Forget Me Not
The movies that will always hold a place in our hearts.
Another week has come and gone which means it’s time for another collab! Fridays are our favorite day of the week here at Our Trust Fund because as much as we love getting to say our own thoughts in our pieces throughout the week, OTF was founded as a place where we get to connect with each other. And these collabs allow us to do that!
This week is especially fun because we are breaking down our favorite movies from our childhoods that we think are underrated, lesser-known, or straight up forgotten. We’ve all got a movie that was such a staple of our own childhood that we just assumed that it was a staple for everyone else, but as we grew up we realized absolutely no one else was watching it or even knew about it.
Sydney’s Pick: Camp (2003)
Camp is a musical comedy-drama film set at a fictional upstate New York performing arts summer camp, based on the writer and director’s own experiences at a similar camp he attended growing up. It stars a young (then unknown) Anna Kendrick in her first-ever film role and features an iconic cameo from Stephen Sondheim as himself.
The first time I saw Camp was on a bus ride from Camp Louise (the Jewish sleep-away camp for girls which I attended for 2 summers in 2007 and 2008) to New York City where we were going to see The Little Mermaid on Broadway. I was sitting next to my friend Alison Scher and we were just absolutely enthralled by this very weird movie about theatre kids. Unlike so many other movies of its time, this film is not about the popular kids. This film was by and for the outcasts who were labeled “weird” for liking what they liked and being who they are. That’s something I’ve talked about a lot this year in my OTF writing, how as a teen I felt so much shame and embarrassment for liking what I liked and being who I was. I think that’s why this film resonated with me so much. It depicted kids, just like me, coming to terms with themselves and feeling empowered to shirk society’s imposed social control over who they are “supposed” to be. I was never that brave, but I felt comforted knowing this kind of acceptance was possible.
Camp is streaming (with a subscription) on DirectTV and AMC+, and is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Shelby’s Pick: Aquamarine (2006)
Is everyone done talking about Aquamarine and I just missed that memo? There’s a chance you’ve heard of this movie, probably seen this movie, and potentially written this movie off as cute trash (new genre/my current aesthetic: Cute Trash). I guarantee you really liked it as a kid, but haven’t really thought about it since. Or, you’re like me, and obsessed to this day. Aquamarine is a movie I didn’t even understand I was obsessed with. I’ve seen this movie so, so many times. I distinctly remember watching this movie alone, finishing it, and promptly turning on the actor commentary version—like a fucking nerd. One time, in a pool with my BFF Ashleigh (who asked me to be her Maid of Honor!!!!, I casually threw out “Yeah, I’m gonna name my daughter Aquamarine.” Young Shelby had some aspirations, ya’ll.
So what’s so awesome about Aquamarine? Literally everything. We have baby JoJo and Emma Roberts, whose clashing personalities intertwine to showcase early teenage identity crisis. Did I wear JoJo’s tomboy outfit with the studded belt one day and then Roberts’ sweet skirt/top combo the next? Duh! Claire (Roberts) and Hailey (JoJo) are trying to find their place in the world and being young, not popular or “pretty” is super tough. They also have a ticking clock over their summer: Hailey will be moving to Australia with her mother (fun fact: they are actually already in Australia filming) leaving Claire to start high school solo. Then the unexpected happens—a huge storm washes an actual mermaid (Sara Paxton) ashore, and upon discovering her, their final summer together instantly changes.
This movie is about friendship. And yet, it’s more than that too. It’s about unconditional friendship. It’s about being completely different than those around you but still having someone see your worth and, in turn, seeing your own worth. It’s about young girls struggling through boys, school, popular kids, and their last summer together before reality makes them grow up. The magic of their youth is still there, just beyond the horizon, in the form of Aquamarine. She’s the tangible evidence that they are someone once the movie ends.
This movie is also about family. Claire’s family drowned in the ocean during a storm on their ship the Clarie de Lune—she’s an orphan now. We don’t know Hailey’s father but her mother is forcing her to move to the other side of the globe for a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity. Of course Hailey’s upset, but also grapples with being proud and excited for her mother. And let’s not forget Aqua is running away from her abusive father who’s trying to marry her off—heavy, man!
