When I was a kid, we often used to watch “Friday Night at the Movies” on TV as a family. I’m sure this depended upon the suitability of the movie for whatever age I and my siblings were, but I remember the excitement as the show opening music and graphic came up. Sometimes we made popcorn.

Last night we brought dinner and a movie to my parents’ apartment and I think it’s going to become a regular habit. The movie was the poignant Italian comedy “Bread and Tulips.” (I liked the original title “Pane e Tulipani” so much I repeated it over and over in the car all the way home, complete with hand gestures. It’s a wonder Dave didn’t leave me on the curb in West Leb.)

This was actually our second Friday night movie this month. Two weeks ago we brought over the French comedy “The Valet,” which was very amusing, but not as heartwarming as “Pane e Tulipani” (there I go again).

The European comedies seem to work well for us. We all need a little lightheartedness, and I think my Dad enjoys the scenery. The cast of “Pane e Tulipani” included the Swiss actor, Bruno Ganz, in one of the supporting roles. I love his face.

I’m hoping to get a couple of Swiss films eventually. In particular, I would like to see “Late Bloomers” (aka “Die Herbstzeitlosen”), which is about four older women in the Emmental region of Switzerland who turn the local corner shop into a chic lingerie store, throwing the whole community into disarray. The Emmental (apart from being the place of origin of what we commonly call “Swiss Cheese”) is a very traditional farming community in the heart of Switzerland.

Unfortunately, “Late Bloomers” does not appear to be slated for video release anytime soon, but last year’s Swiss film “Vitus,” also featuring Bruno Ganz, is coming out next month.