Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
A truly horrible story is told very well in this memoir of family tragedy and recovery from life- threatening cancer. After leaving Saturday Night Live, comedienne Julia Sweeney was newly divorced and looking forward to a new life in Los Angeles. But her optimism was shattered when she learned that her brother had been diagnosed with cancer. He moved in with her, and before long Sweeney found out that she was suffering from a rare form of cervical cancer. The story of Sweeney, her brother, and her parents (whose moving in with her gave odd comic relief to all the health problems) is a moving tale, tragedy leavened with moments of good humor and uplifting insight.
Book Description
1995 was, for Julia Sweeney, a truly horrible year. She got a divorce (amicable), bought a small bungalow in Hollywood, and looked forward to a life that said, "Here dwells a happily single young woman!" But then the ax fell. Her younger brother Mike was diagnosed with terminal cancer and moved in with her. Her parents came to be with Mike--and moved in with her. Suddenly her tiny bungalow for one was filled to the rafters with Sweeneys. Here she was sleeping on her pull-out sofa bed while her father walked around, his Walkman on all day and her mother marveled at Julia's lack of such staples as stroganoff mixes. Every day was spent bringing Mike to and from chemotherapy, every evening watching "Chicago Hope" or "E.R." Julia was now on seriously intimate terms with the people she had spent half a lifetime growing up away from.Just weeks before Mike died, Julia was diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer--what Mike called her "sympathy cancer"--and within days of burying her brother, she underwent a radical hysterectomy, beginning her own journey through "the International House of Cancer." From these Job-like travails, Julia has written a remarkably funny and touching memoir about a family in extremis that manages to persevere with humor, grace, and love.
Average customer rating: 
|
God Said, Ha!
Starring: Quentin Tarantino Manufacturer: Miramax ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD  General
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Eccentric Families
| By Theme
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Stand-Up
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
| HBO Stand-Up Comedy
General
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Tarantino, Quentin
| ( T )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
All Titles
| Miramax Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Comedy
| Miramax Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Drama
| Miramax Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $14.99
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
( G )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000089795 Release Date: 2003-05-06 |
Amazon.com
Comic, actress, and Saturday Night Live alumni Julia Sweeney had just moved to a cozy little bungalow in Los Angeles. Her life was buzzing along quite nicely, thank you very much, and she was planning days of writing, evenings of dinner parties and smart conversations, and nights of quiet solitude. "That's when God said 'Ha!'" confesses Sweeney in her monologue-cum-one woman Broadway show and for the next 80 minutes she shares the intimate experiences of an emotionally turbulent year in her life. Her brother is diagnosed with cancer and takes up residence in her bedroom, her parents move down from Washington and into the guest room, and the adult Sweeney is suddenly reliving her childhood in a bizarre nuclear family flashback. The magic of God Said Ha! lies in her loving lampoon of the details surrounding an inherently tragic situation: learning to deal with the foibles of her parents all over again, sneaking a boyfriend into her ridiculously crowded house like an embarrassed teenager, turning her brother's chemotherapy visits into giggly family outings. Sweeney is in total command of the stage, more like a host giving a cockeyed tour of her life than a monologist, and her easy manner and relaxed tone puts the audience at ease. It's a brave, funny, and irresistibly involving film, like the reflective confession of a dear friend sharing intimate details of her life with a mischievous grin. Tragedy has never been so respectfully hilarious. --Sean AxmakerDescription
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE'S Julia Sweeney has teamed with producer Quentin Tarantino (JACKIE BROWN, PULP FICTION) to create this uplifting motion picture presentation of Julia's hilarious stand-up performance, GOD SAID HA! Recently single, Julia was looking forward to the future in a cozy new bachelorette home. But then, her idyllic life was instantly changed when her brother ... along with their parents ... moved into her tiny place for a year she'll never forget! Acclaimed by critics and honored as Best Picture at the Seattle International Film Festival -- Julia's infectious sense of humor allows us to find moments of extreme hilarity in some of life's most challenging days!
Average customer rating:
|
Charlie Rose with Mark Mobius; Roger Ebert; Julia Sweeney (November 27, 1996)
Manufacturer: Charlie Rose ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD ( C )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
All Titles
| Charlie Rose Store
| Television
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
ASIN: B000IU363U Release Date: 2006-09-18 |
Description
First, an interview with Mark Mobius, head of the Templeton Emerging Markets Fund talks about investment opportunities around the world as well as his new book On Emerging Markets . Then film critic Roger Ebert discusses his new book, Book of Film, which includes authors including Leo Tolstoy and Spike Lee. Finally, Saturday Night Live alum Julia Sweeney speaks about her new one- woman Broadway play God Said Ha!DVD:
DVD