Friday, July 8, 2011

Phenomenon

I'm a sucker for John Travolta (along Liam Neeson, Jeremy Piven, and Robert Pattinson), but who isn't, right?  I got Phenomenon on my Netflix last weekend.  It was unbelievably cheesy- but the plot outline went something like:  Well-to-do mechanic (Travolta) loves jaded woman (that lady from the Closer) thinks he is abducted by aliens and becomes the ultimate knowledge machine.  He can suddenly read 30 books a day, move things with his mind, learn a language in under 20 minutes, predict earthquakes.... I mean the list goes on and on... break mirrors when he is mad!  The movie goes through how this small hick town processes the new "phenomenon" which was their old friend George O'Malley (John Travolta).

Well, wouldn't you know it, we come to find out that he can do all this now because he has a brain tumor!  And it is enhancing his capabilities to think and learn and act as a human being.  In the movie he said something like "This is what all human have the ability to become."  Anyway the brain tumor is killing him but making him ultra smart and able to do all this outrageous stuff in the mean time.
And you know what I thought?

Why can't my brain tumor do that?
I'd like to find lost kids and shatter glass and throw thunder.  I want to sit at Berkley and create incredible fertilizers and solar panels.
All my stinky brain tumor does is give me headaches, cause irritability, and make me lactate.
Not cool.

Ken reminded me of the perk: Mine isn't killing me.
Yeah- but can't I have the best of both?
If you have to have a brain tumor, admit it, you'd want it to be cool.

2 comments:

Julia said...

Hahaha. I never even HEARD of that movie. Although, I think it was nice of them to include a brain tumor. I mean, people with brain tumors never get a shout out.

Poulsen Family said...

I liked that movie when I was growing up probably because I too wished my brain tumor could have given me special "powers". All it gave me was a scar across my hair line and down my nose- boo.