about it, though.  Since the kids were with Chris on Thursday night, I thought maybe that would be a good time to go to the movies.  It just so happened there was a 5:45 showing that evening and it was still at matinee price.  It was decided.  I would go watch this movie after work and eat popcorn for dinner. 

I thought about inviting a friend to meet me there.  It had been a long time since I went to a movie alone.  I don't know why, but I've always enjoyed that.  That would be what I did.

I watched the trailer for the movie that afternoon and was starting to pump myself up for it.

The movie was two and a half hours long.  But it didn't feel that way.  It held my attention the entire time.  Seeing so many familiar places almost made me feel like I was watching a true story.  Seeing Ben Affleck in a Cardnials t-shirt was hot.

The kids and I go to Cape next weekend for a co-workers wedding and to visit my sister.  I can't wait to drive by all of the places in the movie....especially the bar.  I just can't decide if it truly is the bar I spent almost every Thursday night at.  I think once I see it in perspective to the town, I'll know instantly.  I can still picture the surroundings of The Corner Pub, but it's been 10 years.  Things do change.  And, it's possible that I'm thinking of the wrong place altogether.  It will be fantastic to be back in town and see it from the movie perspective.