Crossed an item off my bucket list last night that I didn’t even realize was on it.

I got to watch Willy Wonka in an actual movie theatre! Pretty much felt like this:

I think I was maybe nine years old the first time I saw this movie? It was the day before school vacation (probably spring break, because the day before Christmas break we had assembly in the gym and sang Christmas carols and ate candy canes). We all filed excitedly into the Southwood School gym, sat in rows with smallest grades in the front and biggest grades in the back, and settled in for a fine afternoon.

(Oh yeah – it was TOTALLY reel-to-reel. We all got up for a two-minute stretch when they had to change the reels.)

I’ve loved this movie ever since. I would rent it when I was a kid and disappear into the basement with whatever junk food I could find. As an adult, I finally bought a copy and would pick up a few bars of chocolate and treat myself to weekend viewings. But I never dreamed I’d get to see it on the big screen!

And yet again, Portland delivers.

Our fave little indie movie theatre scheduled two showings in honour of Gene Wilder’s passing and I knew I had to go. The kids joined me, but The Husband stayed home (he finds the movie creepy for some reason…).

Oh, it was so amazing! I never realized how hilarious it was until I got to watch it with a laughing audience. Or how much more fun it is when you share it with a couple hundred other people. And not gonna lie – I totally teared up when Charlie saw that flash of gold.

In honour of the occasion, I even did something I’ve never done before. I did the real-life equivalent of stealing fizzy lifting drink and snuck in these:

Now I’m all for supporting movie theatres, particularly indie ones, and I very happily forked over cash for beer, artisan soda, popcorn, and Salt & Straw ice cream. But there’s NO way I was gonna send off Gene Wilder with house brand chocolate. Nope, the original and best Mr. Wonka deserved no less than imported fair-trade Belgian goodness (with its sole US location in Portland, natch).

Here’s to Mr. Wilder and Mr. Dahl! With humble thanks for chocolate-filled dreams.