Comedies

Raising Arizona

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Image Credit: Raising Arizona, 1987

If this unrelenting summer has you down, then pour a drink and prepare to laugh yourself silly at Raising Arizona (Disc/Download). A movie I didn’t initially “get”, it’s gotten funnier with each successive re-watch, particularly once I was lucky enough to see it on the big screen. There are some films that benefit from zero distractions and real-time audience reactions, and this screwball heist comedy is one of them.

Starring Nicolas Cage as convicted felon Hi, and Holly Hunter as his beloved wife (and booking officer) Ed, Raising Arizona is among the many Coen Brothers films with clear Preston Sturges influences. The plot follows the “ordinary man thrust into extraordinary circumstances” archetype when an infertile Hi and Ed get the harebrained idea to kidnap one of the Arizona Quintuplets and raise him as their own. This is followed by some impressive camerawork by cinematographer (and future Men In Black director) Barry Sonnenfeld in the nursery, as Hi juggles babies and tries to choose “the best one”. While I normally find babies in movies (and in life) to be pretty tedious, clever editing endears the Arizona quints to my cold heart. Plus, they give Nicolas Cage an excuse to run through a grocery store with a pack of Huggies under one arm and a pair of panty-hose compressing his Woody Woodpecker hairstyle, and for that I am truly grateful.

When the weather gets so hot that you start to feel like you live in a tin can plopped into the desert, that’s when you know it’s time to cool off with a cocktail. While watching Raising Arizona, I recommend drinking this riff on a classic, the “Hi” & Dry.

“Hi” & Dry

2 oz Whiskey

3 oz Canada Dry Ginger Ale

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Rosemary Sprig & Dried Orange for garnish

Combine whiskey, ginger ale, and bitters in a glass filled with a large ice cube. Stir gently to combine, and garnish with a rosemary sprig and dried orange wheel.

With a memorable score that features plenty of yodeling, plus over-the-top line deliveries from Cage and Hunter, plus a mulleted Frances McDormand pushing childhood immunization (yay vaccines!), Raising Arizona has crawled its way up the ladder of my favorite Coen Brothers movies. Before you make the mistake of thinking this is just another ridiculous movie about ridiculous people, I suggest you sleep on it. Cheers!

Classic Films

One Way Passage

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Image credit: One Way Passage, 1932

I’ve died and gone to movie-cocktail heaven. This week, I had the pleasure of watching One Way Passage (Disc), a stylish drama about doomed lovers aboard an ocean liner. Made during the brief but wonderful Pre-Code Era, it features stunning gowns, a short runtime, and plentiful cocktails. We really did have everything, didn’t we?

Starring a dashing William Powell as escaped death-row inmate Dan, and Kay Francis as the terminally ill Joan, these two strangers meet at a bar in Hong Kong and share cocktails, both breaking their glasses over the bartop once they’re through (a move that was equal parts charming and horrifying to a barware collector like myself). Shortly after, Dan gets arrested and dragged onto a ship headed to San Francisco, where he reunites with Joan. They’re both on borrowed time, though neither one suspects it of the other. Dan has multiple opportunities to escape again, but he gives them all up for a chance to better know this woman who has captured his heart. As they share more classic cocktails and kisses, and Kay wears yet another fabulous Orry Kelly creation, I am equal parts excited and heartsick. Excited I found a movie that integrates cocktails so fully into a love story, and heartsick that it can seemingly only end in tragedy.

The drink ordered in this movie is the Paradise cocktail, and although the onscreen version is different from the classic recipe that appeared in Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930, both use popular ingredients of the time period. Dan and Joan’s Hong Kong bartender is almost like a chemist, measuring out ingredients and twisting orange peels as he makes the catalyst that sets this whole story in motion. While watching One Way Passage, I recommend drinking a Paradise cocktail.

Paradise

1 ½ oz Gin

1 oz Apricot Brandy or Liqueur

2 oz Orange Juice (fresh squeezed)

Orange Twist

Chill a glass by filling with ice, and set aside. Combine gin, apricot brandy, and orange juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Dump the ice out of the glass, then strain the cocktail into it. Twist an orange peel over the cocktail to express the oils, then drop in.

