Lifestories: Families in Crisis

I just watched 1 of the stories- the thing about the anorexic girl (played by Calista Flockhart). We watched it for health class and we didn't even know it was her! We enjoyed the movie because it was realistic and nice and I hope to watch it again if I have it on tape. An 8/10.

I have seen all of the episodes of this series, but the one that sticks out the most is with Sam Rockwell. He plays a drunk driver who kills a young woman in a car accident. His punishment is to write a check FOR $1 every month and send it to the parents. It is a very strong story with an invaluable lesson about how precious life is, and how so many lives are ruined with one irresponsible mistake. This whole series was very moving because after the short story, the main character of the story, or that person's family spoke about how the story effected their lives. More raw and real than the after-school special,I saw it when I was 12, and I still remember it at 24. A very good series, indeed.

I saw the episode about the bulimic girl, played by Calista Flockhart, in health class. It provided a visceral, graphic look into eating disorders and stayed with me a while. The whole vomit-in-the-closet thing was disgusting. The movie overall showed the horrifying reality of bulimia in an excellent way.

Being a preteen when this show came to air, it was eye opening! It dealt with hard life issues and showed the consequences of ones actions and how those actions affect the lives of others.

I know a lot of parents nowadays would not let their kids be subjected to this material but let me tell you as one who watched them in their youth- Let them watch it and watch it alone. This could be a defining moment in their lives. These issues exist and have to be dealt with daily. Better for them to have a reference point and a way to cope then to face reality unequipped.

Watch this series!

I have been having a hard time finding info on this series. I saw a episode from this series on HBO one day that was part of this "Lifestories" compilation. It was good and very realistic. The story I saw was a true story-after it aired there was a brief commentary by the actual date-rape victim. I believe Ali Larter played the victim. Anyways she was good and I was impressed on how real-life she made that role seem. Anyways I am curious to see the rest of the shows in this series.