Take a bowl of microwavable popcorn (or your placebo of choice) and grab one of these movies to cure your homesick hangover.
***
When I was a summer camp counselor, weโd give the homesick kid a paper cup of cherry Powerade and say, โItโs homesickness medicine. Now drink it.โ
The placebo worked, and at the campfire that night, the child sang and told stories to the rest of us. Homesickness is a mental thing.
Take a bowl of microwavable popcorn (or your placebo of choice) and grab one of these movies to cure your homesick hangover.
1. โWhere The Wild Things Areโ
Itโs a childrenโs classic. Max is sent to his room without supper and, in his imagination, travels to a world where he is king of the Wild Things. Spike Jonzeโs adaptation captures the feeling of being misunderstood, and reaching into your self to find your own sense of home.
Watching Max yell at the top of his lungs โLet the wild rumpus start!โ with Karen O. and the Kids on the soundtrack is almost like reading the original Maurice Sendak book under the covers with a flashlight.
2. โInto the Woodsโ
In fairy tales, stories set in the woods are about confronting fears and facing the unknown. Going to the woods is part of the archetypal journey of leaving home. Youโll be singing along with the Witch from next door in no time.
3. โWizard of Ozโ
Youโd think Dorothyโs line โThereโs no place like homeโ would make you more homesick than you already are, but thereโs something cathartic about watching someone else try to get home that makes you feel so much better. Pair Dorothy with โFinding Nemoโ when the homesickness is off the charts.
4. โBig Fishโ
The stories your parents told you when you were a kid can be a source of inspiration when you facing challenges. In Tim Burtonโs fantasy tale of a fatherโs wild adventures, a son finds himself reliving them in order to make peace with his dying dad. Homesickness is a nostalgic reaction to the past, and this movie visualizes how our past stories seep into the present.
5. โEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindโ
Eradicating your memories is probably not a good idea right before finals, but this movie hits on the quintessential problem of the blues, and how to deal with not quite feeling at home in the world.
6. โChristmas Vacationโ
Thereโs something about watching Christmas movies in September that makes it all feel better. Itโs like watching โPieces of Aprilโ when itโs not Thanksgiving or โItโs a Wonderful Lifeโ during the summer. Itโs also hilarious to see Johnny Galecki as Chevy Chaseโs son.
7. โSpaceballsโ
In 2024, college students will watch โGuardians of the Galaxyโ when theyโre feeling blue (itโs that good of a movie), but in the meantime, get your galactic longing for home rectified in this wacky Mel Brooks screwball space comedy. Itโs silly, but Rick Moranis is priceless in his parody of Darth Vader.
8. โE.T.โ
E.T. is a botanist from another planet. Whatโs not to love? Maybe a longing for home is a universal emotion experienced by all sentient creatures. Doesnโt that make you feel better already?
9. โThe Pursuit of Happynessโ
Itโs a play on the American Dream, but any movie with Will Smith should cheer you up, and the fact that itโs a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps kind of movie will steel your resolve to work really hard on that ridiculously intimidating class you have to take this semester.
10. โChildren of Heavenโ
In this beautiful Iranian film, the message is that sharing is caring, and it provides a glimpse into a home where the children learn to help each other rather than fight. Ali loses his sister Zahraโs shoes. Since they both need their shoes to get to school, Ali decides to let her use his shoes for morning class, and for the afternoon, she has to rush back home so he can make it to his afternoon classes on time. Sometimes home is not a place, but a way of being with others.
The formula for choosing a movie to help you cope with homesickness is easy. Choose a movie that is not jaded nor overly sentimental. Either a movie that takes place in your hometown or a movie from your childhood also works, but the best movie to cure homesickness is the one that will give you a fresh new look at what it means to be at home.
Related Topics:ย
10 Common Freshman-Year Issues And How To Address Them
A Professorโs 11 Tips For A Successful First Year Of College
7 Things Every College Student Should Do To Succeed
