This is one of the most life-affirming movies I've ever seen, even though it's not really a movie. It's actually a filmed version of Julia Sweeney's heartbreaking and heartwarming one-woman show about the worst year of her life. What's wonderful about her is her point of view. She never whines about why has this happened--about why her brother is dying from cancer at 31, or why her family must all live in her tiny bungalow and rob her of her privacy and sanity, or why she's dealt another massive blow (I won't mention it). She knows her brother Mike is in stage 4 of cancer ("stage 5 is death"), and there's no room for selfishness. It's her complete selflessness and plucky humor that pulled her through this terrible time and helped her see the silver lining of getting to understand her parents better. It's to her credit that she was able to create a show from her pain that can teach every one of us a lesson or two about life without being the tiniest bit pedantic, and it's even more to her credit how incredibly funny and deeply moving it is. I laughed one huge gut-laugh after another, and, yes, I had some tears. Sometimes I cried for her because she refused to.
