“The good ones always start out good.” ~Yogi

Many of us probably remember the blockbuster movie "Top Gun" that came out in May, 1996. Movie theaters were filled with men and women who were enlisted, retired or discharged, as well as those who just wanted to see the film, or Tom Cruise.

This first film received mixed reviews. Although despite the mixed and critical response, the film grossed $357 million against a production budget of $15 million.

Recently, the sequel "Top Gun: Maverick" was released, with a greater critical and commercial success. In total, as of May 2022, the film has grossed $248 million worldwide, excluding China and Russia, where the film is not showing. The movie is also the highest-grossing domestic debut for Tom Cruise, surpassing $100 million on opening weekend.

While many of us have seen and enjoyed one, or both of the movies, there is a real individual behind the movie and the story.

His name was Ehud Yonay. (1940 – 2012) Born in Haifa, Israel, he became a famous Israeli writer, and author of the original writing of the story, “Top Guns”, published in 1983 in the California Magazine.

The article recognized “larger than life” fighter pilots, who were the tall, wiry young men, completing 200 push-ups and 100 sit-ups a day in order to prepare for “jousting” in the air, hurtling through enemy air, at 750 miles per hour in their f-14 weapons, zooming out of the blue becoming fire-spitting machines.

And these, larger-than-life, fighter pilots, inspired our nation with a sense of pride and security, that protection for our country, was in good hands.

In the new film, remembering the past and bringing it into the present, Top Gun: Maverick, has integrated the development of, and maturity in the characters.

Tom Cruise is the trainer for the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, where he now, must face his past, as he trains a group of young aviators.  

Goose’s son, “Rooster”, is now a top gun pilot and Tom Cruise is the trainer, for “Rooster” as well as the other younger pilots. Bringing the past into the present between “Rooster” and Maverick, opens the door to confront loss and a painful history, in need of forgiveness, repair and redemption.

Reacquaintance and connection with former friends that were like family, as well as former colleagues and rivals, now call for demonstrating respect, to step into renewing connections; so to be able to find, forgiveness, repair and redemption.

In honor of Father’s Day … Please forgive the tardiness regarding honoring our fathers. But I hope the blog is meaningful to the men in our lives, as well as the women.

I also appreciated in this movie, the recognition of the difficulty of finding healing. It is a call that asks us to step into places of disconnection or pain, to be addressed, and to turn toward forgiveness, repair and redemption…. in our own hearts and lives.

And yes, while the saying tells us that the “good ones always start out good” may we remind ourselves to be faithful to forgiveness, repair and redemption ….

In honor of Father’s Day, Sunday, June 22, 2022

Paulette Jackson lpc-mhsp

The thoughts and opinions expressed in The Conversant Counselor's 

Blog are those belonging to Paulette Jackson lpc-mhsp and does not

necessarily reflect those belonging to any other individual or 

professional.