Off-beat movies for Lent?

[Della]

We all have our favorite Christmas movies and other holidays, but Lent deserves them too. Along with the expected religiously themed ones, we like to watch a few off-beat ones that those who made them had no idea they would speak to the values of Lent. One of these kinds of films we like to watch every Lent is “What About Bob?” It’s a comedy starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss, who are both hilarious in it. It’s about a mental illness patient and the doctor whose life he makes a total disaster, more from the doctor’s own making than the patient’s. We see it as a Lenten film because it shows how obsessed with ourselves and our successes we can become to the near negation of more important things, such as love and the ability to accept others successes with humility. Anyway, what other off-beat films would you recommend for Lent?

 

[Miserissima]

Off the top of my head, “Heaven Can Wait,” with Don Ameche and Gene Tierney.

 

[Della]

Off the top of my head, “Heaven Can Wait,” with Don Ameche and Gene Tierney.

Oh yes. I’ve seen it a couple of times on TV. The ending brought tears to my eyes when Lucifer told him that his wife had been praying for him. Great old film.

 

[andrewstx]

I like Nebraska with Bruce Dern. It does have some bad language in it so be aware of that.
It is about an elderly man who gets a Publishers Clearing House letter in the post and is convinced that he won a million dollars. He takes off walking from Montana to Lincoln Nebraska to “claim his prize”.

He is picked up and driven to Nebraska by his son who knows of course that the letter is a hoax. After trials and tribulations they finally end up in Lincoln where he is disappointed of course. But his son buys him a truck which was what he wanted to buy with his ‘winnings’.

The theme of the picture is the love between Father and
Son, no matter what.

I recommend Nebraska!