Movies To Watch When You're Alone on Thanksgiving Part I of Who the Hell Cares
Though this is not my first holiday or even my first Thanksgiving alone, for some reason the deafening solitude is hitting a little harder than usual. My parents are together. My brothers with their families. My friends thousands of miles away. My fiancé with her friends and family. And me. Surrounded by three small old dogs and an empty house... and fridge. So as only I know how I embark on finding the best movies to soothe my soul and hopefully distract me from my anxiety. Onward.
It is 12:30pm and I have watched two movies so far. Two of my favorites. Tried and true for lonely days Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and Stuck in Love (2012) are sure to entertain and distract in the best of ways. But lets break it down.
First off. Is there ever really a bad time for a good Wes Anderson flick? One of my favorite elements of Wes Anderson is the consistency of which the films are produced. Though some could criticize that employing the same troupe of actors time and again would lead to a certain boredom surrounding performances. Maybe you get tired of the symmetry repetitively exercised visually. When I'm alone my anxiety sky rockets. I think about what everyone is doing without me. All the fun I'm missing out on yet again. Is anybody even thinking about me? My mind moves too fast for meditation. But the familiar cadence of the actors lines, the constant symmetry, and wholesome stories soothe my worried thoughts like ASMR. Some find the sound of whispering and fucking with the teeth of a comb soothing, I find certain movies to be my ASMR. Therefore my top suggestion for honestly any lonely day is a good Wes Anderson flick. The characters will keep you company, the stories will warm you, and for two hours you will forget that you were ever alone.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Wes Anderson
Stuck In Love (2012) Josh Boone
On the completely other end of the spectrum is Josh Boone's emotional drama Stuck in Love. Now anyone who knows me would be surprised that I would pick a sappy movie like Stuck in Love as one of the best movies for being alone. The whole movie is about love and connection and family when my wheelhouse is horror, crimes, thrillers, violence. On a daily basis I fill my days with the darkest and most fucked up movies I can find, but, those who actually know me know that I love a good sap fest. I watched the Kissing Booth multiple times a week for months and I don't even fuck with Joey King like that. Anyway back to my point. The movie centers around a dysfunctional family made up mostly of writers. The mother Erica, played by Jennifer Connelly, cheated and left her husband, Greg Kinnear, three years prior. Their 19yr old daughter, Lily Collins, resents her mother for hurting her father and copes with the failures of their marriage through pessimism, cynicism, and promiscuity. On the other hand the high-school aged son, Nat Wolff, is overly sensitive. A hopeless romantic with dreams of being the next Steven King. While yes, the cast is star studded. The Hollywood production value is barely muffled by the soft indie cinematography. Yet every time I watch this at different points in my life I find myself relating to different characters along the way. If I feel I can relate to each characters experiences across the board whether an unsatisfied housewife, disenchanted daughter, or stoner outcast I can remind myself that other people feel exactly like me. So many in fact that books and movies are made just about us. In that sense though I am watching another family celebrate while I'm alone its almost as if they're right here with me. Reminding me that dysfunction, loneliness, and darkness are only temporary. This on one day out of 365. It really is just a blip.