meryl and the 1990s.

While I was home yesterday scanning Netflix for anything other than an episode of 30 Rock, I came across The River Wild, a film that I had somehow missed when it came out in the 1990s, despite being a favorite of both my brother and my husband. I went in knowing relatively nothing about the film, other than the fact Lorelei Gilmore references it in an episode of Gilmore Girls (where, admittedly, I garner most of my pop culture knowledge).

Imagine my surprise, then, to be home alone and terrified of raging river rapids and an especially creepy Kevin Bacon. Honestly, who knew the guy had it in him? I only have these very vague pictures of Kevin Bacon circa Footloose, so this? Well, this was a shock.

In between those moments of terror, though, it was really Meryl Streep who stole the show. Sure, the woman can act. But I've never before noticed just how gorgeous she is, and in The River Wild, she has this natural beauty that had me squinting at the screen, wondering if I could look like that while making my way through the white water of the West. Her crazy hair under a baseball cap, freckles shining through minimal makeup, she had this air of fearlessness and confidence, which I suspect may be true of Meryl in real life as well.

When you blog mostly about life and its happenings, being sick for a few days can really put a damper on things. Life has been slow, and there's really not much to share. I'm limited to the topics I've lived these past three days: Sam and Diane's on-again, off-again romance; Liz Lemon and the cast of 30 Rock; and Meryl Streep's amazing ability to make Chacos look really, really attractive. I'd buy a pair, only thanks to Mr. Bacon, I don't see myself river rafting any time soon.

Have you seen The River Wild? What other '90s movies do you find oddly terrifying? (My answer: Sleeping with the Enemy. Gets me every time.)