Today is National Movie Night, and in honor of the holiday I've put together some film suggestions for a few of the Nashville Predators.
Each year the second Friday in June is deemed "National Movie Night", and tonight is the night to celebrate. The Movie Night Journal advertises the holiday as the perfect night to "take your love of movies and create something truly amazing with it by inviting all of your friends and family over, throwing a themed party, and having a huge screening of your favorite film".
While the 2022-2023 NHL season isn't over yet, the Nashville Predators wrapped up their last game on April 14 and those players who headed to Milwaukee are unfortunately free after just missing out on the Calder Cup Finals that began last night. So with a little downtime on their hands, I decided to make some film suggestions for a few of the Nashville Predators players who might not already have plans for their Friday night.
Matt Duchene - Old Henry (2021)
Known for his love country music, I'm going to go ahead and assume Duchene might like a good old fashioned Western, and there is none better than Old Henry. Tim Blake Nelson plays Henry, a widowed farmer who lives a quiet life with his son until he stumbles upon an injured stranger with a mysterious bag of cash. A dangerous posse shows up asking after the stranger, and Henry must decide who is telling the truth about their intentions...all while hiding a secret of his own.
Old Henry is an action packed story with brilliant acting by Nelson and plenty of plot twists to keep even the most urban movie goer intrigued. Duchene may be extra interested as country music singer Trace Adkins plays Henry's brother-in-law. If Dutchy feels inspired to celebrate with a Western, this is the movie to watch.
Josi, Forsberg, Johansen, Saros - LOTR: Fellowship of the Rings (2001)
Make plenty of popcorn for this Predators core group because the first installment of Lord of the Rings runs nearly three hours (and that's not even the extended cut).
An instant classic, Peter Jackson's imagining of J.R.R. Tolkien's brilliant literary work revolves around a group of hobbits, men, an elf, and a dwarf who are tasked with saving Middle Earth by destroying the one ring to rule them all. The Fellowship of the Rings is the first installment of Tolkien's trilogy and lays the groundwork for new characters and storylines as this small group fights to overcome nearly insurmountable odds to save their respective worlds.
That is the role of these four Predators as the team begins a new chapter with a fresh direction and a new head coach. Nashville will need the magic of Filip Forsberg, the swagger of Ryan Johansen, the fortitude of captain Roman Josi, and the heart of Juuse Saros to take the Predators into the next installment of the franchise. If they are needing a little inspiration as they look at next season, The Fellowship of the Rings will have the core four ready to take on whatever this reset throws their way.
Tyson Barrie - 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Tyson Barrie strikes me as a player who might like a good rom-com, and one of the best of all times is definitely 10 Things I Hate About You. Starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, 10 Things is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.
In the film, Kat's (Julia Stiles) younger, more popular sister isn't allowed to date until her shrewish sister does, so the most popular boy at school pays a somewhat sketchy Patrick (played by Heath Ledger) to date Kat so he can take her younger sister out. What started out as a simple financial exchange turns into much more as Patrick and Kat find themselves connecting and developing feelings for each other...until Patrick's payday is revealed.
This sounds a lot like Tyson Barrie's situation in Nashville. He was thrust upon the Predators fans after the team traded much beloved Mattias Ekholm to the Edmonton Oilers. Despite fans' pain and broken hearts over that loss, Barrie found a way to earn Nashville's affection, especially as he stepped up to be a leader in the locker room to rally the young players when the veterans went down with injuries.
With whispers that Barrie could somehow find his way into a trade package in the offseason, fans suddenly find themselves saying, "But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close. Not even a little bit. Not even at all."
Ryan McDonagh - The Intern (2015)
Robert DeNiro plays a 70 year old retiree who decides that life after work isn't all it's cracked up to be, and he becomes the intern for a young CEO played by Anne Hathaway. Although the two struggled to connect initially, Ben (DeNiro) finds ways to prove how valuable he is not just to the company Jules (Hathaway) runs, but to her as a person struggling to find work/life balance.
As the Predators look to get younger and faster under new head coach Andrew Brunette, it may initially seem like 33 year old McDonagh may find himself left behind. But just like Ben shows his value in ways that go beyond productivity and statistics, McDonagh may prove to be a key piece for this new Predators team. His experience over thirteen seasons (which is like being 70 years old in hockey years) is going to benefit the young Preds players not just on the ice but off it as well.
Andrew Brunette - Bridesmaids (2011)
This Kristin Wiig/Maya Rudolph comedy is nearly an HR instructional video for what new head coach Brunette will likely encounter as he heads out of Bridgestone Arena after a Saturday night game next season. It's hard to put into words what Broadway with bachelorette parties is like, but the "food poisoning at the bridal shop" scene could be close.
Don't get me wrong, "woo girls" are a part of the vibrant downtown life on Broadway, but things may have changed since Andrew Brunette first played here in 1998-99 and it is always best to be prepared.