十部电影告诉你，关于成长那些事儿
2014-04-15 14:23:12   来源：   浏览： 次

Somehow, I am 39. I am 39, even though I still feel like I am maybe 17 and I still look around for the real "grown-ups." As I stare down 40 and gear up for another phase of life, I find myself going back to the things that comforted me when I really was a teenager, and TV and movies were both very big parts of growing up for me in the '80s and early '90s. I cut my teeth on old school Sesame Street and The Electric Company, I grew up with the Cosby Show and Family Ties and later 90210, and the movies I watched over and over starred people like Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Ethan Hawke and a whole lot of hairspray. Recently, I realized -- with some amusement -- that a few of the lessons I am trying to teach my kids didn't come from my parents or from school. Instead, they came from scenes in those movies that I can still recite in my mind:

稀里糊涂地，我就39岁了。尽管我仍感觉自己也许还只有17岁，还在四下寻找真正的“成年人”，但我的确已经39岁了。当我紧盯着“40”这个数字，准备迎接生命的另一阶段的时候，我发现自己不知不觉地回忆起了那些曾经困扰我的事情。那时，我真的还是个十几岁的少年。在80年代和90年代初期，电视和电影在我的成长过程中扮演了重要角色。我从儿童节目《芝麻街》(Sesame Street)和《电力公司》(The Electric Company)中接受启蒙教育，渐渐懂事。《考斯比一家》(Cosby Show)和《家庭纽带》(Family Ties)以及后来的《飞越比佛利》(90210)伴我成长。那些我看了又看的电影成就了许多明星，比如莫利·林沃德，安德鲁·麦卡锡，伊桑·霍克以及其他许多影星。最近，我意识到—这有些可笑—我试着教给我的孩子的那些道理很少是从我父母或学校那里学到的。它们反而来是自于那些电影中的情景，而这些电影我仍然历历在目。

1. Each of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. (The Breakfast Club)

我们分别是一个书呆子，一名运动员，一个神经病，一位公主和一名罪犯。《早餐俱乐部》

Even in sixth grade, my oldest is starting to classify himself and his friends. I did the same thing at his age; I know how it goes in middle and high school. But I try to remind him that everyone he meets has so much going on behind the façade he sees in the hallways at school -- that everyone is fighting a hard battle of some sort, and that no person fits neatly inside a simple label. It's a lesson I learn over and over again, even as an adult. In the end, as Patrick Dempsey's "geek turned chic" says in another favorite, Can't Buy Me Love: "Nerds, jocks. My side, your side... It's hard enough just trying to be yourself."

虽然才六年级，我的大儿子就已经开始将他自己和他的朋友们归类了。我像他这么大的时候，也这么干过;我很清楚这在初中和高中校园里是怎么一回事儿。但我试着提醒他，他在学校走廊里遇见的每一个人，在他们的表面之下还有许多不为人知的故事—每个人都在为了某些事艰辛地拼搏，没有哪一个人能恰好被一个简单的标签所概括。这个道理我学了一遍又一遍，即使在我成年以后也是如此。就像在另一部我也特别喜欢的电影《爱情非卖品》(Can't Buy Me Love)的结尾，帕特里克·丹普西所扮演的角色所说的那样，“小丑变酷哥，”“运动健将，蠢货。你那边，我这边(他们在打球)…只是做自己太难罢了。”

2. The world is full of guys. Don't be a guy; be a man. (Say Anything)

这世界到处都是男的。做个男人，别当个男的。《情到深处》

In high school, my main goal in life was to be average. I didn't want to stand out; I wanted to blend. I think most teenagers do, as standing out is perceived as a bad thing too often at that age. But one thing I definitely want my boys and my daughter to know is that the world is, indeed, full of guys, as Lili Taylor's character states to John Cusack's Lloyd. I am trying to teach my children to strive for more than average, not to be afraid to be exceptional. I want them to do the right and genuine thing, even when it's harder, or even when it leaves them vulnerable. I hope they have standing-in-the-rain-with-boombox moments of their own someday.

高中的时候，我生活的主要目标就是做个普通人。我并不想与众不同，我想融入大家。我想大多数青少年都会这样想，因为那时候与众不同常被认为是一件坏事。但有一件事情我确定我想让我的儿子们和女儿明白，就是电影中莉莉·泰勒所扮演的角色对劳埃德(由约翰·库萨克扮演)说的那样，“事实上，这个世界到处都是男的。”我正试着教育我的孩子不要止步于平凡，也不要害怕与众不同。我希望他们正确真诚地做事，即使这会变得更困难，即使这会使他们更容易受到伤害。我希望在他们的生命中会有这样的时刻：某天，他们能勇敢地高举着录音机，伫立风雨中。

3. Your mom and dad were young and clueless and angst-ridden once, too. (Back to the Future)

你的爸爸妈妈也曾年少无知，焦虑不安。《回到未来》

It was something of a revelation for me when I saw Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly interact with his parents as awkward teenagers in Back to the Future. As Marty observes his dad's teenage cluelessness, he says, "It's a wonder I was even born." Part of my job, I feel, is to allow my children to know that I was in their shoes once, and I still don't know everything... but I know more than they do. For now. OK, maybe not when it comes to new math, but still.

