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CARING TODAY CAREGIVER CINEMA

Film favorites with a focus on caregivers

BY:MARC LICHTER

Savages

Courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

With their recent success both at the box office and as recipients of major awards, Away from Her and The Savages have brought caregiving to the top of hot-topic lists. But these aren't the first films about caregiving, nor will they be the last. Here, 20 favorite films that might teach you something about caregiving while often providing you with a smile. Better yet, they help us understand the universality of the caregiver life while offering entertaining respite. Rent any or all and enjoy.
  • As Good As It Gets—A man (Jack Nicholson) with obsessive-compulsive disorder falls for a woman (Helen Hunt) whose son has serious respiratory issues, and together they assist a neighbor (Greg Kinnear) who's been severely injured.
  • Away from Her—Julie Christie stars in her award-winning role as a woman with Alzheimer's whose loving husband (Gordon Pinsent) must deal with the changes she undergoes—and the relationship she develops with another man—after she enters a long-term care facility.
  • Bang the Drum Slowly—A world-wise pitcher (Michael Moriarty) tries to make the last year of his slow-witted teammate (Robert DeNiro) the time of the ill man's life over the course of a baseball season.
  • Brian's Song (1971, TV)—The true story of Chicago Bears teammates Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams), and how they inspire each other during Piccolo's battle against cancer; based on Sayers' book, I'm Third.
  • Cocoon—Sometimes healing power comes from an unexpected source, like when the residents of a nursing facility, many who are caring for an ailing spouse or friend, find the restorative magic of their out-of-this-world neighbors' pool. Great performances by Brian Dennehy, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Don Ameche, Jack Guilford and Gwen Verdon. Directed by an insightful Ron Howard.
  • Dad—Ted Danson demonstrates the range of emotions and psychological conflict dealt with by an adult son as his father (Jack Lemmon) suddenly requires constant care. With Olympia Dukakis and Ethan Hawke.
  • The Diving Bell and the Butterfly—Julian Schnabel artfully directs the true tale of Elle editor-in-chief Jean-Dominique Bauby, who at age 43 suffers a stroke that leaves him paralyzed, with physical control over only his left eye, through the blinking of which he "dictates" his memoir on which this film is based. English subtitles.
  • Driving Miss Daisy—An elderly woman (Jessica Tandy) finds friendship and support in the guise of the chauffeur (Morgan Freeman) hired by her loving son (Dan Aykroyd).
  • In the Gloaming (TV)—Suffering from AIDS, a son (Robert Sean Leonard) returns home, where his parents (Glenn Close, David Strathairn) develop different attitudes as to how to deal with his illness and approaching death. Directed by Christopher Reeve.
  • Lorenzo's Oil—The parents of a very ill boy search for a cure when the traditional medical establishment back-burners such research because of the rarity of the fatal disease. Based on the true story of Michaela and Augusto Odone.
  • Love Story—Maybe it's true that "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Maybe it's not. What's for sure is that, in the end, sticking by your loved one when you know the end is coming is what love is all about. Starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal.
  • The Miracle Worker (1962)—A sensitive look at the tumultuous-turned-tender relationship between Helen Keller (Patty Duke) and her tutor, Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft).
  • My Left Foot—Can a boy with cerebral palsy, who has physical control only over his left foot, become a renowned artist and poet? In fact, he can, as is demonstrated in this film about Christy Brown, portrayed to Oscar-winning perfection by Daniel Day-Lewis.
  • On Golden Pond—A bit of true caregiving enters this story as real-life father/daughter pair Henry and Jane Fonda reconcile their relationship both onscreen and in reality as dad's health begins to take a turn for the worse. With Katharine Hepburn.
  • A Patch of Blue—Sidney Poitier befriends, defends and seeks training and a home for a young blind woman (Elizabeth Hartman) who is abused by her mother (Oscar-winning Shelley Winters).
  • Rain Man—What was once about money turns into a matter of brotherly love when a younger sibling (Tom Cruise) gets to know and decides to care for his psychologically challenged older brother (Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman).
  • Regarding Henry—A powerhouse attorney (Harrison Ford) is shot during a robbery and humbled as he subsequently loses his memory and most motor skills, goes through rehab and must rediscover and redevelop his relationship with his caregiving wife (Annette Bening) and daughter (Mikki Allen).
  • The Savages—This Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated film examines the relationship of estranged adult siblings (Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman) who suddenly must come together to care for their ill father (Philip Bosco).
  • Terms of Endearment—No matter your differences, you know who will be there when you need someone to care. Debra Winger and Oscar-winner Shirley MacLaine, as a tumultuous daughter/mother pair, prove the point. With an Oscar-winning Jack Nicholson.
  • Tuesdays with Morrie (TV)—Based on Mitch Albom's bestseller, which was based on his real-life relationship with his ALS-afflicted former professor, Hank Azaria (Mitch) and Jack Lemmon (Morrie) show what love and respect can accomplish.