I won’t ruin the ending, but let’s just say that the way barware is utilized had me grinning from ear-to-ear. This film manages to take what should have been a maudlin finale and turns it into something happy and whimsical. That’s the power of cocktails, and that’s the power of good storytelling. Cheers!

Comedies

The Big Chill

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Image credit: The Big Chill, 1983

If you ever get nostalgic for 1960s music and political ideology, then definitely check out this movie… set in the 1980s? This week, Cinema Sips is diving into The Big Chill (Disc/Download), which is unfortunately not about frozen cocktails. Rather, it’s about recapturing the joy and camaraderie of youth, and rocking out to classic Motown hits. Sign me up!

I’ll admit, when I first watched The Big Chill as a teenager, I didn’t get it. All these whiny middle-aged people having affairs and trying to make jogging a thing—not my cup of tea. But as an adult who is now squarely in the age range of these characters, I enjoy it a lot more. I don’t think you can really “get” The Big Chill until you’ve experienced grief, and/or drifted away from the friends you had in college. You have to have lost something before you can find it in this movie. Jeff Goldblum is the standout in an ensemble cast of college buddies reuniting at a funeral, and if you thought he was charismatic in Jurassic Park, you will enjoy him even more in this. They gave his character all the best lines, and the best drugs. 

This group of mourners seem to go through an awful lot of white wine, which is understandable given all the issues they’re still working out. Impotence, loneliness, infidelity, depression- pass the Sauvignon Blanc. You could certainly keep it simple with a bottle of wine, or you could mix it into something perfect for long conversations around the coffee table. While watching The Big Chill, I recommend drinking a Heard It Through the Grapevine cocktail.

Heard It Through the Grapevine

3 oz Dry White Wine

1 oz Ginger Liqueur

1 oz Lemon Juice

3 dashes Orange Bitters

2 oz Ginger Beer

Lemon/Basil Garnish

Combine wine, ginger liqueur, lemon juice, and orange bitters in a shaker with ice. Stir to combine, then strain into a glass filled with a large ice cube. Top with ginger beer, and garnish with a lemon wheel and sprig of basil.

There’s something that happens when you reach your thirties and forties, when you start losing people at a rate you never could have fathomed ten years earlier. Suddenly it’s parents, grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles, etc. The wedding circuit is replaced with the funeral circuit. We start gathering and taking stock, wondering when it will be us in that box, and what will people say about the life we’ve led? Wondering if this will be the last time we see any of these fellow mourners again. Maybe a movie about frozen cocktails would have been a little more uplifting, but The Big Chill gives me the community, and the perspective, I didn’t know I needed. Cheers!

Musicals

Bye Bye Birdie

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Image credit: Bye Bye Birdie, 1963

When the temperature becomes unbearable during the long slog of an Austin summer, look for me at The Paramount. I’m not sure how a historic theater manages to have the coldest air conditioning in the entire state of Texas, but there’s nothing better than shivering under that arctic blast as you enjoy a classic film under gilded crown molding. I recently had the pleasure of watching Ann-Margret flutter her arms and hair in front of that famous blue backdrop in Bye Bye Birdie (Disc/Download), and like the ad executives of Sterling Cooper, I quickly fell under the spell of this Technicolor teenage dream.

Inspired by Elvis’s draft into the US Military and the cultural fallout with teen girls across the nation, Bye Bye Birdie is a fun musical full of colorful swing dresses, Dick Van Dyke charm, and pastel princess phones. I could watch this with the sound off and be thoroughly entertained, which speaks to how well the visuals and choreography work together. Paul Lynde is perfect as the put-upon father and wisecracking businessman, always getting the biggest audience laughs with his trademark smirks. And while Elvis is not the person playing teen idol Conrad Birdie (I think we can all agree, it should have been Elvis), Ann-Margret distracts us from this travesty with her pink capri pants and magnetic enthusiasm. To put this in modern moviegoing terms, she is Barbie. Her boyfriend Hugo? He’s just Ken. Possibly, Allan…

Speaking of Hugo, I took inspiration from the popular Hugo Spritz for this week’s cocktail, transporting it from an Italian café to Sweet Apple, Ohio. Perfect for sipping during the Telephone Hour, while watching Bye Bye Birdie, I recommend drinking this Hummingbird Spritz.

