10 great movies that wouldn’t exist if the protagonist was in therapy

It is not uncommon, when watching a movie, to find yourself thinking, “if such a thing happened, the story would be completely different”. Of course, the factors change from plot to plot. But something very simple could end the tale of true movie classics: good therapy.

In an exercise of the imagination, CinePOP has separated a list of memorable movies for you that weren’t there if your lead character stopped by a psychologist every now and then.

It is important to stress that matter is nothing more than that, an exercise in the imagination. By no means is the goal to joke or downplay the importance of psychological treatment. Rather the opposite!

Let’s go to the list!

COMBAT CLUB (1999)

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It would be a shame, but the truth is, the David Fincher classic wouldn’t exist if its protagonist (played by Edward Norton) sought a cure. At Clube da Luta, we accompany a man who is starting to have problems with insomnia. From there, he developed an obsession with shopping. Then he starts going to support groups for people with problems he doesn’t have. And everything starts with an “imaginary friend” (Brad Pitt) who creates with him a club in which people fight, which gradually becomes a real terrorist cell. Wow, this could all have been avoided in the beginning, right? Are you having trouble sleeping? Acquire help! If you fight in a parking lot, it’s a red light.

Black Swan (2010)

Darren Aronofsky is another who likes to disturb the minds of his protagonists. Mother! (2017) is here to not let us lie. But her most striking case is that of Black Swan, a drama starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. The plot follows Nina (Portman), a dedicated dancer who takes responsibility for directing Tchaikovsky’s classic show, Swan Lake. Much of the story involves the pressured environment that Nina finds in the ballet company and at home, with an abusive and unstable mother (Barbara Hershey). Obviously, the profession of a young woman is marked by perfectionism and the constant search for beauty. If she was looking for help, Nina probably wouldn’t need to go through the processes of physical and mental abuse that we see at the scene.

ETERNAL BRIGHTNESS OF A MIND WITHOUT REMEMBRANCE (2004)

“I’m just a fucked up girl trying to find my peace of mind.” Seek help! “Why do I fall in love with a woman who pays me the least attention?” Seek help! Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a beautiful and unforgettable film whose main strength is the fact that we are facing “broken” protagonists. If instead of trying to erase their relationship from their minds, Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) sought psychological help, everything could have been a lot less complicated. Fortunately for spectators, and for fans of Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, this was not the case.

AD ASTRA: TO THE STARS (2019)

Ah, Brad Pitt … you might as well have saved a relationship with your ex (played by actress Liv Tyler) and saved a stressful trip to space if you had done some therapy. The character of Ad Astra actor Roy McBride is a plate full for any psychoanalyst. He grew up in the shadow of his father, a famous astronaut, and ended up following in his footsteps, only to have to deal with his demise. Years later, he embarks on a possible rescue mission to find himself and reunite with his father (played by Tommy Lee Jones). Sigmund Freud would dream of a patient like this.

HER (2013)

In the near future, after romantic and professional frustrations, a lonely writer (Joaquin Phoenix) develops an unusual relationship with an operating system called Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). From Ela’s premise alone, it’s already clear that the main character, Theodore, would benefit a lot from psychological treatment. Therapy is not a cure for loneliness, but it would likely help the subject think twice before entering a relationship with an operating system. Written and directed by Spike Jonze, the film also stars Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt and Olivia Wilde.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010)

Wouldn’t Facebook exist if Mark Zuckerberg was in therapy as a young man? Difficult to know the answer. But if it all turned out as David Fincher describes in The Social Network, that’s a very real possibility. In the film, after being left behind by his girlfriend (Rooney Mara), Mark (Jesse Eisenberg) joins college friends to develop a social network. This is how Facebook was born. Throughout the plot, the main character betrays friends and is revealed to be a very unstable and arrogant figure. In the final scene, we see Mark, already a successful executive, stalking the ex’s Facebook profile, showing that he hasn’t forgotten her. In a way, the timing suggests that everything was done to try to defeat the ex. I didn’t even need so much work and conflict. Therapy would have helped a lot. The film also stars Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer and Justin Timberlake in the main cast.

Almost Perfect Baby (1993)

Just at the start of An Almost Perfect Nanny, after Daniel (Robin Williams) throws a party that nearly destroys the family home, Miranda (Sally Field) decides to end the marriage. As in many relationships, only when faced with the end of the relationship, the subject offers couples therapy, when the situation has already crossed all limits. With the relationship ending, Daniel, instead of seeking help for himself, decides that the best option is to dress up as an old lady to get back to the daily life of the three children. If he had sought treatment, he could have saved the marriage or found a more mature way to deal with the situation. That would mean that moviegoers would miss out on a funny comedy, that’s right. Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein and Mara Wilson round out the main cast of the production directed by Chris Columbus.

BATMAN BEGINS (2005)

It is very likely that no fictional superhero would exist if he chose the path of therapy, as motivation to fight crime often stems from childhood trauma or personal issues. And this is the classic example of our Batman. In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne is a young man who develops a fear of bats after an accident at home, shortly after a new trauma occurs: the murder of his parents. When the perpetrator is tried, Bruce (Christian Bale) decides to take revenge with his own hands, but ends up giving up. Soon after, he decides to unite the two traumas and disguise himself as a bat to fight crime. Proper therapy would have helped the Gotham City billionaire a lot, although the city would likely lose its most famous guardian.

A DAY OF FURY (1993)

Unemployed and in the midst of a contentious divorce proceeding, William Foster (Michael Douglas) reaches his limit after being stuck in a traffic jam and embarks on a journey of violence and sadism against the people of Los Angeles. The synopsis for A Day of Fury says it all, doesn’t it? The main character of the film suddenly panics after feeling attacked by the world. If he had treatment, he might cope better with separation, unemployment and his own internal conflicts. The film directed by Joel Schumacher also stars Robert Duvall and Barbara Hershey in the main cast.

The Little Mermaid (1989)

A talented and intelligent beautiful mermaid decides to “sell” her most precious possession (her voice) in exchange for the possibility of being with a man she barely knows. Really, Ariel?!?!? Take action! If she was looking for help, the young mermaid would probably know how to appreciate herself better and have less self-esteem issues, after all she sings that she is “someone who has almost everything” and that “everything. that I have is wonderful “. If so, you must learn to appreciate. Not only that. Before even losing her voice, Ariel was already showing issues that needed help. She showed obvious signs of kleptomania and was a real hoarder of objects.

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