I never really saw Panic Room

September 9th, 2009

When I was in year nine, every weekend I told my parents, “I’m staying at <insert friend’s name>’s house tonight.” Then I got drunk in a park and passed out on somebody’s couch or in the backseat of a nearby car.

One week I made the error of including a movie in my lie. “Bye, Mum,” I said, walking out the door, “I’m going to see Panic Room with my bible study group.”

Then I went to a school friend’s boyfriend’s share house, smoked bongs with a bunch of uni students, and built a tower out of empty UDL cans.

When I got home, my parents asked me if I’d enjoyed the movie.

“It was okay,” I said, not wanting to rave about it too much in case they decided to see it. And then, on a roll, I proceeded to fabricate an entire synopsis of the film. My rationale behind this was that if I told my parents everything that happened in the movie, they wouldn’t bother going to see it. I hadn’t even seen the preview prior to this, so my account of the movie was inspired by the title alone and was about as accurate as a James Frey novel. I gave extensive descriptions of the characters and made sure to detail all the plot developments, and then I re-enacted several scenes, using a set of Babushka dolls my aunt had given us for Christmas.

“I heard there’s a big twist at the end,” my mother said, “What’s the twist?”

“Jodie Foster is a robot,” I answered confidently.

“Well, that sounds like quite a film,” my dad said when I had finished. “And if you didn’t smell like a grow house, I would probably believe you.”

“Am I grounded?” I asked, leaning against a book shelf to steady myself.

“No, that was entertaining enough to redeem you this time,” Dad said, “But if you come home this stoned ever again, I will enrol you in aqua aerobics classes with your mother.”

random / recollections - 11 Comments »

11 Responses to “I never really saw Panic Room”

Oh I remember doing this all the time! For some reason I can’t help but add in SHITLOADS of fucking information when I lie. I suck at that.

Comment by teknetia on September 9th, 2009

Some might say that you have to be a bad liar to be a good writer. The reverse is not necessarily true (think James Frey, Tom Carew, Norma Khouri). In other words, the audience/reader needs to smell a bit of bullshit (or dope) to be able to lie back, relax & enjoy the ride.

Comment by Gabfran on September 9th, 2009

Your dad is a champion.

I’ll never forget when I moved in with my Dad, he was like, I don’t care what you do, as long as you leave the house clean and smoke your pot outside.

Comment by ambrosemrosie on September 9th, 2009

Can’t believe you passed on Aqua Aerobics. I wouldn’t have turned down wet athletics with Ya Mum.

Comment by Helen on September 9th, 2009

I’m storing all the comments your Dad makes in the back of my mind, and plan to pull them out when I eventually have a teenager.

Comment by kahlee on September 9th, 2009

I still have not seen Panic Room

Comment by keira on September 14th, 2009

@Keira – did we tell the same lie?

Comment by Annik on September 14th, 2009

Panic room sucked balls.

***WARNING SPOILERS BELOW***

Firstly, you have to get over the fact that she looks up the classifieds and goes “Yes, I think I’ll buy that five story mansion on Manhattan Island. That will do nicely. Cash OK?”

OK, so maybe it was a big divorce settlement.

The plot was chopped up into goofy, all-too-neat sub stories, a la Madonna’s terrible “Body of Evidence”.

But there was one really good WOAH! moment. Maybe the twist your mother referred to. One of the baddies is walking up [down?] the stairs and accidentally blows his brains out. Ha!

Jodie Foster is a robot. Too funny.

Comment by Big Ramifications on September 15th, 2009

@BigRamifications – oh I love the accidental suicide!! That makes me LOL hard and could have redeemed the film in my eyes, but it sounds like getting stoned was a preferable way to spend an evening. Thank you for clearing that up for me.

Comment by Annik on September 16th, 2009

i told my Grandma I’d gone to see Wyatt Earp..I believe my coverup story involved ‘I hate kevin costner!’
Still haven’t seen it..

Comment by Jess on September 16th, 2009

Once I watched a porno with some mates and got an unwated erection.

Comment by Big Ramifications on September 17th, 2009

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