TItle image about 90s health films. Still taken from

The following is a rewrite of two 1995 films I discussed in the middle of March 2020 as my hometown was one of the first areas in the country to get hit with Covid-19. Both reviews were brief as I was fatigued by the necessary amount of time required to stay up on the virus. After hours of listening to podcasts on the subject I had little desire to think about it even more. Now that the dust has settled it puts me in a better frame of mind to revisit these stories. When it comes to movies about living in a pandemic there are ones that focus on how the condition affects a small group of people and some others about the widespread toll it takes on the masses. “Outbreak” is one of the later examples which had been a part of my science class. My high school teacher informed us that the film was fictional but the science was legit. I would be intrigued to hear a modern breakdown of the movie from scientists in the way Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses the scientific validity of fictional movies on Twitter. He has expressed that movies can be entertaining and contain legitimate science at the same time so why not make them that way?

While I think “The Cure” is decent film I don’t feel it is as closely related to 2020 to the degree that an older movie like “Death in Venice” are. The way that film dealt with the population denying that a pandemic is happening at all recall what was going on this year. I suppose the fact that I watched The Cure around the same time as I watched Outbreak those two films are more tightly connected as coming of age films. I would bet the popularity of movies like "Philadelphia", which did a good job of capturing societies' attitudes and confusion about AIDS at the time, opened the doors for a smaller film like "The Cure" to get the green light to go into production.

Opening Title Graphic from the movie

Philadelphia is about a lawyer who got fired over concealing his infection. To me the movie culminates when the lead character and his lawyer are in his apartment and his favorite opera comes on over the speaker system. The dramatic lighting of the scene coupled with the opera protagonist's story show the parallel lines between Andy Beckett making sense of his life situation through art.

The Cure also got a major visual update in 2022 with a Blu-ray release from Mill Creek Entertainment. This version is significant for two reasons; it is in high definition and this is the first home-video edition when you can view it in widescreen. The fact that it came out at the very end of the VHS era and wasn’t a major hit meant that no one bothered making the investment to let the aspect ratio match the different sizes of screens that we would see in the 2000s. It was probably only reviews like this one, written in 2020, constantly talking about it that got it pushed into a proper release.

So many people have talked about the devastation 2020 has caused. I think opening up people’s schedules allows for a great use of time though. Of course there are financial hardships that impact certain industries, some being harder hit than others, but that is a political problem not a failing of having more time. One could even argue that the amount of work one spends doing a lesser pursuit is an even bigger tragedy. Money doesn’t always align with what is of highest importance of course.

Trailer for The Cure, 1995

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The Cure

featuring Brad Renfro coming off his acting debut in “The Client” and Joseph Mazzello just off a major role in one of the decade’s biggest films with “Jurassic Park.” As I had the chance to explore a lot more films by these young actors here are some that I would highly recommend!

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Trailer and Medical Analysis of Outbreak, 1995

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Some real life doctors break down the scenes in "Breakout" and movies like it. These videos came out around the time Covid hit in 2019 and 2020.

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Philadelphia, 1993 Opening Scene

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I love the opening to this movie. The way the Bruce Springsteen song works with the residents of waving at you in the city.

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What About Bob? 1991 Hysterical Comedy!

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The lead character in “What about Bob?” is a hilarious guy who believes if he fakes health problems then he will be free from their effects! To a surprised Dr Leo Bob starts shouting out obscenities in his office! The secretary is equally puzzled since she is only presumably is hearing that one part of the conversation. After Bob collapses due to pretending to get cardiac arrest to an unimpressed Dr Leo!

Tourette Syndrome comes up in a whole different context later in the movie but with a variation on his symptom. His Tourette Syndrome outbreak is now displayed in a more warm and playful scene showing the effect the doctor’s family is having on him. As a kid I remember seeing the iconic poster and VHS art when getting rentals. Surprised it has taken me so long to get around to this one! Ebert called it Bill Murray’s best movie since Ghostbusters.

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Awakenings, 1990 and Regarding Henry, 1991

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Stories About The Loss of and Regaining of One's Facilities

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Both this films talk about subjects who were able bodied at birth, become disabled through natural and unnatural means, and then their journey with the ailment. One main difference in the films is that Regarding Henry focuses on a short period of time while Awakenings has to do with them dealing with this illness for decades. Looking back it makes me the reason for Robbin Williams to play the part of a doctor while he would go on to deal with serve depression in later years. It makes me wonder why he chose those roles.

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