Movies as cheap therapy?
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Tired of spending money for therapy and counseling? One psychologist recommends
trips to the movie theater. In her new book Reel Fulfillment: A 12-Step Plan for Transforming Your Life through
Movies, Maria Grace claims that watching movies can make you happy and content. Plus, you can have popcorn and
Sno-Caps while you heal, which are not usually available in the therapist's office.The Web site for the book claims that you can watch your favorite movies to improve your life. However, the author seems to assume your favorite movies will be heartwarming, triumph-of-the-human-spirit films like Titanic, Amelie, and Chocolat. Grace also mentions Million Dollar Baby and Sideways, neither of which I would consider inspirational, but perhaps it makes more sense if you read the book. Anyway, what happens if your favorite movies are Brazil, Some Like It Hot, and The Wild Bunch? Probably she sends you to a therapist anyway until you learn to embrace the joys of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-03-2006 @ 12:21AM
Mark Bell said...
Cheap therapy for the audience. Expensive therapy for the filmmaker ;-)
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1-06-2006 @ 8:19PM
CMelley said...
The book itself has a roadmap to work with several issues that by themselves don't need movies. They come later when you want to get inspiration or advice on how to apply what the author is proposing. The difference here is that the point is not that you go to the cineplex to get your uplifting fix, instead that you accept that movies have an impact in our way of seeing things and why not using those reactions to understand ourself better.
Even thou 12 steps is a very long road, I have working with some of the tips in there and they can go very well along with some of my favorite movies that are not even included in the book.
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