I have watched… an excessive amount of TV and movies this past week as I was sick with COVID. I am almost embarrassed by how long this list was. But the truth was that for a lot of it the headache was so bad (when the headaches kicked in I could NOT read), or I’d have a fever and need to have my arms under the blanket… so, all there really was to do was watch TV. I went with mostly heartwarming stuff and/or old favorites… though Shining Girls is pretty scary – I didn’t watch that til I was out of the headache phase!
Also: so many great reader recommendations on this Instagram post (thank you!) and as always, feel free to share any and all recs in the comments section, I always love hearing what others are watching and loving.
Everything I Watched While I Was Sick
Movies
Forest Gump (Netflix)
This is just such a wonderful classic, feel good movie. The ultimate in comfort movies, if you will. I hadn’t seen it in ages and think I might have enjoyed it even more than I did the first time around? Just the very best (I also forgot how great the soundtrack is.
Midnight in Paris (Netflix)
Another classic, also: one of my favorite comfort movies. Such fun escapism (Paris!) while imagining meeting some of the literary greats. I could watch this again and again and never feel bored.
Along For the Ride (Netflix)
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this… it’s a stereotypical Netflix teenage romcom, which ordinarily is not my thing. But this was just so sweet and wholesome. A girl moves to her father’s cozy beachy town for the summer (I think it was filmed in North Carolina), determined to actually be a kid and have some fun. Adventures, (plus new friendships, the kind she’s never had) ensue.
Like Father (Netflix)
This was recommended to me in the comments section of this instagram post. It was so cute… we need more father daughter movies. Kristen Bell plays a Type-A workaholic (I cringed as she was on her phone just before walking down the aisle) who gets left at the altar. Through a series of drunken events, she winds up bringing her estranged father on her honeymoon.
The Lost City (Paramount+)
OK, this was not great, but… not awful? With such a killer cast it should have been better but it was a good sick day film. I would recommend doing a free trial to Paramount (don’t pay to rent this!). Sandra Bullock plays a romance novelist who is kidnapped by a rich psychopath (played by Daniel Radcliffe). Channing Tatum is in love with her and determined to track her down… Brad Pitt helps. I think what I liked most about it is that it reminded me a lot of Romancing The Stone, one of my all time favorite films.
Senior Year (Netflix)
This was also not great cinema but scratched such an itch for the sort of films I loved in high school. Also, it made me nostalgic as I was a similar age to the characters. And I love Rebel Wilson. Rebel plays a woman who has just woke up from a 20 year coma…. the last thing she remembers is high school (she’s a total mean girl) and wanting to be prom queen. At age 37, she goes back to school to relive senior year.
Our Father (Netflix)
This was… SO creepy and unsettling. A fertility doctor uses his own sperm on his patients. Thirty years later, a whole town (ish… most of them live within a 25 mile radius of each other) of “siblings” has cropped up. It’s intriguing and interesting of course but mostly I just felt really bad for the victims. There wasn’t much they could do to prosecute him.
TV Shows
Shining Girls (Apple TV)
I will admit that when I first started this, I was only medium on it and kept falling asleep. It is really confusing at first, but I’m caught up and it is starting to make more sense. I don’t want to give anything away, just trust me!
Hacks (HBO)
Hacks was one of my favorite shows of all last year and I actually squealed when I saw that it is back. Jean Smart plays an aging comedienne, hiring a young writer to help her write jokes and stay relevant. It’s just so funny. I’m so happy that it is back, truly, this feels like being reunited with old friends.
The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix)
My boyfriend called this one “Virgin River for men” which cracked me up. It has that same comforting feeling to watch (while still being a thriller). It’s a legal drama which I love, with smaller cases plus one big murder mystery. Well, two, actually. I loved it. I watched the entire season in a couple days. Highly recommend.
The Wilds (Amazon)
I started this at several people’s recommendation but I can’t really get into it. A group of teenage girls is stranded on a desert island and has to bond and survive. I may pick it back up but my first hunch was… meh!
The Time Traveler’s Wife (HBO)
This is only medium so far but I am still invested… mostly because Theo James is just a snack (and I loved Rose Leslie on Game of Thrones!) But the truth is, even though there are holes in this vs. the book it is still so fun and worth the watch. Only two episodes in but seems promising!
