God Said, 'Ha!'

This is a beautiful, honest and funny show. It breaks new ground in the way that artists treat the major events of life. I understand that the Greeks wore masks because they felt that the human face was incapable of expressing the tragedies and dramas that we all must face. Dylan Thomas wrote "Do not go gentle into that good night,\Old age should burn and rave at close of day; \Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Julia has dared to face tragedy and drama without a mask. She is a humorist and that is the face she shows death. You won't find anything like it anyplace else in any of the arts. She brings a new honesty to the arts and I hope others follow her lead. And she IS funny

This is not really a "movie" but a monologue or stand-up semi-comedy (as far as you can make cancer funny). I've seen Julia in LA, and she is a fabulous comedienne and story-teller, no matter what the topic. Her imitation of various people and sense of the ridiculous make her charming. Unlike most comics, she's not trying to score points for being crude and shocking with profanity. A humorous recounting of everyday life and dysfunctionality and turning-points, elevating such things above the mundane for further reflection... you can't help but love her.

My only question is why Quentin Tarantino is listed as "cast." ?

Julia Sweeney is masterful at communicating her extraordinary ordeal when her brother was diagnosed with cancer. I found myself rivetted to the screen, despite the fact that this is not a traditional film. You feel as if you are listening to a friend recount a terrible nightmare. I was so engrossed in the story I didn't want it to end. A beautiful movie made much more powerful by the fact that it is true. Bravo, Julia Sweeney.

I never heard of this actress before happening to see the show listed on the guide. Sounded interesting so I popped in for a look; what an eye and earful I got. I would have to dig down deep to find an amusing story to bring out of something as awful as the things this family had to go through. But then the entire tale wasn't funny: at times it was very painful to listen to. I suppose Sweeney is the type to find silver in a cloud rather than moan continually over the unfairness of her existence. Commendable, I say. I appreciated the way the stage was set up and the methods employed in it's use. Sweeney would walk from area to area using different lighting procedures and layouts, many of which went along with the narrative. Sometimes, with the curtains just behind her, she even appeared to be on the verge of going backstage. Often Sweeney would be looking away from the camera and then turn slowly to face it. That and other uses of the camera and expression added greatly to the production. Bittersweet, effective, excellently done.

When my father died in 1995, I thought I'd never laugh again. This movie is one that I'll always remember as my grief turned into laughter. Grief has it's own way of sneaking up on us, making the world seem surreal when reality is too hard to deal with. When a tragic illness, terminal diagnosis, or chronic injury enter a person's life, things just aren't what they used to be.

That's pretty much what this film is about. How things just aren't as they used to be, and interwoven, complex, and often piquant trips down memory lane.

This film gives a wonderfully extraordinary, titillatingly sarcastic look at medicine, a brother-sister relationship, and the way an independent, single woman finds herself back in her immediate family fold. I say 'hurrah' for the making of this film, and 'thank God' for "God Said, 'Ha!'"