A few years ago, I had the pleasure to meet Abby Ryder Fortson from the Ant-Man franchise. She was simply adorable and a terrific actress.
So when her dad, John Fortson, reached out to me to screen their short film collaboration, RATED, I was definitely interested in checking it out. This short film which is now available on Vimeo is heartwarming, family oriented, and an inspiring film for the entire family.
What is RATED about?
The story focuses on Maggie, played by Christie Lynn Smith, who is a wife and mother trying to balance everything such as work, kids, and meals. I am sure we can all relate to that?! Especially now during the Quarantine, I feel like I can’t stop juggling and the stress is real. Maggie is a wonderful mom (and real life wife of John Fortson) but she also can can have an attitude to those around her, without even realizing it. Hannah played by Abby Ryder Fortson, tells her dad in one scene, “She is the best mom but she has a tone.”
One day she wakes up and every single adult receives a YELP-like star rating floating above their head. While the husband, played and directed by John Fortson, wakes up with a 5 star rating, Maggie’s rating is only 2.5. Maggie has to go out in public with this meager rating floating above her head. In order to change that rating, she has to own up to her behavior and find the courage to change it.
Hannah and brother, Joshua, tell mom they don’t care how many stars they have, and regardless they will love them. However out in public, things change and she realized that her attitude might have been the problem all along. The final scene in the deli where the waitress won’t serve her because of her rating, made her realize that she definitely needed an attitude adjustment and needed to be a better person. Through realizing this, the stars start going up.
My Thoughts:
I thought RATED was truly terrific movie and quite honestly I related a lot to it. I know for me, I sometimes can get very anxious and perhaps give that attitude to my family, coworkers, etc without even knowing it. This made me think that if I was to be RATED, perhaps I would have the same stars as Maggie had and my husband would have the same as John. Watching this short made me realize that I do need to slow down and enjoy every little moment that life has to offer. While I never mean to give an attitude, it can come across if we don’t “slow our roll” and look at life in a different perspective.
During this time, I encourage you to sit down, open up VIMEO and watch this movie. It taught me a lot about being a good human being and I know it will do the same for all of you.