This movie is about being whoever you already are. Living under the ocean, Aqua doesn’t have the same social anxiety that those on land do. She doesn’t question her position in life—she’s named after a precious gemstone after all! Claire and Hailey are so scared of who they’ll be in high school, especially who they’ll be without each other. Is Hailey going to be accepted for her rakish attitude? Will anyone even acknowledge timid Claire? We will never know, but armed with the lessons Aqua unapologetically forces onto them, they’ll be alright.
You can watch Aquamarine at my house for free or you can rent it on Prime Video.
Aimée’s Pick: Rock of Ages (2012)
All right, so this movie might not totally fit the bill for this prompt for a couple of reasons: one, it came out when I was 17 (so not exactly a child), and two, you’ve probably at least heard of it. Are you lucky enough to have seen it, though?!
The obsession my sister, cousin, and I had with this movie was UNREAL. I must’ve watched Rock of Ages no fewer than ten times between the years 2012-2015. It’s the epitome of so-bad-that-it’s-good. You’ve got classic 80s hits, a romance between Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise “singing” like a professional rock star, hot Diego Boneta, strippers, drama, a really funny News Kids on the Block spoof scene…and so much more. It’s a dumpster fire that you simply HAVE to watch at least once in your lifetime. It’s also drastically different than the Broadway musical Rock of Ages, but in ways that I actually kind of like. I haven’t watched this movie in 5+ years (although there is an unopened Blu-ray copy in my living room), but I do still listen to the soundtrack on occasion.
Rock of Ages is streaming (with a subscription) on HBO and HBOMax, and is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Kayla’s Pick: Horse Sense (1999)
My addiction to this movie may have started because I was a crazy horse girl growing up and the movie had “horse” in the title, but I will 100% stand by my next statement: this movie SLAPS and Joey Lawrence can get it. I will fight anyone on this. But for real, I honestly only started watching Horse Sense growing up because it had horses in it (even if they were a pretty brief part of the movie) but I have kept watching it because it is actually a really great movie about growing up and finding out what truly matters in life.
In true DCOM fashion, this movie has some of the greatest character arcs of all time. Michael (Joey Lawrence) is a stuck-up, shallow, rich, pretty boy living off daddy’s money in L.A. When his younger cousin, Tommy Briggs (Andrew Lawrence, who happens to be his younger brother IRL), comes into town for a week to visit, Michael—in true rich-fuck-boy fashion—casts him aside and prioritizes his social life and rich girlfriend of two minutes, Gina. After Tommy returns home to his family’s ranch in Montana, Michael’s parents find out what an absolute dick he is and ship him up there to learn the value of hard work. Long story short, through a lot of long days, well-deserved torture from his younger cousin, and dealing with “shitty” (yes, I do mean literal shit) jobs, he grows up and realizes just how important family is.
My summary above may be short and sweet, but my feelings toward this movie know no bounds. Watching this movie is always a tradition whenever I go visit my Aunt Sarah in Ohio as well because she is the one who originally introduced me to it! For nostalgia, we even watch it on the old VHS player because her copy is an actual VHS recording off the TV…talk about an ancient relic.
To me though, this is the BEST Disney Channel Original Movie out there and it deserves some damn recognition. Also, Joey Lawrence looks so hot in a cowboy hat and starched jeans… *swoons*
Horse Sense is streaming (with a subscription) on Disney+, and is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Lizzy’s Pick: Quest for Camelot (1998)
This was one of the first movies I saw that had a kickass female lead who was strong and independent and not a princess. Yes, princesses can be strong and independent! As much as I wanted to be a princess, though, I just couldn’t relate. Somehow in a movie filled with magic, dragons, and an ax-chicken, I found a main character I could relate to.
