It’s Just a Movie. It’s Just a Show.
Back to the Future helped me get through the hardest month of my life ten years ago.
Love, Simon made me feel more comfortable with aspects of my identity…
Which I now embrace through a love for chick flicks.
“Veronica Mars” helped me get through high school…
And “Doctor Who” helped get me through my first year of college.
I was able to bond with my dad over our mutual appreciation of Coen Brothers movies…
Deadpool gave us a way to properly express how much we hated his cancer…
And “Brooklyn Nine Nine” is helping me deal with his passing.
Zombieland taught me how to laugh again…
And The Imitation Game taught me how to cry.
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” provided storytelling which challenged me as a child…
While shows like “Static Shock” opened my eyes to cultures & experiences other than my own.
Bandslam was a movie so close to my life as a 13 year old it felt like I’d written it…
While How to Train Your Dragon showed me that just because I was a weirdo didn’t mean I was alone.
The Book of Life helps me feel more comfortable about death…
And “The Good Place” encourages me to life a full life.
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” makes me feel more comfortable about talking about my mental health issues.
Chicago got me through pneumonia.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles is a Thanksgiving tradition in our home.
I feel closer to my mom because of Harry Potter…
To my brother because of Lord of the Rings…
And to the rest of my family because of Disney films.
People say, “It’s just a movie,” or, “It’s just a show,” like that’s minimizes it, but it doesn’t.
“Just a movie,” means it is a storytelling device that resonates with people.
“Just a show,” means it is something people can come back to when they need it.
Entertainment, storytelling, and art have the power to inspire people…
To change them, to help them deal with their life…
To connect with others…
And to see themselves represented in ways they never thought they would.
So if something is just that, then I think that’s pretty great.
