A Strong Dose of Comedy
The innumerable studies pointing to the curative effects of comedy are going to be put to the test.
With the country stagnating in a deep recession, the laughs for most of us have been fewer and farther between.
There's good reason for that.
Like watching your favorite millionaire sports hero laugh in the middle of a crushing loss, it somehow pricks our nerves to see undying glee from a friend or neighbor in dire times.
Really, is everything that good? Ah, but that is where your doctor is right.
It does you no good to get your blood pressure up, no matter how grave the situation.
You might as well take a hefty dose of comedy, and I have a few ideas of where to begin.
THE MOVIE THEATER Ignore this one.
Movies are great, but in the theater, they are relatively untested.
And they are expensive.
YOUR HOME Not just where the heart is, home is where many are finding themselves as their entertainment budgets have shriveled drastically.
Taking the money you haven't spent in your local cinema, you can afford to upgrade your satellite tv package to include a few of the premium movie channels.
You'll get the new releases first and you'll get them in high definition -- the next best thing to big-screen picture quality.
My advice would be to skip the complex, ultra-subtle comedy.
If you have to think really hard to have fun in these times, you're liable to get a headache.
Stick with clever, like Tropic Thunder, the latest from America's goofball master Ben Stiller, now playing on satellite tv.
You'll definitely get your fair share of clever in this romp -- a send-up of Hollywood, Oscar, and "the finest actors of our time.
" Revolving around the making of a serious war movie, Stiller stars as a low-rent actor trying to achieve critical respectability.
Within moments, it is clear that his quest will be fruitless.
Co-starring in this fictional film are Jack Black (uncorked, even by his standards) and Robert Downey, Jr.
Downey's character has made the ultimate sacrifice: as an Australian man playing an African-American, Downey surgically darkens his skin to immerse himself in the role.
In the pursuit of Oscar, no amount of makeup will be sufficient.
Throw into the mix Tom Cruise, who plays a ruthless businessman financially backing the war movie.
To call him eccentric would be a gross understatement.
Balding and bearded, with an enormous patch of chest hair creeping out of his shirt, this is not the Tom Cruise we are accustomed to seeing.
If you can watch this version of Tom gyrate to rap music without cracking a smile, you are mired way too deep in the recession.
Satellite tv programming extends its comic reach far beyond the latest films.
Just dial up a modern classic like 30 Rock on NBC HD and get another dose of medicine.
In between Alec Baldwin's shenanigans, if you can watch Tracy Morgan oversee the making of his own life-sized doll without upsetting your internal organs, the problem is more serious than we initially thought.
In this case, you better call the doctor.
With the country stagnating in a deep recession, the laughs for most of us have been fewer and farther between.
There's good reason for that.
Like watching your favorite millionaire sports hero laugh in the middle of a crushing loss, it somehow pricks our nerves to see undying glee from a friend or neighbor in dire times.
Really, is everything that good? Ah, but that is where your doctor is right.
It does you no good to get your blood pressure up, no matter how grave the situation.
You might as well take a hefty dose of comedy, and I have a few ideas of where to begin.
THE MOVIE THEATER Ignore this one.
Movies are great, but in the theater, they are relatively untested.
And they are expensive.
YOUR HOME Not just where the heart is, home is where many are finding themselves as their entertainment budgets have shriveled drastically.
Taking the money you haven't spent in your local cinema, you can afford to upgrade your satellite tv package to include a few of the premium movie channels.
You'll get the new releases first and you'll get them in high definition -- the next best thing to big-screen picture quality.
My advice would be to skip the complex, ultra-subtle comedy.
If you have to think really hard to have fun in these times, you're liable to get a headache.
Stick with clever, like Tropic Thunder, the latest from America's goofball master Ben Stiller, now playing on satellite tv.
You'll definitely get your fair share of clever in this romp -- a send-up of Hollywood, Oscar, and "the finest actors of our time.
" Revolving around the making of a serious war movie, Stiller stars as a low-rent actor trying to achieve critical respectability.
Within moments, it is clear that his quest will be fruitless.
Co-starring in this fictional film are Jack Black (uncorked, even by his standards) and Robert Downey, Jr.
Downey's character has made the ultimate sacrifice: as an Australian man playing an African-American, Downey surgically darkens his skin to immerse himself in the role.
In the pursuit of Oscar, no amount of makeup will be sufficient.
Throw into the mix Tom Cruise, who plays a ruthless businessman financially backing the war movie.
To call him eccentric would be a gross understatement.
Balding and bearded, with an enormous patch of chest hair creeping out of his shirt, this is not the Tom Cruise we are accustomed to seeing.
If you can watch this version of Tom gyrate to rap music without cracking a smile, you are mired way too deep in the recession.
Satellite tv programming extends its comic reach far beyond the latest films.
Just dial up a modern classic like 30 Rock on NBC HD and get another dose of medicine.
In between Alec Baldwin's shenanigans, if you can watch Tracy Morgan oversee the making of his own life-sized doll without upsetting your internal organs, the problem is more serious than we initially thought.
In this case, you better call the doctor.
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