Hummingbird Spritz

2 oz Brut Hard Cider

1 ½ oz St. Germain

¼ oz Mint Simple Syrup

2 oz Club Soda

Lemon Slice (dried)

Edible Glitter

Fill a stemmed glass with ice. Add cider, St. Germain, and mint simple syrup. Stir gently to combine, then add Club Soda. Top with a dried lemon slice and sprinkle a pinch of edible glitter.

This drink sparkles as brightly as Birdie’s gold jumpsuit and is extremely refreshing on a hot day (almost as refreshing as that Paramount air conditioning!). If you’re looking to put on a happy face during this never-ending heat wave, I can honestly, sincerely say this movie, and this drink, will do it. Cheers!

Comedies

Pink Flamingos

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Image credit: Pink Flamingos, 1972

Everyone should grow up with a fun uncle; one who lets you watch and read inappropriate things, encourages you to stay up late, and treats you like an adult even if you’re still in elementary school. He might wear Birkenstocks year-round, or perhaps Hawaiian shirts, and he definitely enjoys good food, good conversation, and good movies. My fun uncle was named Len, and sadly, he left this world far too soon. Len’s film collection was unparalleled, and I recently embarked on the complicated task of organizing his Criterion titles and distributing them to good homes. For reference, Len had the entire Collection, including every spine released before his death in December 2022. Several hundred went into my personal library, so it feels appropriate to celebrate Len and his final, incredible donation to my life with one of his favorites—Pink Flamingos (Disc).

I can’t remember if I first watched John Waters’ magnum trash opus on Uncle Len’s ancient TV set, or if I rented it later in my hometown. However, I’m certain Len was the one who first clued me in to this movie’s existence. I probably asked about the Divine magnet on his fridge, and he probably countered with the story of watching Pink Flamingos at a midnight screening in the 1970s with Mink Stole in attendance. One got the feeling that Len had a personal connection to this movie, and re-watching the Criterion edition now, I can see why. It’s made for people on the fringes of society, or maybe just the ones who wanted to march to the beat of their own drums. They didn’t follow the rules, and they didn’t wait for permission. One look at Divine’s strut down a Baltimore sidewalk, and you instantly understood—this person is weird, and in this universe, “weird” is a good thing. As a teenager, I loved Pink Flamingos for its unapologetic rejection of society’s (and cinema’s) norms. In my own life, I longed for the confidence of a Maryland drag queen.

I’m not sure what Babs Johnson served at her birthday party (apart from Amyl Nitrite poppers), but given her mama’s obsession with the Egg Man, I’ll bet an egg-white cocktail would have gone over well. While watching Pink Flamingos, I recommend drinking a Special Delivery cocktail.

Special Delivery

2 oz Gin

1 oz Pineapple Juice

½ oz Lime Juice

½ oz Grenadine

Egg White

Combine all ingredients in a shaker without ice. Shake vigorously for thirty seconds, then add ice. Shake again until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass.

“Special Delivery”

“Shock cinema” isn’t normally my bag, but I have a lot of respect for directors with a unique voice. Watching a John Waters movie feels like a tiny act of rebellion in and of itself, and even as a middle-aged adult, I can’t help but worry my mom’s going to walk in, shake her head, and ban the movie from the house. Thankfully, I had an Uncle Len in my life, who told me it’s okay to be different. It’s okay to like the weird stuff. “Weird” is a good thing. Cheers!

Classic Films · Dramas

The Misfits

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Image Credit: The Misfits, 1961

They had me at Thelma Ritter. I knew going into The Misfits (Disc/Download) that it would be the most depressing corner of Reno Divorce Month, but I pushed through for Thelma. A pure delight in every picture she graced, this character actress could make even the most difficult watch something to look forward to. She was the shining star who guided us home.

John Huston’s film about the decaying mythology of the west is a tough but important film. It was the last one for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, and knowing this fact makes every scene seem like a race against the clock. Those mythological creatures, the biggest box office stars of their day, just… gone. The sixties ushered in a period of revolution in cinema, where “dream factories” shuttered their doors and an actor or actress was only as popular as their last role. But then there was Thelma, like a bridge between worlds. She could exist in movies like All About Eve as well as Technicolor confections like Pillow Talk and A New Kind of Love without missing a beat. It made sense that she would be cast in the role of Isabelle Steers, the owner of a Reno boardinghouse, because Thelma was an actress who rolled with the times. Her character was there for the quickie marriages and quickie divorces, just as the actress was there for the rise and demise of the Hollywood studio system. A dependable presence in a world of fleeting dreams.

