Recommendations

If you've taken a look at my Coping Skills page, you know I find books and movies very helpful for coping with life's difficulties. The following media are my personal recommendations. Click on one of the links below, and you'll be taken to the Amazon.com buying page for that product. Please shop through this page; for every product someone orders through this site, Amazon.com gives me a small cash reward. Running this site is time consuming and expensive, so every penny counts. Plus, you'll help me out while shopping for yourself at no extra cost to you. Anyways, I've split these products into categories and given you my reasons for recommending them. The movies below all appear in DVD format when you click on the links, but VHS editions are available too. On the product's information page, just click your format of choice in the "Other Formats" section of links. Enjoy!

Movies with Mental Health Issues

Here are a few movies with mental health themes that provide good food-for-thought.

• Donnie Darko: This is probably one of the most profound and amazing movies I've ever seen. It's psychological, it's hilarious, it's full of great special effects, and it's one of those movies that's different every time you watch it. I'm still working hard to discover all its symbolism even though I've seen this movie many, many times. Most people have never even heard of Donnie Darko, but its cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, and Noah Wyle. Once you see this movie, though, you'll never forget it.
  
• Girl, Interrupted: Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for her performance as Lisa, but Winona Ryder plays the lead role of Susanna perfectly. Girl, Interrupted is a wonderful movie that takes place, for the most part, in a mental hospital. There are obviously many psychological themes like depression and suicide, but the movie also contains messages about friendship, finding yourself, and the definition of "normal." Other cast members include Brittany Murphy, Clea DuVall, Jared Leto, Jeffrey Tambor, Whoopi Goldberg.
  
• A Beautiful Mind: I just saw this movie in June of 2003. I wish I had seen it sooner, because I was amazed at how good it is. This film is an incredible portrayal of schizophrenia and, perhaps more intriguing, the link between genius and mental illness.
  Fight Club: Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are spectacular in Fight Club. This movie has so many psychological principles in it that I chose it as my topic for my term project in Social Psychology. I have to warn that Fight Club, as you might guess by its title, is a very, very violent movie that will certainly disturb some viewers. However, the violence is essential to the plot and the psychological principles behind the inter- and intrapersonal relationships.
  
• Empire Records: Though I'd certainly classify this movie as a "Makes Me Laugh" movie, I've included it here since it contains hints of self-injury, drug abuse, and suicide. Empire Records is a great movie from 1995 starring Anthony LaPaglia, Rory Cochrane, Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger, and Ethan Embry. There is so much humor, insight, and fun music in this movie that makes it a favorite of mine.

Movies That Make Me Laugh

When you're down and need to giggle, here are some movies that'll cheer you up in no time.

• Legally Blonde: Reese Witherspoon is memorable as Elle Woods in this fun, positive, light, and humorous tale of The Little Blonde That Could. This is such a sweet movie; it's always refreshing to see a flick with little offensive language, sexual references, and violence that still manages to be entertaining. Movies like Legally Blonde are rare these days.
  
• Romy and Michele's High School Reunion: Whenever I'm feeling down, Romy and Michele lift my spirits. If anyone can watch Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow run around trying to be cool without laughing hysterically, he or she needs a pulse check. This is a fantastic movie, and the other stars, namely Janeane Garafalo and Alan Cumming, give great performances as well.
  
• 10 Things I Hate About You: Here's Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew set in today's world. It's not a 100% faithful rendition of the play as it has a new script, characters, etc., but the plot is essentially the same. Watch 10 Things I Hate About You for great acting by Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Andrew Keegan, and more.
  
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show: This is one of the most bizarre movies you'll ever see. Made way back in the 1970's, RHPS is your chance to see Susan Sarandon, Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, and the rest of the cast dance around in lingerie while singing unforgettable tunes like "Sweet Transvestite," "Hot Patootie," and "Touch-a Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me." RHPS is a musical, but you'll never get it confused with The Sound of Music or Annie. It's a movie that can only be classified as a musical-sci/fi-comedy-"horror" spoof of sorts. This is definitely something you have to see to understand. You'll be hooked and doing the Time Warp in no time.
  
• Beetlejuice: Beetlejuice was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and it still is today. Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Michael Keaton, Michael McKean, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder-- ok a huge cast of great stars-- come together to create this wacky, funny tale of life, death, and something that's a combination of the two.
  
