The Sick Day Movie

As I transition from one phase of my career trajectory, I am also departing from direct service work with children into a more administrative office based role. My parting gift from the wee ones was a 101 degree fever. [Note: Children are walking petri dishes.] I've, thus, been pretty much confined to bed. Most sick days I can get by on whatever is on t.v. or by catching up on some shows I've missed. When I feel really miserable, though, there are a set of stand-by movies I always turn to. These films wrap me in a blanket softer and tighter than I could ever find anywhere else. Throw in some toast and soup and I'm well on my way to recovery. I look to these movies almost as a prescription; I try not to mix it up or bother with other flicks because the consequences could be dire. Case in point:

One time while delirious with an even worse fever (103 degrees I thing, the whole thing is still a bit fuzzy) I settled on a television marathon of Jurassic Park III (2001). They just kept playing this movie on repeat, and I couldn't move or think straight, so it seemed like a good idea to keep watching. Cut to the next night. In addition to hardly being able to sleep due to the cold, [Bonus: It was bronchitis!] I was super stressed out because I was taking two Praxis exams the next day  for my teaching certification. As I tossed and turned, all I could think of was "Poor Billy, he's never going to pass his Praxis. He didn't have any time to study!" What should have been dreams or (even better) the oblivion of sleep, was instead wrought with concern for my friend, Billy. Who's Billy? A fictional character from Jurassic Park III of course. I mean, how was he supposed to study for his Praxis exam if he was running from dinosaurs all weekend?

There is no way he'll be allowed to teach Secondary English in the state of Pennsylvania.

The thing about being sick is that it puts me at my weakest, making me incredibly susceptible to suggestion and immersion in a world. The above example demonstrates why I stick to a select few films when trying to lift my spirits when coughs and medicine try to get me down. Apartment Therapy had a pretty nifty post on this subject last year. My list is pretty short. It's hardly even a list. It's just two movies.


The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
[Note: It should go without saying, but I'm talking about EE; Extended Edition for the uninitiated.]

Send that nasty cold to whence it came!

Pretty sure I can say most of the lines from this movie. That's part of the beauty of it; I can fall asleep and wake up at any point and know exactly what's happening and none of it will ever be confused with reality. When I was in high school, I along with three of my friends who camp out in someone's living room and have a marathon of all three Lord of the Rings Extended Editions. It usually spanned over two days and we hardly ever finished. The point is that this is a movie that  warms the darkest depths of my soul. With a soundtrack that serenades like a lullaby, and as lush a landscape as is possible on the planet Earth, everything about this movie is a like a dream.

By the end of this movie I usually feel ready to go on a quest, or at least dance by myself in my room. This is usually quite difficult since I'm (more than likely) still sick though in much better spirits.

"They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengaurd" pumps in the background.

Sabrina (1954)

Just shut up and gaze at Audry Hepburn. I SAID, GAZE, DAMN YOU!

Is there anything more perfect or soothing than the melancholic drawl of this Audry's voice? No. There isn't. It's a scientific fact that Audry Hepburn's voice has the same sonic resonance as steeping chamomile tea. In fact, in addition to being required to be the subject matter wallpapering 40% of all female college dorm rooms, movies staring Audry Hepbern are prescribed for most minor ailments in the state of New York.

Okay, so those might not be "medical facts", perse, but it's all totally "true". Never is it more true that in Sabrina, a Cinderella story where Cinderella actually grows up in the palace, gets an old French Baron instead of a fairy godmother, then realizes she's actually in love with Prince Charming's brother. To summarize in a single word: perfection.

Seriously. Perfection.

There are a hand full of other movies that make the cut for my Sick Day Movie List, but those are without a doubt the top two. If you're still feeling miserable after these two doses of cinema magic, you probably have a terminal illness, in which case I won't make a snarky comment. If you don't have a terminal illness and you still feel awful, then you're as soulless as a Nazgul and there's really nothing I can do for you.

I'm not really a Bogart fan.