I love the scene where Thelma calls Nevada the “Leave It” state. As in, “Ya got money you want to gamble? Leave it here. You got a wife you want to get rid of? Get rid of her here. Extra Atom bomb you don’t need? Blow it up here. Nobody’s gonna mind in the slightest.” Taking inspiration from this quote, and the scent of sage as she and Marilyn are rolling through the desert, while watching The Misfits, I recommend drinking a “Leaf-it” State.

“Leaf-it” State

2 oz Blood Orange Juice

2-3 Fresh Sage Leaves

2 oz Bourbon

¾ oz Lime Juice

¾ oz Simple Syrup

1 Egg White

Muddle sage leaves with lime juice and simple syrup in a shaker. Add bourbon, blood orange juice, and egg white. Dry shake (without ice) for 30 seconds. Add ice to the shaker, and shake again until well-chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a sage leaf.

“Leaf-It” State

I can’t let this post go by without mentioning Eli Wallach, my favorite scroodily-doo, who is equal parts sweet and horrible in this movie. Out of the three men Marilyn accompanies on a mustang-hunting expedition, he’s the one I kind of want to rope up and leave in the desert by the end. Montgomery Clift, I just want to hug, and Clark—well, I guess I’d want to ask why his character was sweet on Marilyn when Thelma was there the whole time. Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

The Women

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Image credit: The Women, 1939

The d-i-v-o-r-c-e train chugs along this week with one of my all-time favorite classic film comedies, George Cukor’s The Women (Disc/Download)! Featuring an entirely female cast and adapted by screenwriters Anita Loos and Jane Murfin from Clare Boothe Luce’s play, this film is an incredibly clever take on the upper echelons of New York society. From the nail salon to the Reno boardinghouse, these ladies come with sharp claws, sharper tongues, and fabulous clothes. When “Gowns and Fashion Show by Adrian” appears in the opening credits, you know you’re in for a good time.

If you’re looking for a shining example of Golden Age star-power, look no further than The Women. The entire cast reads like a who’s who of the Max Factor appointment book. Frequent Cinema Sips readers know I love a soap opera, so naturally I adore this tale of unfaithful spouses and society gossip. Norma Shearer brings a tough elegance to the character of Mary, who finds herself at the center of a cheating scandal involving her husband and a perfume counter girl (Joan Crawford), but it’s the fast-talking Rosalind Russell who gets the great lines and even greater fashions. From a blouse covered in glittery eyes to headpieces that defy gravity, she’s the one to watch. Oddly, this black & white movie is interrupted by a long Technicolor fashion show sequence, which is jarring and fantastic all at the same time. I love the clothes, I just… don’t know what they’re doing there? I probably would have cut the scene in favor of more Reno time because Mary gains a terrific group of gal pals on the train to Nevada. I wanted more time with them, more lazy days on the ranch, more Marjorie Main as the salty boardinghouse owner- just more!

As Olga the loose-lipped manicurist will attest, Jungle Red is the color for nails. I decided to make a Spritz twist on the classic Jungle Bird cocktail because it’s appropriately named, appropriately colored, and good for those hot Reno days spent waiting for Buck Winston to call. While watching The Women, I recommend drinking a Jungle Cat.

Jungle Cat

1 ½ oz Campari

¾ oz Pineapple Gum Syrup

3 oz Sparkling Wine

1 oz Soda Water

Lime Slices

Combine Campari and pineapple syrup in a shaker without ice. Shake well to combine, then pour into a glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling wine and soda water, and garnish with lime slices.

I love that this movie includes several different reasons for the Reno Divorce because it shows how complicated marriages (and their dissolutions) can be. There’s the reluctant divorce, the resigned divorce, even the aborted divorce! But in the end, I don’t even care what happens to the men in their lives- I just want these women to get the good apartment, maybe get a new Adrian gown, and most of all, get revenge. Cheers!

