5 Vintage Movies For a Rough Day

After we turn to chocolate, salty snacks, ice cream and sometimes a bottle of wine, we may still need a boost after a horrible day. Therein lies the marvelous power of movies. But there is more to watching movies than using it as an escape. Therapists are prescribing movies to help patients tap into their thoughts and emotions. "Cinematherapy is the process of using movies made for the big screen or television for therapeutic purposes," Gary Solomon, Ph.D. and author of The Motion Picture Prescription and Reel Therapy explained to WebMD. He also uses movies as a tool to help prison "Inmates to see what they have done to get them into their current predicament and, hopefully, to learn from it." Movies are more powerful than we have thought. This medium of communication can be a healing balm for those struggling in many areas of life. What is better than watching flicks that encourage you that your life is not that bad or at least tolerable? Here is a look at 5 movies for a rough day.

'Gone With the Wind'

Need some romance tonight without the strings attached? Look no further than to this 1939 classic called "Gone With the Wind." The film follows Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), a Southern Belle and daughter of a Southern plantation during the Civil War. She is determined to be with the man that she loves, Clark Gable's Rhett Butler. But O'Hara is a manipulator and is tangled in another relationship with Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard). The line we all remember from the film remains iconic today: "Frankly, my dear...I don't give a damn," Butler told O'Hara in anger. We love to watch a love triangle and the film offers us this for sure. Yet, the story is a stark reminder of America's history and how we need to be thankful for the freedoms that we have today.

'Cool Hand Luke'

If you think that your workday was insane, imagine doing hard labor. "Cool Hand Luke" stars Paul Newman as Luke Jackson, a man sentenced to hard labor for destroying parking meters. Jackson tries to make the most of a bad situation (does this ring any bells?) by doing fun things to help the morale of inmates. This led to a bet among the prisoners and guards, where he ate 50 boiled eggs in an hour. He accomplished this feat to win people over to become an icon in the prison. Jackson also was able to make boring and laborious tasks fun when he made a game out of paving a highway. But the establishment didn't care for this trend and worked to destroy Jackson. Pursued by the prison guards, Luke stands in a chapel and cries out to God. "Is this the way it has to be?" We won't share the ending, but the film will remind you to make the most out of a bad situation.

'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'

Immerse yourself in “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” an American musical fantasy film starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a Golden Ticket and visits Willy Wonka's chocolate factory with four other children from around the world. There is Augustus Gloop, a greedy boy, falls into the chocolate river. Violet Beauregarde becomes a large blueberry after chewing an experimental gum and is self-centered. Veruca Salt is spoiled as well. She sings "I Want it Now." She then drops into a garbage chute! Mike Teavee is a sloth with poor manners and Willy took care of him in an indirect way. Teavee teleported himself and was shrunk. Charlie resists the opportunities to be a brat and shows integrity, leaving him to become an heir to the factory. This shows the consequence of integrity, even when we face repercussions.

'The Wizard of Oz'

We know the 1939 musical fantasy classic, "The Wizard of Oz" follows Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog, Toto after they were taken away in their house by a tornado to the Land of Oz. When they get there they meet a Scarecrow who needs a brain, a Tin Man who needs a heart and a Lion who needs courage. They all follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City to meet the great Oz. They hope he can help resolve all their quandaries. Along the way, the Wicked Witch worked to foil their plans. On one occasion, Dorothy faced her foe who wanted her shoes. But she knew that giving up her ruby slippers to the Wicked Witch would lead to problems as it would give the enemy more strength. But our hero stood her ground and was true to herself. Refuse to permit the witches in life to dictate your destiny. Keep the focus on your own yellow brick road.

'Casablanca'

"Casablanca" is a romantic and war film from 1942 starring Humphrey Bogart, who plays Rick Blaine who owns a nightclub in Casablanca. He discovers his old flame Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) is in town with her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). She walks into his bar and quipped "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." Ilsa wasn't there for a reunion, however. Her husband is in grave danger as the Germans are chasing him down during World War II. Ilsa goes to Blaine and asks him to get them out of the country. What do you think his reaction was? As you can imagine, he didn't want to help Laszlo and why should he? Ilsa left him and that is where it should end. But Blaine rises to the occasion and does the right thing to save Laszlo's life. Sometimes the tough decisions are the right ones to be made.