在《回到未来》中，迈克尔·J·福克斯扮演的马蒂·麦克弗莱同他的父母交流—他的父母还是手足无措的十几岁的少年。看到这些，我就领悟到了这一点。马蒂看到了他父亲的年少无知，他说，“我能出生简直是个奇迹。”我觉得我工作的部分职责，就是允许我的孩子知道，我曾经也走过他们现在的路，并且，我仍然还有不懂的事情……但我懂的还是比他们要多。对于现在来说，这些知识足够了。如果将来碰上了新数学4，那就可能不够了。但不管怎么说，我懂的还是比他们多。

4. Sometimes awesome people might "live to like you," and you might not feel the same way. That's OK. (Pretty in Pink)

有时，可能会有优秀的人(对你说)“活着是为了爱你”，但你却并不爱他们，那也没关系。《红粉佳人》

I loved Andrew McCarthy. I loved him even more when Blane really did want Andie back and sought her out at the prom. But I also struggled with the fact that I loved Jon Cryer's Duckie, too -- that his adoration for Andie seemed so simple and easy and loyal in comparison. Is it OK to pick the Blanes of the world over the Duckies? I think sometimes it is, especially when you are young and still learning about yourself and relationships. Inevitably, people are going to like my children that my children might not like back in the the same way, and vice versa. The trick, then, is to teach my children to treat people with respect and care, even if they can't return the same level of feeling. After all, you can't love someone back out of obligation. That's not the way it works.

我大爱安德鲁·麦卡锡。特别是当布雷恩真心希望安迪回来并在舞会上找到她的时候，我更喜欢他了。但我很纠结，因为我同样喜欢乔恩·克莱尔扮演的达奇—相比之下，他对安迪的爱更为简单，质朴和忠诚。在这个世界上，选择布莱恩而非达奇，这样做可以吗？我认为这在某些时候还是可以的，特别是当你还年轻，还在了解你自己，还在学习怎样恋爱的时候。有人会喜欢我的孩子，这无法避免，但我的孩子可能不会喜欢他们，反过来也一样。这一点就是要教导我的孩子们，即使不能以同样的感情回应，也要尊重和关心他人。毕竟，你不能出于责任去回应某个人的爱。爱情不是这样得来的。

5. No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. (Dead Poets Society)

不管别人怎么说，文字和思想的确能改变世界。《死亡诗社》

We can bemoan the dominance of the Interwebz and social media in modern life all we want. We can justifiably grieve the fall of the local bookstore. The truth is, though, that ideas and words are still -- maybe even more than ever -- powerful tools for change; they just travel (quickly) in a different format. I want my children to remember the power of their words, especially when they give them over to the Internet. Robin Williams's John Keating was not teaching his students about social media, but I am. The message stays the same. Words and ideas can change the world, and I want mine -- and my children's -- to change it for the better.

我们可以悲叹互联网和社交媒体“统治”了我们都想要的现代生活。我们可以哀伤地方书店的倒闭，这也无可非议。然而事实是，文字和思想仍然是—或许比以往还要是—做出改变的强有力的工具；只不过，随着时光飞逝，它们发生作用的方式不同罢了。我想让我的孩子铭记文字的力量，特别是他们发到互联网上的文字更具影响力。和罗宾·威廉姆斯扮演的约翰·基廷不同，我让我的孩子们接触了社交媒体。但我们所要传达的信息是一样的：文字和思想能改变世界，我希望我的孩子，以及他们的孩子能将这个世界变得更好。

6. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)

人生太匆匆。你若不偶尔停下来看看周围，就会错过很多风景！《春天不是读书天》

When I was driving my oldest son to school this morning, he made a remark about how I "always" make a big deal out of his mistakes and bad choices at school and, he feels, not enough of a big deal about the things he does well every day. He might have a point: I have high expectations, and it freaks me out a little when he strays off-path, especially now that he is getting older and the stakes are a little higher. But I do want him to break the rules sometimes. I want him to skip school every once in a blue moon, go on adventures with his friends, dance and sing Beatles songs in a parade. I admit that I can be a little uptight about school, but I want my kids to step outside the box of our days sometimes and, honestly, I need to do that more often too. Anyone know where I can find a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder?