Dramas

Desert Hearts

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Image credit: Desert Hearts, 1985

Most of the time, when weird, arcane laws are created, it’s done to disenfranchise an already vulnerable population. A notable exception, however, were the progressive Nevada divorce laws of the 20th century. Due to the state’s generous list of allowable grounds for the dissolution of a marriage, and a relatively short (six week) period in which a person had to live there to establish residency, an entire industry sprang up in Reno, NV to support the women coming west to seek their freedom. I love seeing the Reno divorce portrayed onscreen because it’s usually an opportunity to showcase a group of fantastic actresses who are so much more than accessories to their male costars. Throughout the month of July I’ll be highlighting some of my favorites, beginning with this week’s groundbreaking Desert Hearts (Disc/Download).

There are three things I love about the Reno divorce, and this movie has them all:

  1. A salty boardinghouse owner
  2. Desert vistas
  3. Women looking extremely comfortable in jeans

Seriously, it’s just so great to watch someone shake off a bad marriage, put on a pair of pants, and get back on the horse- literally! In this case, our main divorcée Vivian (Helen Shaver) finds herself attracted to free-spirited local Cay (the very sexy Patricia Charbonneau), and it’s a relationship that’s explored with tenderness and depth not often seen in movies of this era. Desert Hearts definitely has a Dirty Dancing “1950s in the 1980s” feel, however, the Patsy Cline tracks bring us back to the correct era. Although the movie is centered on Vivian’s growth, I find Cay to be the more interesting character because she doesn’t make apologies for who she is. She proudly claims her sexuality, in an era when not many women were brave enough to do so. Desert Hearts isn’t an “issue” movie, and it doesn’t pit these characters against society. It’s a lovely, intimate film about people and relationships, and how we define freedom.

One thing to keep in mind about these Reno boarding houses is that the liquor flows freely. It was tough to pick a spirit this week, but in the end I had to go with tequila. I can imagine coming in after a hot day of horseback riding to a cold cocktail and a Johnny Cash record. While watching Desert Hearts, I recommend drinking a Desert Bloom cocktail

Desert Bloom

2 oz Silver Tequila

2 oz Pomegranate Juice

3/4 oz Cointreau

3/4 oz Lime Juice

1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a tumbler filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a succulent.

If you’re looking for more stories of Reno divorces and strong, outspoken women, then definitely keep an eye on Cinema Sips this month, and pick up a copy of the new novel by Maureen Lee Lenker, It Happened One Fight, available 7/11! I love this romance set in the Golden Age of Hollywood for a lot of reasons, but especially for the way it uses those loosy-goosy Nevada laws to solve a problem that could have only been created by the movies. Cheers, and happy reading!

Classic Films

It Started in Naples

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Image credit: It Started in Naples, 1960

By the time anyone reads this, I’ll already be gone. That’s right- I’m pulling a Clark Gable (and a Jack Lemmon, and a Richard Burton, and an Elizabeth Taylor, and a Matt Damon) by heading to the Campania region of Italy for some much needed R&R. This week’s movie might be called It Started In Naples (Disc/Download), but for me, it finishes there too. Lucky for you Cinema Sips readers, you don’t need a passport to come along if you watch this charming romp.

In the second-to-last movie he ever made (and the final one released in theaters before his death), Clark Gable stars as a buttoned-up American tasked with collecting his orphaned nephew in Italy. The sunshine foil to his grumpy curmudgeon? The boy’s cabaret singer aunt, played by the always-delightful Sophia Loren. She lives a bohemian life on the island of Capri and is more than happy to let this little rascal skip school, shill for her on the street, and generally never take a bath. Also the cute old landlord from Roman Holiday hangs out in her kitchen eating spaghetti all day, and if I were this kid, I wouldn’t want to trade such a fun life for a trip to Philadelphia either (no offense, Philly). Clark has some great one-liners, Sophia reverts to her zany, sexy Houseboat persona, and there are several scenes in tourist hotspots like The Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni rocks, and the Mount Solaro chairlift. Although I’m skipping Capri in favor of Ischia on my trip (I’m more of an Avanti! / Cleopatra / Talented Mr. Ripley gal), I feel like I got to see the highlights thanks to this movie.

