"The Big *C*" Is More Than Worth The Watch.... An Opinion/Review

With much trepidation, I decided to watch Showtime's new series "The Big C" starring Laura Linney, Oliver Platt, Gabriel Basso, who portray an intriguing array of people, along with a host of other interesting (although odd) characters. The dialogue is brilliant and hits home in more areas than just dying from cancer. 

The main character, Cathy Jamison (played by Laura Linney) has been diagnosed with terminal melanoma, Stage 4 (for which there is no cure). This is where the up-and-down, wild and crazy romp that is her life, begins to unfold. She is by no means perfect, just like the rest of us.

This show is more about living what time you have left rather than just sitting around waiting to die from cancer (or any other disease, for that matter). Cathy is a completely lovable character who decides to not tell her family just yet. She deeply believes that it is her mission to get those she loves (and their lives) in workable living order before she decides to spill the beans about her soon-to-be-departure from this world.

I get the distinct feeling that she wants her husband, son and quirky homeless/activist brother to see her for the woman she truly is, and she wants them to accept her on that level and not how they have perceived her in the past. I relate to so much of what she's trying to accomplish with the men in her life. With them, it is never an easy path because they are, of course, completely like most men. She also doesn't want them to proclaim how much they love and adore her just because she's dying of cancer. She wants them to feel it because they truly love her. However, her journey will not be easy. Why, you ask? Because people are, alas, just human. Hello. In spite of the fact that she has cancer, she and I have many of the same issues with our beloved family members and others in our lives.

I don't know anyone who has not been destroyed by the death of a friend or family member, by cancer. This series is about dealing with it, with a sense of humor.

Do not deprive yourself of this marvelous, witty new cable series unless you have no other choice. It makes me laugh and cry every week, and is the perfect formula for how I want to live my own life. Don't put off today, that which you will not be able to do if you die tomorrow...




Do yourself a tremendous favor and watch this trailer to the poignant and irreverent new Showtime series, The Big C:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grwTFjohG5o