Movie therapy remedies all your ailments

by Kay Hoflander

April 8, 2006

This is not a PG column.

No matter what may be out of sorts in your life, I have a tonic that will help—movie therapy. I guarantee it will take your mind off your troubles, at least for awhile.

A “tried and true” method, movie therapy can be a temporary fix for just about any situation that occurs, no matter how difficult, happy, or sad.

Just ask my kids.

Child psychologists may shoot me. On second thought, do not ask my kids.

As I said, this is not a PG column. Reader discretion is advised. The following list is approved for adults only.

Keep in mind, my theory has taken years in the research and development stage, although it will never be fully completed. I have put in long hours watching movies in order to bring you the results of my research.

Well, somebody had to do it.

Here then, is my adult-approved movie therapy list for whatever ails you:

• If you are having a really bad time of things at work or if your career is a mess, watch Office Space.


• When you need to accept yourself just as you are and crave a good love story at the same time, there is nothing better than Steve Martin’s Roxanne.


• When you need motivation and inspiration, it is time to watch Top Gun (a favorite with the guys). Surround Sound helps this movie get the blood pumping. The sound of the planes revving their engines is so intense that I swear I can feel the heat off the tarmac. Actually, I just watch it for Tom Cruise.


• Speaking of Tom Cruise, if I need a Tom Cruise fix and can forget his ridiculous behavior of late, my movie of choice has to be Jerry McGuire. It is a perfect choice for a chick flick, as well.


• Chick flicks, by the way, are the ticket when you need a good, long cry. Nothing more therapeutic. I recommend the classics: Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, or Pretty Woman.


• In order to feel better, guys need drama movies about wars with lots of blood and guts, fights, and triumph over evil stuff. Here are just a few—Troy, Gladiator, Die Hard, or Braveheart. I usually leave the room when these are playing.


• Some movies are both motivational and inspirational. I need these when I absolutely have to believe that “I can do it.” Then, it is time to watch Miracle, Cinderella Man, Seabiscuit, Rudy, or Bagger Vance.


• If you do not want to think and just want to “veg”, by all means, watch any of the Vacation movies, my favorite being Vegas Vacation, unless it is holiday time.


• During the holidays, in my book, there is one choice and one choice only-- Christmas Vacation. Just think, Chevy Chase was once a madcap comedian doing inane sketches on Saturday Night Live. Today, he is a holiday icon since his Christmas Vacation movie has become a standard. Chevy is at the top of my holiday movie list, followed closely by these favorites-- It’s a Wonderful Life and White Christmas. These three give me a choice during the holidays. I can laugh, cry, or sing along.


• Speaking of singing along, my preferred movie has to be The Blues Brothers. This is such an important movie in our household that when the boys bring friends to visit, they are required to watch it. Just kidding, or not.


• If you have forgotten your own college days or want to understand your children’s life at college, watch Animal House. I told you this was not a PG-rated column.


• Sometimes, I just want the hair to stand up on my arms. I want to feel something. I am bored. I need a thriller, a mystery, a suspenseful spy story, or a detective or crime story to make my heart thump. That is when I reach for The Bourne Identity or The Bourne Supremacy.


• When I cannot think of a single thing to write for this column, I watch Romancing the Stone. In this movie, writer, Joan Wilder, finishes her latest romance novel while listening to powerful western music and imagining her hero Jesse arriving at the last second, on horseback, of course, to save her heroine from the bad guys. Works every time.

There you have it, my movie therapy plan. Life is good, as long as I have a portable DVD player handy.