Quest for Camelot revolves around the legend of King Arthur but is set after Arthur has pulled the sword from the stone. Kayley, our main character, wants to be a knight of King Arthur’s round table just like her father. After he passes, the villain threatens her family farm and of course adventure commences. Teamed up with conjoined brother dragons and a handsome blind stable boy, Kayley must find Excalibur and return it to Arthur so he can defeat the ugly bad guy.
That is an absolutely terrible summary and while I have very fond memories of the movie, the film was deemed a flop making less than production costs… Production was put off for a while and when they finally decided to produce it, it kind of went nowhere so they had to cancel the stage adaption they had planned. The film’s music did receive several awards that season, redeeming it a little. It is definitely a bummer the movie went nowhere; they had an all-star cast with Cary Elwes as the male lead, Gary Oldman as the villain, and Pierce Brosnan as King Arthur. Hell, it even had Don Rickles, Celine Dion, and Jaleel White.
For a late 90s movie, this children’s movie portrayed a character with a disability really well. The fact that one of the main characters is blind is addressed very early on that it isn’t something that holds him back. In fact, he makes it known that his disability has made him better. I’m not saying it’s the end all be all for disability representation, but for a kid’s movie, you could watch worse.
Quest for Camelot is available for purchase anywhere you can purchase digital movies (like Prime Video!) as it was removed from Netflix…how rude!
Blaze’s Pick: Mystic Pizza (1988)
Mystic Pizza is a 1988 rom-com that sings out to me as a quintessential movie from my childhood. The wild antics and picturesque East Coast scenery is burned into my brain after I peer-pressured my parents to let me watch the rated-R 80s throwback at far too young of an age.
Julia Roberts, Annabeth Gish, and Lili Taylor star as three white ladies pretending to be poor Portuguese daughters of fishermen, working at a pizza shop in Mystic, Connecticut, aptly named Mystic Pizza. Julia is a curvaceous bombshell who spends her pizza money on outfits for dates with a rich, pretty boy in town from Harvard visiting his parents; Annabeth is moonlighting as a babysitter to supplement her tips as she saves for her first fall semester at Yale, and finds herself in the arms of a charming architect with a wife on vacation; Lili Taylor wants to buy a house with her earnings after she marries her fisherman fiancé but can’t seem to get herself down the aisle without a panic attack. The name of the movie is the name of the restaurant which is the name of the town, and both the town and the restaurant still exist (and the pizza is pretty damn good). The town is pretty cute, too. It’s the 80s—the hair is big, the writing is cheesier than the pizza, and almost everyone ends up with a happy ending.
Cut to Julia Roberts in her big hair and tight skirt leaning over a pool table at the local bar as she sinks the last shot to beat a jealous Meredith Blake wannabe. I was hooked. I wanted to be grown, have impressive pool skills, and be so enthralling I only had to speak with my eyes. Cut to me, current day, big hair, slinging pizza at a trendy Italian restaurant in San Francisco, challenging yuppie city boys to arm wrestling competitions more frequently than I’d like to admit, yet horrible at pool. I spend my pizza money on books, lingerie, and fresh flowers. I’m not saying it’s the life I envisioned for myself, but it’s what we’re working with.
My father is a fisherman from a small town on the Rhode Island border of Connecticut, just across the bridge from Mystic. Growing up, the only time we traveled was to visit my grandparents still living in this little town and our big adventure for the trip would be to drive into Mystic for the day so I could lick ice cream off my hand as it melted from the cone I clutched with such delight. We would watch the boats in the harbor, shop at kitschy gift stores, and get blisters walking around the cobblestone streets for too long with nothing to do. Once my prepubescent ears heard that there was an actual Hollywood movie about my favorite town starring my favorite address Julia Roberts, from such other childhood classics as Runaway Bride and American Sweethearts—we didn’t have many rules growing up—I had to watch it.
One particularly rainy summer night, my parents wanted to have a fancy dinner with their adult friends, so my dad reluctantly rented this semi-explicit and morally questionable film from the video store for my 8-year-old self. I sat in still silence alone in the living room of my grandparents’ house, soaking in the wild and complex lives of these women by the neon blue hue of a glaring TV in the dark room while my parents were in the dining room, chatting over lobster and cocktails.
