As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the globe, people are finding themselves facing an unprecedented civic duty: staying at home. It’s a message the U.S. government has suggested and, in some cases, ordered to its citizens, with many businesses, workplaces and even national parks now closed around America. It’s serious advice, along with health professionals strongly advising everyone to practice “social distancing” in order to flatten the curve. But thankfully, there’s a slew of experienced movie characters, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ant-Man, to help make this whole quarantine ordeal “easy peasy.”
Are you anxious about how you’re going to get through extended hours in your home social distancing from other loved ones and the outdoors? These movie characters have some ideas for how to get through it. Some of this advice can certainly be followed... but most of them are ridiculous circumstances of isolation to laugh at, and more-so movie recommendations to watch play out on your television screens while you pass the time.
Narrate How Productive You Are Through Song
Disney fans are already giving Tangled extra attention these days due its strange connection to the pandemic. The princess was not only technically in quarantine up in her tower for much of her life, the kingdom she hails from is also called “Corona.” Whoa! Anyway, Rapunzel is a social distancing queen, as perfectly illustrated by her opening song, “When Will My Life Begin,” in Tangled. She may have been wrongfully imprisoned and lied to for much of her childhood and teenage years, but she really got the whole self-quarantine thing down! Even if you’re not working, schedule your activities to maintain some balance in your life during this time like Punzie did. Singing and dancing about it could work wonders too.
Make Your Own Friends… Literally
When all is said and done, at least we’re not stranded on a deserted island like Tom Hanks’ Chuck Noland was in the 2000 film Cast Away. After way too much time on his hands between fending for his own food and creating his own shelter, Chuck decides to fashion a face out of the bloody handprint he left on a Wilson volleyball. It’s his best effort at companionship at a time when he is unbelievably lonely. In some ways, having Wilson helped Chuck survive and stay afloat during Cast Away. It’s easy to make your own Wilson… just find yourself a volleyball and you're set! Or better yet, utilize the many means of communication at our disposal in the modern world, such as videochatting with a friend.
Expose A Murder Mystery Happening In Your Neighborhood
Another fun quarantine movie to check out is 2007’s Disturbia, starring a 20-year-old Shia LaBeouf, The Matrix’s Carrie-Anne Moss, David Morse and Viola Davis. In the vein of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, Disturbia is about a bored teen who is living under house arrest. He resorts to spying on his neighbors and actually discovering a chilling murderer living in the neighborhood. It’s an exciting thriller born from the kind of cabin fever some of us may find ourselves dealing with now. Do not get those binoculars out – you’re not under house arrest like Shia’s Kale. Health officials do suggest people do get to know their neighborhood by simply taking walks around it.
Toss Away Your Friends’ Pleads To Hang Out
Unfortunately, not everyone gets on board the social distancing train right away. Outsiders may find themselves reaching out to you. Take Luke Skywalker’s advice: toss that lightsaber right off the cliff and keep living your best life in your own personal sanctuary. While many of the characters we’re exploring here find themselves in isolation against their will, Luke is one of the few characters who is there by choice. (And thriving?) Mark Hamill even took to Twitter recently to use his character as an example to say “You know how there's all those places where people are? Don't be there.” That's sound advice right about now! Plus, it’s the perfect time to relive the Skywalker Saga – The Rise of Skywalker just became available on digital.
Get Into Dramatic Drunk Arguments With Your Housemate(s)
Another effective, albeit unhealthy approach to staying home is taking it out on those you are in close quarters with if you have the delight of having company. The perfect movie to exaggerate the distresses of getting frustrated with someone you're living with is in Robert Eggers’ fantastic black and white flick, The Lighthouse. The movie stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson as two lighthouse keepers who start to go mad whilst living together on a remote island in the 1890s. As they drink away their sorrows, they start to get into lengthy arguments – one of which just has the pair saying “WHAT” back and forth to the other, and then Dafoe gets defensive about his cooking.
Get Into Karaoke, Magic, Origami And YA Novels In The Matter Of A Day
Perhaps the greatest silver lining in all of this is seeing how many people are getting creative with their time now that the hustle and bustle of daily life has slowed down. And one fun example from the movies is a memorable scene from Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, when Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang is in the home stretch of his house arrest. There’s a fun montage that has the Avenger doing everything from playing the drums, enrolling in a magic university, singing karaoke, perfecting his origami cranes, reading The Fault in Our Stars and getting a head start on taxes? It’s a lighthearted scene that is perhaps more relatable than ever for those with a lot of time and an inability to just relax without feeling the need to be productive.
All ready for social distancing? It’s certainly fun to experience it through the eyes of these movie characters. But now it’s time for us to crown the quarantine king or queen of the art as you revisit these A+ films. Comment and vote in our poll below which movie character wins in your book. And check out all the new films that have been released on digital early due to the pandemic.
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