• Pleasantville: This is a cinematically beautiful movie. Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon are awesome as two kids from the 1990s transported into a 1950s dream world. Joan Allen, William H. Macy, and Jeff Daniels give great performances as people whose lives are changed forever by the characters played by Maguire and Witherspoon. The dream world of the movie starts out in black and white, but slowly transforms into a world of dazzling colors after things begin to change in the perfect town of Pleasantville; this makes for gorgeous eye-candy... Much like Paul Walker does as the dream world's BMOC. Pleasantville presents lessons about the nature of life and human nature with humor, intelligence, and creativity.

Movies That Make Me Cry

Crying is wonderful because it lets you get all those pent-up emotions out of your system. The following movies are those that always make me cry, whether in happiness or sadness-- sometimes both.

• A Walk to Remember: Mandy Moore and Shane West are fantastic in this movie. "A Walk to Remember" is PG, but it's still enjoyable for older audiences. This is an absolutely sweet romance story that's pure, good-hearted, and fun.
  
• Ghost: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg are the stars of "Ghost." I sob every single time I watch this movie, and it's so cleansing. The ending of Ghost is fantastic and always reduces me to tears. I first saw it when I was eight, and I've been hooked ever since. After you see this movie, the song "Unchained Melody" will be ingrained in your mind forever.
  
• O: This is another Shakespearean play adapted to modern times. O is a remake of Othello that stars Julia Stiles, Mekhi Pfeiffer, and Josh Hartnett. Like 10 Things I Hate About You, it uses modern language and a modern setting, but it's faithful to the plot. "O" is a dark, powerful, intriguing movie. It's one of those rare films where you actually feel passionately about its characters. I dare you to watch "O" without feeling heartbroken.
  
• A League of Their Own: Ok, this is really a movie that makes me laugh AND cry. Call me sentimental after playing softball for 10 years, but I cry every time the last game of the World Series ends. I also seem to cry when I hear that closing piano solo, and I always lose it when Madonna sings "This Used To Be My Playground" over the closing credits. Since I played catcher, Geena Davis as catcher Dottie Hinson was my role model and inspired me to proudly wear the number 8 each year. Lori Petty, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell are wonderful as Davis' teammates, and Tom Hanks is hilarious as coach Jimmy Dugan.

Books

• Girl, Interrupted: This is the autobiographical novel by Susanna Kaysen that inspired the movie of the same name. If you've seen the movie, reading the book helps you understand more about Susanna's life and what really happened; Hollywood changed quite a few things around in the film adaptation. If you haven't seen the movie yet, perhaps you'll want to after reading this book. It's a short read, but it's one you'll enjoy reading over and over again since it's so funny, smart, and something to which most of us can relate.
  
• Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America: Prozac Nation is sort of like Girl, Interrupted since they're both autobiographical novels and both have been made into movies, but this book, by Elizabeth Wurtzel, has a few key differences. Kaysen's book is short, with very short chapters and much jumping back and forth through life events; Kaysen includes reprints of her medical records and letters, breaking up her words even more. Wurtzel's book is very long and mostly linear, written more like a standard novel than Kaysen's. Prozac Nation is a riveting, insightful story, but it takes more effort to read than Girl, Interrupted due to its length and style. It's definitely a worthwhile read, though, and I look forward to seeing the film adaptation starring Christina Ricci when it hits theaters.
  
• Fight Club: This is the book that inspired the movie of the same name. I'd have to say this novel is grittier, more shocking, and disturbing than the film-- and that's quite an accomplishment. The book and the movie are quite similar, but portions of the movie are slightly different because some of the novel's dialogue was too controversial for the big screen. Also, the novel's ending is much more interesting and satisfying than the ending of the film; this was the case with Girl, Interrupted as well. Read this book after you've seen the movie; you'll get more out of both if you watch before reading.
  
• The Bell Jar: Sylvia Plath was an amazing woman. The Bell Jar is a twist on the autobiography; it's written by Plath and describes her own life, but she changes names and places-- even her own name is altered. Sylvia Plath was a brilliant writer, and The Bell Jar is a great example of her writing. I strongly recommend this classic book.
  
• The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath: Plath ended up killing herself due to lifelong depression. The best way we can learn about her life, her thoughts, and her feelings is through her unabridged personal journals. These are by no means polished works like The Bell Jar or her poetry; these are raw emotions captured and preserved.
  
• Collected Poems: These are the collected poems of Sylvia Plath. If the journals are the purest expression of Plath's pain, I would rank these poems as the next closest expressions of her emotions. Sylvia often wrote beautiful poetry, but she churned out poems with increasing speed in her final days; sometimes, she wrote three per day. Plath's words are powerful and moving, making me wonder what other masterpieces she would have made had she not taken her own life.

Those are my current recommendations. Feel free to search for more media of your choice using the searches below.

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