今天早上，我开车送我的大儿子去学校。路上他评论说，他感觉我“总是”对他每天在学校里所犯的错误和做的坏选择大做文章，而对他做好的事情却关注不够。他说的或许很有道理：我对他有很高的期待，所以他一“脱离正途”，我就会有些担心害怕。特别是随着他年龄的增加，这种风险也会稍大一些。但我还是希望他偶尔能摆脱规则的束缚。我希望他能难得地翘一次课，和朋友们一起去冒险，或是在队伍中雀跃着，唱着披头士的歌去游玩。我承认对于学校，我是有一点儿保守，但我还是希望他们能迈出我们那个时代的界限。坦白地说，我需要更经常地那么做。有谁知道我在哪儿能找到1961年出产的法拉利Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder跑车吗？

7. Say "bless you" when someone sneezes. (Singles)

当某人打喷嚏的时候，对他说“保重”。《单身一族》

One of my favorite scenes in Cameron Crowe's Singles was when Bridget Fonda's character bemoans lowering her standards for her love interests. She had started out looking for someone with "looks, security, caring, someone who has their own place, someone who says, 'bless you' or 'Gesundheit' when I sneeze, someone who likes the same things as me but not exactly, and someone who loves me." She had since "scaled it down" to "someone who says 'Gesundheit' when I sneeze, although I prefer 'bless you.' It's nicer." It might sound funny, but I have found myself consciously thinking of this line when I sneeze in front of my boys. I always prompt them to say "bless you," because it's just a nice thing to do -- and it is a reminder to be polite and considerate in an age when our noses are too often buried in our smartphone screens.

在卡梅伦·克罗执导的《单身一族》(Singles)中，我最喜欢的情景之一就是布丽姬·芳达扮演的女主角抱怨她找恋爱对象的标准降低了。一开始，她找的人要“长得好看，有安全感，体贴，有地位，要在我打喷嚏的时候说‘保重’或‘祝你健康’，和我喜欢一样的事情，但又不完全相同，他还要爱我。”后来，她“降低了这一标准”，“那个人要在我打喷嚏的时候说‘祝你健康’，虽然我喜欢‘保重’。这样更好一些。”这也许听起来很好笑，但当我在我的儿子们面前打喷嚏的时候，我就会不自觉地想起这句台词。我总是提醒他们要说“保重”，因为这是一件令人愉快的事情—在这个我们总是低头看智能手机屏幕的时代，这是一种提醒：要有礼貌，要善解人意。

8. We are all Goonies. (The Goonies)

我们都是小精灵。《七宝奇谋》

The Goonies, complete with its Cyndi Lauper anthem, was one of the movies I loved in my own awkward tweenhood. My favorite line is actually at the end, when the kids are reunited with their parents and Data's father tells him, "You are my best invention." We are all Goonies, and we are all valuable and loved. I hope my children know that no matter who they are, no matter how they show their inner Goonie-ness, they are the most important things to me in the world, my "best inventions."

《七宝奇谋》配上辛蒂·罗波所演唱的主题曲是我在少不经事的岁月里最喜欢的电影之一。事实上，我最喜欢的台词是在电影快结束的时候，孩子们和他们的父母团聚，达塔的爸爸告诉他，“你是我最伟大的作品。”我们都是小精灵，都有价值，都被别人喜欢。我希望我的孩子们明白，无论他们是谁，无论他们看起来是怎样的傻里傻气，对我而言，他们都是这世界上最重要的，是我“最伟大的作品”。

9. I'll be right here. (E.T.: The Extraterrestrial)

我永远在这儿。《E.T.外星人》

When I first saw E.T. in the movie theater, I cried hard when he had to leave Elliott. That kind of separation, that permanency of loss was not something I was prepared to handle yet. But when the alien pointed his long, spindly finger into Elliott's chest and said, "I'll... be... right... here," I believed him. That concept -- that we can hold each other in our hearts and transcend time and space -- is a big one for even adults to grasp. When illustrated by a rubbery brown alien with an illuminated finger, it seems more plausible somehow. Ironically.

第一次在电影院看这部电影，看到外星人不得不离开艾略特时，我放声大哭。我还没准备好去面对那种分别，那种永远的失去。但当外星人用他那又细又长的手指指着艾略特的胸，说“我会…永远…在这儿”时，我相信他了。那种情感—我们可以将彼此记在心中，这份情谊将会超越时间与空间永远存在—即使是成年人也难以体会到。而长着橡胶般棕色皮肤的外星人却用他的手指揭示了这一点，使我们从中得到了启发。不知怎地，这看起来似乎更加可信了，但也极具讽刺意味。

10. Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line. (The Princess Bride)

死神来临时，别与西西里岛人对抗。《公主新娘》

This one speaks for itself, yes?

这句活本身就说明了这一点，不是吗？