So Many Star Wars Movies: The Holiday Special

If you've never seen the Star Wars Holiday Special, then it might not be confusing when I say that people gather at the Bryant Lake Bowl every year to watch it. (They also collect donations for Toys for Tots, a lot of donations.) It's a great gathering of people who want to have fun while watching something so, so, so, so very bad it hurts. No really, let me tell you how bad things get:

Seems reasonable so far, right?

Oh. Well that's not creepy...

The plot unfolds something like this: Chewbacca's family (Malla, Lumpy, and Itchy) are preparing for Chewbacca's return from a Rebel space mission so the family can celebrate Life Day together. A local trader and family friend (Art Carnie) arrives at the family home just ahead of an Imperial ship, who want to search the home for Chewbacca, who is luckily still on his mission. From here it turns into your standard holiday special of the time, with special guest stars singing and dancing their way through the most painful performances of their lives.

I might have failed to mention: In the first twenty mins of this show, the only dialogue is spoken in Wookie. "How fun!" you might have thought. But I also might have failed to mention that there are absolutely zero subtitles translating all that dialogue, so you're literally watching the opening of a show where you stand no chance of understanding what's going on. For. Twenty. Whole. Minutes.

There's so much more that's hard to believe: The Wookie opening to the movie only seems like it could be the wildest thing that happens in the special, but there's also a scene where the grandpa Wookie (Itchy) watches what amounts to a VR lap dance, in the family living room. We not only get to see the VR show through his eyes, but we're treated to his reactions as well. 

Another thing that's hard to believe: The Holiday Special gives us the first appearance of Boba Fett. 

And so, so, so, so much more weirdness: I can't even begin to explain how far off the rails this special goes, it's honestly something you have to witness to fully understand.

The Bryant Lake Bowl tradition: The entry fee to this spectacular spectacle is a toy donation for Toys for Tots. Every year the number of toys collected grows substantially, which seems to mean the attendance also grows each year. (Or at least the hopeful attendance grows, as the shows inevitably "sell" out.) Before the first SWHS BLB screening event, Chris Grap (the mastermind behind this event) reached out to the writer of this mind-boggling show and, to everyone's total surprise, got a response: a letter apologizing for the atrocity that is the Star Wars Holiday Special. So every year, Chris Grap reads this formal letter of apology to an audience dressed to the Star Wars nines, who are bursting with generosity, and are ready to sit through one of the most painful attempt at entertainment to ever cross the airwaves. 

What's that? You still want to join this mind-melting tradition?: Honestly, the only way I can imagine watching the SWHS is surrounded by a sea of Star Wars cosplayers who've all gathered in the spirit of generosity and fun. If you're gonna watch the SWHS, this is one hundred percent the way to go. (Like their FB page to stay updated on screening dates.)