by Sam Morris, Staff Writer
My initial beliefs of what mental health and mental illness were have been formed in large part by popular culture. Two films, both released in December of 1997, were seminal in the construction of those beliefs: As Good As It Gets and Good Will Hunting.
Written and directed by R.J. Cutler
Featuring Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase and John Landis
Running time: 1 hour and 48 minutes
by Nikk Nelson
My mom was slightly obsessed with John Belushi. I remember sitting with her when I was very young, watching Saturday Night Live skits like The Olympia Restaurant with Buck Henry and Samurai Hotel. She laughed harder than I ever heard her laugh—that breathless, uncontrollable laughter that sounds totally different from someone’s everyday chuckle. I remember her telling me that John Belushi died before I was ever born. Tears welled up in her eyes. She told me something about people that burn bright in this world and, to this day, I can’t remember if it was something from Keats or Def Leppard. What I never forgot was making a connection between what John Belushi did on TV and how it made my mother react.
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