"Gone With the Wind" (Thing 1)

Our family watched "Gone With the Wind" (over several days, as the movie is four hours long). It's about a young woman named Scarlett O'Hara living in Georgia during the Civil War. Scarlett's best friend, Melanie, is betrothed to Ashley Wilkes, who Scarlett is desperately in love with. As we've been learning about the Civil War recently, we thought this would be a good movie to watch.

What I liked: Despite being a behemoth, "Gone With the Wind" manages to keep your interest and is very character driven. Scarlett is feisty and doesn't hesitate to get her hands dirty, something I didn't expect from her at first. Melanie and Prissy are probably my favorite characters; Melanie because she's incredibly sweet and kind to everyone around her, and Prissy because her dingy-ness and breathy voice provides comic relief.

What I didn't like: The first hour of the movie is a little slow and didn't grab my attention like the rest of it did. Scarlett, while very driven and willing to work hard, is cruel. She spends years pining after Ashley, even though he's happily married to her best friend. She even tries to make a move on him a few times. I have a very hard time watching a movie or reading a book where the main character is unlikeable. And while I liked Rhett as a character okay, I found him to be very pushy and inappropriate towards Scarlett, like when he forces her to kiss him multiple times throughout the movie.

I would give this movie

(actual rating: 3.5). It's a great movie to watch as a family, especially if you're learning about the Civil War, but make sure you have plenty of time set aside to devote your attention to it!