.jeri.

Ric and I saw In the Heat of the Night at the Agadoni household, after a jambalaya dinner, while eating far too much candy of the chocolate and peanut butter variety. I think we all got a bit of a sugar high, followed by a low, which means I did get a tiny bit sleepy while watching, but it really was a very good movie.

Set in the south in the 1960s, Sidney Poitier's Mr. Tibbs happens to be passing through town and is found at the train station while the local police are on a hunt for a killer. They decide to take him in and treat him rather poorly until they discover that he's a cop too, and then they end up needing his help on their homicide case. Rod Steiger co-stars as Chief Gillespie, whose treatment of Virgil Tibbs ranges from friendship to abuse.

The dialog and acting are the highlights of this movie, particularly those of the lead characters. But, besides character studies, we have a murder mystery, and one that gets more and more complex as the movie progresses. It's very smart and plays to a smart audience, which I really appreciated.

Something I also appreciated was that this movie makes comments on issues of race without throwing them in the audience's face. Poitier never stops in the middle of a scene to complain that he's being treated poorly because he's black - it's obvious. This movie doesn't have to resort to obviousness, and that's what makes it great. It's no wonder that the movie earned quite a few awards and nominations.

Kudos to Ryan for picking this one! Can't wait to see what your next selection will be, a few weeks from now. And kudos to Amy, who joined me in adopting a new phrase for everyday life: "Ya dig?" We even used it simultaneously one time at work without rehearsing it!