As the daughter of a fisherman myself, raised in a poor fishing town, adjacent to a very wealthy suburb, l related instantly to the dramatic range of emotions onscreen. The frustration and embarrassment of being judged based on class, the determination to have a good time because everything else sucks, the unwillingness to change bad habits for good ones because you’ve never seen them demonstrated before. You know, kid stuff. I resonated with their love of life and grit. Re-watching this film as an adult, however, it’s painful to see three very Western white women play Portuguese women in a film that is centered around their culture, heritage, race, and class.
In a pivotal scene, Julia Roberts is at dinner with her white Harvard boyfriend and his parents and the maid at their house turns out to be an old friend of Julia. When the maid accidentally spills a drink on a dinner guest, the whole table stammers on about negative stereotypes of “Portuguese help,” which forces her date to storm out of dinner. The racial undertones are a driving plot point and it is frustrating to watch white people portray these stories, especially when there is a rich Portuguese community in Rhode Island and Connecticut that is rooted in deep culture and history. This film should not be held up as a gold standard for representation or cultural competency, but it does bring me right back to eating pizza with my family on the checkered table cloth, staring at a signed glam photo of Julia Roberts hanging on the wall overhead. We lock eyes in admiration of the perfect slice of pepperoni I’m inhaling and both wonder—what DOES Leona put in that sauce?
Mystic Pizza is streaming (with a subscription) on Netflix and Prime Video and is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Shit We’re Loving: PEOPLE
Our Pick: Leslie Burke or the girl who dies in Bridge to Terabithia
Dear Leslie,
Can you fucking believe baby Josh Hutcherson did you dirty like that? He thought he'd get it with the cute teacher and just FoRgOt about you and your plans to meet up? You FUCKING DIED BECAUSE OF THIS KID.
Leslie, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I saw your movie. Having never read the book(s), I was completely blindsided by your death. My cousin, Sydney (different Sydney), and I saw this movie in theatres. By ourselves! Neither of us had any idea what we were getting ourselves into until it was too late and the color palette turned gray and the music got chaotic and we’re screaming “GO BACK TO THE FOREST, JESS! LESLIE NEEDS YOU!” Nightmare fuel.
I have never been so betrayed by a movie before Bridge to Terabithia. This was actually the first movie that came to my head before I decided on Aquamarine because it has been a constant lurking presence in my psyche since 2006. This movie fucked my shit up—talk about early-onset depression. So Leslie, you get the honor of being featured in our Shit We’re Loving. I know it’s not nearly enough for what you suffered, but it’s a start.
“Just close your eyes, but keep your mind wide open.” Also where did you get those forearm warmers? You’ve got style babe.
Oh and Josh Hutcherson? You’ve been dead to me since this movie. Fuck Peeta.
Show Your Support: Environmental Defense Fund
With Earth Day falling at the end of April, this month’s supported organization is one of our country's most influential nonprofit boards: the Environmental Defense Fund or EDF. For more than 50 years, EDF has been the pioneer, using science and different perspectives, to make the environment safer and healthier for all of us.
Rigorous science is our bedrock. It drives everything we do.
So far, thanks to EDF’s efforts, 4 million acres have been protected, ensuring 63 rare species have a safe place to live. On top of that, EDF Climate Corps fellows have uncovered $1.6 billion in energy savings for top companies. And 28 countries around the world have worked with EDF to prioritize and solve the most critical environmental problems. Their concerns lie with the climate, renewable energy and resources, protecting ecosystems, cleaning the oceans, and overall health for us and our planet.
In the Our Trust Fund fashion, this month we will donate $100 to EDF and encourage you to learn more about EDF and give too. Click the button below to do both!
Daily Intention
Today I will…
Convince my SO/roommate/whoever to watch an underrated movie with me.
Here’s some nifty buttons for you to press, enjoy: