Rating: 
Summary: God Said Ha!
Review: As an Oncology Nurse I was surprised to find myself laughing out loud to the point of tears. Having been in the places where Ms. Sweeney explores her experiences, she gave me a whole new appreciation for what we expect our clients to do. Everything she said happens. The world from the practitioner is one way, but it's seeing the story through both her brothers and then Ms. Sweeney's own journey which made me realize some of our shortcomings and how we also excel. I love working in Oncology ... that sounds strange I'm sure, especially when you hear that I'm a pediatric specialist. Hearing Ms. Sweeney's story put back my belief in all that we do to help and what we expect our people to live through. Yes, it's mostly a hellish ride, but there are those moments when laughter is just the only response. I admire Ms. Sweeney's courage, I love her humour, and appreciate that she was able to take such serious events and share them in her own style so that we, the audience can be with her through this rollercoaster ride of emotions. This movie is for the cancer survivor, the lovers of those who have fought the battle, and those friends who never knew what to say when all you had to do was simply be there. ENJOY!
Rating:
Summary: the joke's on God
Review: God said HA and then he gave her cancer. Julia got a great oncologist and said HA HA. Yeah, sounds hilarious to me.
Rating:
Summary: And Julia Said, "Ha ha ha...."
Review: I filled out the rating thingie above because it was a required field. It should be considered "unrated" by me because I seldom feel comfortable assigning numbers to people's memoirs.---------------------------- In a country possessed by the demon of efficiency, it's easy to forget that in the aftermath of tragedy, it's normal to alternate between mourning and cheer. Instead, we tend to derail both by stuffing the need to mourn; the tears denied then turn into anxiety, heavy-heartedness, or even depression, one reason Prozac is so popular in a country that will not let mourning work itself out naturally. ("Break down"; "losing it": what mechanistic metaphors for what in other cultures is so natural an opportunity to grow through initiation!) Some books do a good job of helping us greet our mourning--Romanyshyn's THE SOUL IN GRIEF, C. S. Lewis's A GRIEF OBSERVED, etc. But they aren't so great at reacquainting us with the crazy, funny, absurd side of the tragic--and that's where this conversationally written book comes in. In it you will meet various characters. The first is the author, whom you might already know through her Saturday Night Live persona and her various performances. You will meet her parents, who bestow upon her the fabulous unasked-for blessing of moving in for a while. You will meet Rita, who needs a wig, and Gus, who eats out a lot. And you will meet Mike, diagnosed with lymphatic cancer around the time that the author is diagnosed with a rarer kind. Incidentally, you will also meet the Pope, the author's favorite person in all the world. Well, not the Pope himself, but one of his books, to which the author had a strong reaction when she picked it up at the bookstore. (Funny thing: I picked up one of his books once and had the same reaction. There must be something about his aura of benevolence that brings that out in people.) At a time when more and more public figures bash parents and ex-lovers in the name of "speaking my truth" ("venting my spleen" would be more accurate), the author has a nice way of writing personably about loved ones and their foibles without demonizing anyone. To those stern folks who don't think that even death can be laughed at, I can only commend the words of Robin Williams: "Joke 'em if they can't take a f---."
Rating:
Summary: And Julia Said, "Ha ha ha...."
Review: I filled out the rating thingie above because it was a required field. It should be considered "unrated" by me because I seldom feel comfortable assigning numbers to people's memoirs. ---------------------------- In a country possessed by the demon of efficiency, it's easy to forget that in the aftermath of tragedy, it's normal to alternate between mourning and cheer. Instead, we tend to derail both by stuffing the need to mourn; the tears denied then turn into anxiety, heavy-heartedness, or even depression, one reason Prozac is so popular in a country that will not let mourning work itself out naturally. ("Break down"; "losing it": what mechanistic metaphors for what in other cultures is so natural an opportunity to grow through initiation!) Some books do a good job of helping us greet our mourning--Romanyshyn's THE SOUL IN GRIEF, C. S. Lewis's A GRIEF OBSERVED, etc. But they aren't so great at reacquainting us with the crazy, funny, absurd side of the tragic--and that's where this conversationally written book comes in. In it you will meet various characters. The first is the author, whom you might already know through her Saturday Night Live persona and her various performances. You will meet her parents, who bestow upon her the fabulous unasked-for blessing of moving in for a while. You will meet Rita, who needs a wig, and Gus, who eats out a lot. And you will meet Mike, diagnosed with lymphatic cancer around the time that the author is diagnosed with a rarer kind. Incidentally, you will also meet the Pope, the author's favorite person in all the world. Well, not the Pope himself, but one of his books, to which the author had a strong reaction when she picked it up at the bookstore. (Funny thing: I picked up one of his books once and had the same reaction. There must be something about his aura of benevolence that brings that out in people.) At a time when more and more public figures bash parents and ex-lovers in the name of "speaking my truth" ("venting my spleen" would be more accurate), the author has a nice way of writing personably about loved ones and their foibles without demonizing anyone. To those stern folks who don't think that even death can be laughed at, I can only commend the words of Robin Williams: "Joke 'em if they can't take a f---."
Rating:
Summary: GOD SAID JULIA IS A TREASURE
Review: I have always been a big fan of Julia Sweeney. When I found out that she had written a book I was pumped to get my hands on it. Finally when I picked up the book and started reading it, I was simply amazed. I could not put the book down. This book is full of emotions. I laughed, cried, sympathized and laughed some more. In this book she shares the hardships of the divorce from her true love,childhood memories,her family,and the main focus was when the news came that her younger brother,Mike,had cancer. She wrote about her family all comming together in a time of greif. I loved the title of her book. When I first heard it was wondering how it fit the book. To my surprize it fit it to a "Tee". Just as she thought her life was panning out "God Said,"Ha".
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for Julia Sweeney
Review: I have always been a big fan of Julia Sweeney. When I found out that she had written a book I was pumped to get my hands on it. Finally when I picked up the book and started reading it, I was simply amazed. I could not put the book down. This book is full of emotions. I laughed, cried, sympathized and laughed some more. In this book she shares the hardships of the divorce from her true love,childhood memories,her family,and the main focus was when the news came that her younger brother,Mike,had cancer. She wrote about her family all comming together in a time of greif. I loved the title of her book. When I first heard it was wondering how it fit the book. To my surprize it fit it to a "Tee". Just as she thought her life was panning out "God Said,"Ha".
Rating:
Summary: Julia Sweeny is Great
Review: I loved this movie. It's funny, sad, and perfect. I recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Startled, amazed, moved, and it has stayed with me...
Review: I wandered into this movie in Los Angeles in February and found myself riveted and thrilled by this woman's honesty and humor. I have never written one of these before, and feel ridiculous, but, you MUST see this performance.
Rating: 
Summary: Its too bad I didn't
Review: Julia Sweeney had some tough times yes, and I can feel for her. Her message may be good-hearted but...sadly, her delivery is not.
This movie was a true bore for me to watch, and quite annoying as well. A good story it could have been, but she does not know how to present it. Her topics jump from one to the other, and there are many parts of her story that leave me thinking, "What is the purpose of all this?" such as her mother's issue with the Jesus statue. Sure, it was a little humorous but it totally jumped from the train of thinking. By the end of the movie when she tries to summarize the whole thing I just could not feel satisfied her point had come across.
I also have to say this just wasn't that funny to me. This combined with Julia Sweeney's poor ability to tie the different stories together just makes this whole thing plain boring. The laughing from the audience made me wonder if I was missing something until the camera pans back and shows an empty theater...
The whole presentation feels like I'm sitting with my grandmother who likes to talk and tell lengthy stories about topics that could be summarized in five minutes. Like I said, I understand the emotions Julia Sweeney went through...but she could have told us about it better.
Rating:
Summary: GOD SAID JULIA IS A TREASURE
Review: julia sweeney has taken a hideous life situation and turned it into a bittersweet one woman show. its uplifting, life affirming and touching. julia has accomplished the difficult task of taking circumstances that could have done someone else in and turn it into a touching and funny show. bravo!!!!
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