If you want to really want the experience of an Italian vacation at home, then I highly recommend picking up a bottle of Campari to make this sour variation on the classic Americano cocktail. Refreshing on a hot day, you can almost picture the Bay of Naples sparkling below you. While watching It Started in Naples, I recommend drinking a Campania Spritz.

Campania Spritz

2 oz Campari

1 oz Sweet Vermouth

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

3/4 oz Simple Syrup

2 oz Sparkling Water

Pour sparkling water into a Collins glass and fill with crushed ice. Set aside. Combine Campari, Vermouth, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into prepared glass. Stir gently to combine.

I can’t help but marvel at how much Clark Gable looks like my late father in this film, and it’s kind of spooky given that I planned my trip to Naples and Ischia in the wake of my dad’s death two years ago. Now that I’m finally taking it, it feels (in many ways) like both a beginning and an end: an end to my 30s, an end to dealing with the aftermath of death and all its entanglements, and an end to being too fearful to really live. But it’s also the beginning of what I hope will be an exciting chapter in my new life as a published author, and the beginning of living more fully in the present, appreciating each day as the gift that it is. Gable didn’t know when he went to Naples that his time was almost up, but that’s what makes this movie even more poignant to me. It’s about finding joy and connection in unexpected places, and that’s just what I intend to do on this long-awaited trip. Cheers, and I’ll see ya in a few weeks!

Uncategorized

‘Follow the Sun’ is here!

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I almost can’t believe I’m typing these words: I am a novelist.

My debut book Follow the Sun was published by Random House Canada today, and you better believe I am celebrating! Instead of featuring a movie/cocktail pairing this week, I decided it would be more fun to do a book/cocktail pairing. If you’re currently reading Follow the Sun, I recommend drinking a Hemingway Daiquiri!

Hemingway Daiquiri

2 oz Light Rum

1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur

1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice

3/4 oz Lime Juice

Lime Wheel for Garnish

Combine rum, maraschino liqueur, grapefruit juice, and lime juice in a shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

I chose this drink out of all the ones featured in my novel because it’s something the main character shares with a friend at the historic Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach. And what else has Cinema Sips been than my way to share a drink virtually with all my movie-loving friends? The blog has given me a way to connect with so many fantastic people who have supported me in my ten-year journey to the bookshelf, and I don’t have the words to describe how grateful I am. When I started to wonder whether anybody would ever read a single page I’d written, or if this fiction thing was all just a silly, stupid dream, Cinema Sips followers were here for me. Cheering me on, and making me feel a little less alone.

The truth is, Follow the Sun was not an easy book to sell. It doesn’t fit into a perfectly-sized genre box, unless we’re counting “Beach Read” as a box. There’s a lot of romance in this story, but it also focuses on a young woman’s growth in a time where feminism was just gaining traction. It’s also set in 1966, although I’m hesitant about putting it in the historical fiction category. It just doesn’t feel like a lot of other historical fiction reads I’ve come across, due to its breezy style and tone. Maybe I don’t know what this book is, other than an escape. It’s an escape into a world where style reigned supreme, the parties were epic, the people were glamorous, and the settings were grand. A book about the 1960s Jet Set might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you like reading about a world very different than the one most of us have known, then you might just like my ode to “attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places”. That was the Slim Aarons motto, and it’s because of his photographs that I wanted to devote so much of my attention to this era. These pictures made me feel like a time-traveler, and in a world where everything around us is on fire, doesn’t that sound kind of great?

Slim Aarons, Getty Images
Slim Aarons, Getty Images
Slim Aarons, Getty Images

That’s not to say that things were perfect in the sixties, or that women with money had worry-free lives. They still experienced grief and heartache and misogyny just like many of us do now. But it’s my hope that readers are able connect with the beauty in this fictionalized world I’ve created, where swimming pools sparkled in the sunlight, and a young woman’s voice could be the thing to set her free from the golden cage. I hope you fall in love with the love story of Caroline and Jack, and root for them just as much as I did while writing. I hope, if you need an escape this summer, Follow the Sun can provide it. Cheers!

P.S.- If you’re wondering which movies inspired scenes in Follow the Sun, check out my article at Moviejawn!