A Tomkat Production

"OK, we've got 'Rain Man,' 'Jerry Maguire,' 'The Gift' and 'Wonder Boys.' Let's do this."

Saturday had a drizzly and dreary temperment, offering no enticement for outdoor activity. The recent news from Rome had left us incredulous and, I have to admit, a little creeped out. These two factors combined to create a seemingly natural inclination to lounge and laugh away the time with the Tomkat Movie Marathon.

Now, I've watched "Top Gun" many a time. I've sighed over Tom Cruise's toothy grin and I've certainly appreciated the, ahem, fine things he has brought to the big (and, subsequently, small) screen during his career.

But to learn that he, a 42-year-old, is romancing Katie Holmes - my generation's much-beloved Joey Potter - just seems more than a little wrong. Might not be May-December, but at least May-early October. I've got to think she watched The Blue Scene on repeat a few too many times.

We wanted to understand it a bit and joke about it a lot. The associate at my nearest Blockbuster informed me that we were far from the only ones - there's actually been a rash of old school Tom Cruise movie rentals this week, mostly rented by people about my age. I asked her if people had also been picking up Katie Holmes movies, but apparently we were among the only to actually demonstrate equal-opportunity viewing.

Since many of TC's movies were already out, I returned to my waiting flatmates with a film from when he was KH's age ("Rain Man" circa 1988) and the last film in which he was incredibly good-looking ("Jerry Maguire"). The two Holmes films were the only I could find, and there was the added bonus of my already strong love for "Wonder Boys."

And thus we settled in. A break after "Wonder Boys" for a trip to the grocery store for snacks. Applause for Dustin Hoffman during "Rain Man" and the expected exclamations of "Uh oh!" for a short time after. We realized just why we'd never heard of "The Gift" and, as the minutes crept into Sunday morning, chuckled sleepily during the familiar moments in "Jerry Maguire."

The viewing fellowship disbanded partway through the final movie, as we started to yawn, strech and retreat to our beds. I finally succumbed to sleep during the morning after scene in Dorothy's kitchen. I smiled once more at Ray (oh little Jonathan, did you really have to grow up?), turned off the lights and made my way to my room.

Shortly before rolling over and drifting off, I thought about whether Tomkat Day had helped my understanding at all.

Nope. Still 42 and nowhere near as captivating as he used to be. But at least I was able to remember just why I crushed on the fellow as a youngster. And it was about time I saw "Rain Man."

Good enough.