Film Rx: Movies to Watch When You're Sick

It seems like everyone around me is sick right now. It's probably only a third of the people I work, play, and live with, but either way, that's a lot of folks lately who are stuck in bed, huddled under blankets, littering the floor with wadded tissues, and hoping to take their minds off their ills. If that sounds like you, send a friend over to the library to pick up your film Rx.

Movies have healing properties. They affect our moods. The right one can make us feel better. And recovery is often as much a psychological process as it is physical one. So any film that is familiar enough to fall asleep to and not too much of a thinker or a downer is just what the doctor ordered.

A friend of mine said he couldn't name a specific title because he'd want to use his sick time to catch up on all the movies he hasn't seen yet. That's a valid point. But as for me, when I'm sick, I can't focus and I don't want to multitask. I want my old favorites around me: my mug, my robe, my recliner, and my movies.

Most of the picks below will probably peg me as a child of the eighties, but it's really the genres that are important -- prescribing the right remedy to match what you're going through and what you need.

Classic call-in flicks:

Princess Bride
Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Sick over the holidays:

Elf or Home Alone
Love Actually or It's a Wonderful Life

Too sick to follow a plot:

Top Hat or Viva Las Vegas
Overboard or Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

It hurts when I laugh:

History of the World, Part 1 or A Night at the Opera
Caddyshack or Wayne's World

I want my mommy:

Tangled or Finding Nemo
Mary Poppins or The NeverEnding Story

Long term care:

All 3 Lord of the Rings or all 3 original Star Wars
All 3 Back to the Futures or all 3 Godfathers

On the mend:

Star Trek: Wrath of Khan or Top Gun
The Thin Man or O Brother Where Art Thou

Which movies do you want to watch when you're home sick?

Revisiting Old Favorites

I recently decided to watch one of my favorite childhood movies again and see if I still enjoyed it. I can remember watching Jurassic Park repeatedly circa age seven, and gobbling up any toys and picture books associated with the franchise. I memorized all the dinosaurs and their various abilities. It was very serious business for me at the time. 

When I sat down to watch it a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised by how great the movie still is to me. The dinosaurs are incredibly realistic and frightening 19 years after its initial release. At the same time, beyond the universally appealing drama and adventure, as an adult I can appreciate and understand more aspects of the plot. 

We all have favorite movies and books that seem to withstand the test of time. My other repeat favorites include Wes Craven’s Scream, one of my perennial Halloween-time picks. The blend of wit and horror always seems fresh and entertaining. Mean Girls still ranks as one of my favorite comedies and always makes me laugh out loud thanks to Tina Fey’s hysterical screenplay. 

Although I typically never reread books even if I really loved them due to the never ending list of books I want to read , I do revisit Stephen King’s The Stand every once and a while. There are always portions of the novel that resonate with me differently over the years. Moreover, the favorites I do tend to revisit always provide a comforting nostalgic appeal with every viewing.  

Are there any books, movies, or albums you find yourself revisiting every few years? If so what draws you to look at an old favorite time and time again?