FLICKA Is Not My Friend

The Pony has been on a quest for the movie FLICKA. Never mind that we saw it in the theater when it came out, and were not exactly enamored with it. Never mind that he has read the original book now, My Friend Flicka, which is a tearjerker for me because I have such empathy for the main character, Ken (bet you thought the main character was Flicka, didn't you, you non-classic horse-literature elitist snobs), who was not even an afterthought in the movie FLICKA. Mary O'Hara would be turning over in her grave at the monstrosity that dares to call itself FLICKA. Ken has been turned into a spoiled girl who is not even deserving of a small, child-sized serving of empathy.

The original movie, My Friend Flicka, at least had Roddy McDowell as an empathy-magnet Ken, even though his fictional brother Howard was absent, having been replaced by a Shirley Temple wanna-be referred to as Hildy. This movie was a tear-jerker, especially near the end.

The Pony has read the two sequels, Thunderhead: Son of Flicka, and Green Grass of Wyoming, but refuses to watch the DVDs. Just as well. Each one is suckier than the next, though the scenery is beautiful. The plots veer so far from the novels that except for the characters, you would not know the movies were related to the books.

Here is the problem. A few weeks ago, The Devil's Playground came out with their version of these character rip-offs called Flicka 2. The Pony really wanted it, but refuses to watch it until he can watch FLICKA. Not that one will be in any way related to the other, mind you. But to pacify The Pony, I have been looking high and low for FLICKA. The Pony reports that he saw it in a two-pack with Flicka 2 last weekend at The Devil's Playground. Of course it is nowhere to be found now. We searched The Devil, and a Blockbuster, and another Blockbuster. We asked. We only found it in the last Blockbuster, for rent. I took it up front an asked if they had one we could buy. Nope. No dice. No can do. They were nothing like the local Country Mart, who offered to sell us Thomas and the Magic Railroad, because we rented it every week, and had already paid more that what it cost.

The Pony wanted to rent FLICKA, instead of searching a second Devil, right next door. So I complied. It cost me $15 to rent FLICKA, because it's been so long since we had a Blockbuster membership that I had to get a whole new membership. The #1 son had almost talked me into NetFlix, but now that's on hold while I get my Blockbuster money's worth, with one free movie every month, plus an email coupon for another free movie each month, and a limited offer of a free movie rental each time you rent a new release. Lucky for us, there's a Blockbuster right next to The Devil's Playground that we frequent.

And now I'm off to rewatch that not-very-good movie, FLICKA, with The Pony. I hope I get my $15 worth out of it.