Sex and the City Reruns (HBO)
This is a go-to when I’m sick as I can doze off and pick right up again as I’ve watched it so many times. It’s comforting and feels like being with old friends. I feel the same way about Gossip Girl!
photo by Laura Saur.
Our Father on Netflix is WILD. I think it does a good job of showing another example (beyond abortion rights) of how women’s bodies don’t truly belong to them if men are calling all the shots politically. It doesn’t matter if you are pro-choice or seeking to have a baby through newer scientific methods. It’s your body and it should be protected. By law.
p.s. Vote!
Could not agree more!!!
I never comment but I had to come here and write that sticking with the wilds is SO WORTH IT! It might start a little slow, but I swear it gets so much better. It’s right up your alley grace! Just give it another chance 🙂 (yikes this sounds like it was sponsored by them or something haha)
That is an impassioned plea! I will give it another try 🙂 🙂
Thanks for pulling this list together! I have Covid right now and have been trying to figure out what to watch next while resting. So far I’ve watched Something’s Gotta Give (Netflix) and the Kardashians (Hulu)
LOVE Something’s Gotta Give!
A great list! Glad you’re feeling better now! Pro tip: when I’m sick and can’t read/tire of TV, I like to listen to podcasts and audiobooks, so I can close my eyes.
That is so smart!
I second this! I highly recommend Minnie Driver’s “Managing expectations”. She is such a lyrical and charming writer and her voice is beautiful to listen to. there are a lot of bad narrators and podcasters with terrible voices ( at least to my ears) so I always listen to a sample before I commit. Hello Molly by Molly Shannon is next! My current favorite podcasts are: Red handed, Breaking Beauty, Naked beauty , The Daily , Radio Cherry Bomb, The Splendid Table and Lewis Howes ,The school of greatness.
Thank you!!!!
I also love legal dramas! Started the Lincoln Lawyer and am so excited to sink my teeth into it. I fell in love with them watching The Practice back in the late 90s (I think?), also by David E Kelley, which is now on Hulu I believe if you haven’t watched. Besides Law & Order, what other legal dramas do you recommend? Movies or otherwise?
I can’t really think very well right now (brain fog is real) but Damages is one of my all time favorites. 🙂
Oooh! Must watch Goliath!
I have been trying and can’t seem to get into it!!!
Have you watched Kim’s Convenience? It’s 4 or ( seasons on Netflix. First episode/pilot can be skipped (or if you watch know that it pales in comparison to rest of episodes)
Great cast! Light watch!
Love this show. Sad that I already binged through it. Also if I watch the darker stuff like Shining Girls, its nice to top it off with a little comedy.
I haven’t, but I am going to check it out this weekend. Thank you!
Absolutely love Hacks! Also so excited the 2nd season is here. I started The Lincoln Lawyer , very fun. Shining girls is intense, but good. Have you watched Minx or Tokyo Vice ? (also HboMax). One short and fun, one edge of your seat drama. Thank for the other suggestions Grace, I’m going to check out some of these movies. 🙂
I watched Minx but didn’t really like it, am I crazy!?
Along For The Ride is an adaptation of the book by the YA GREAT Sarah Dessen! Her books, especially The Truth About Forever, were so good to me in high school/college. Had to comment to give her love 🙂
Love that! Thanks for letting me know.
I have some recent favs that I really enjoyed and were unexpected! “Pivoting” on HULU is really fun and easy watching– I recommend getting through a few episodes to get in the rhythm. I also am really loving “Under the Benner of Heaven”, which has some True Detective vibes and Andrew Garfield.
Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
How many episodes did you get into The Wilds? It’s so good!
Only a couple! I’m going to give it another shot!
I just watched and I really wasn’t sure where to put it this, “ Good Luck Leo Grand” . I read it somewhere in your post and that you you liked it or it was on your list and I absolutely just loved it . I was raised a bit like she was but no way as uptight as she was at all just more of the usual generation gap raised by strict parents . I wasn’t one if the coolest girls in HS when it came to what my parents thought about sex before marriage, lol. That did not last, my opinions anyway . I loved it so much because I experienced a bit of that myself as I aged and our young blush fades , but no way that uptight. I know how it feels from being young and firm and so lovely to passing by a mirror and understanding that I will not be seen by anyone in exactly that outside way again . Just the important inside . Lines and crinkly eyes show you have acquired wisdom and are interesting. It was so well acted and just perfect as well as so beautifully done ❤️