Fun Detour - Jaws

This week’s blog post took us to Walden Pond, so I thought it fitting to stick with a Massachusetts theme for the Fun Detour specifically, a trip to the beach, Martha’s Vineyard style.

With the 50^th Anniversary of the release of Jaws, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on a movie that many associate with New England summers and July 4^th. Truth be told, I have always gravitated more towards mountains than beaches. When I think of New England, I picture lakes, streams, and forests – not crowded beaches.

In fact, I had never seen Jaws until a year ago, when my son Cade suggested we watch it.  At the time, he was exploring storytelling in film, and Jaws often ranks high on those must-see lists.  

To be honest, I do not usually seek out horror or suspense movies. I watch movies for humor, connection, maybe even a little peace, rather than tension and anxiety on behalf of the characters.

But Cade was curious. I remembered Roy Scheider from SeaQuest DSV and enjoyed Richard Dreyfuss in The Education of Max Bickford – two shows I had appreciated in very different ways. So, we watched. We talked. We paused to look up things on our phones. We questioned character choices and appreciated the score.

In the end, it was not about what I thought of the movie. It was about the experience of discovering it together. A father and son. A summer afternoon. An almost 50-year-old shark movie that still manages to stir something beneath the surface.