“The Last Mimzy” Movie

My 14-year-old son Paul wanted to see the new movie
“The Last Mimzy” as
one of his Spring Break special activity requests. John and I saw it last
night with him, along with Jessica and her boyfriend Matt (both 18). Paul’s
movie choices are suspect (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was
his alternative) but surprisingly everyone enjoyed “The Last Mimzy”
very much. It had the charm and flavor of the 1982 movie
E.T.
Common elements include: innocent genius kids living on the U.S. West Coast,
space aliens, psychic themes, parents who are less in control than they
think, scary U.S. government bullies, and excellent and interesting
computer graphics.

“The Last Mimzy” is based on the 1943 short story “Mimsy Were the Borogoves” by Lewis Padgett. The title of course comes from Lewis Caroll’s poem
in his 1872 Through the Looking-Glass which starts and ends with:

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:


All mimsy were the borogoves,


And the mome raths outgrabe.

Jessica and I recited the whole poem for Matt on the drive to the theater.