Therapist Reacts to HERCULES

What does real heroism look like?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are reacting to the person who put the “glad” in “gladiator,” Hercules! They talk about the psychology behind the classic hero’s journey and why we always come back to those stories. Jonathan explains how Hercules and other heroes are just like us, and Alan talks about how a good character story doesn’t focus on what a character wants but what they need.

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Cinema Therapy is:
Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright, Alan Seawright, and Corinne Demyanovich
Edited by: Nathan Judd
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis

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[rebeckyever]

two things 90s Disney movies are going to have:
1. love and be yourself just as you are
2. A killer soundtrack

[Tempossum]

One of the most key things that shows who Herc is, is during Zero to Hero. There's a clip that, with all the money he earned, he set his adoptive parents up for LIFE. Got them a mansion and land. At that point Herc knows Zeus is his father, that he's essentially a demi-god and renowned all over Greece, but he never did forget where he came from and who his parents and family is. He loves them, and that little touch is one of my favourite things about his character and this movie.

[tjnguyen]

The choice to make the Muses a gospel choir was absolutely brilliant, and I will forever love this movie for it ❤

[littleravendesigns]

Anyone else notice that Herc’s cape is the Shawl that his adopted mom gave him for his travels? Such a sweet guy!

[PayaWhip]

Something that also makes this movie great is Meg’s lesson that love can still find you again after hurt, if you keep your heart open

[amentlik]

@8:45 the second she said "I'm a damsel, I'm in distress, I can handle this. Have a nice day!" He was a goner. I don't blame him, best vibes of any Disney princess

[ChloeCrismon]

8:47 “It’s 100% vibes. It’s 95% vibes. It’s 80% vibes.” -Allan the longer he stares at Meg

[EpicNerdsWithCameras]

I would love to see a proper Villain Therapy about Hades someday. It was touched on a little bit in the episode, but his position is one which a lot of people can relate to. He's the eldest son in his family, yet he's estranged from his siblings. He has a career which he doesn't enjoy, and he's quite literally going to be doing it for eternity. He's bitter, detached, lives alone with his dog, and the only people who regularly interact with him are those who are forced to. This version of him doesn't even have Persephone around to support him, which I'm convinced is why he spiraled into Disney villain status, unlike his more well-adjusted mythological counterpart.

[dkamikazechicken]

This movie is why I checked out a bunch of mythology books from the library as a kid. It was quite the surprise. " ZEUS, NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

[Lulu_Loves_Sheep]

The picture of Hades sitting angrily on the therapy couch while listening to you lecture him was funny to look at😂

[theodoro]

I love that this version of Hercules is portrayed as a socially awkward, and a not so smart but pure of heart guy that is opposite of your average gym jock bully - an accusation of how the people would think of him at first glance. While raising him, his adoptive parents sure gave him a personality of what a hero should be

[the_marjorie]

@14:55 “I want to be like everybody else.” “You wanted to be petty and dishonest?” Can we pause to appreciate that Meg line? It’s so raw and on point. Love that. Of course, Hercules in his innocence takes it a different direction and is super kind, but it really is a great line.

[nathaliagreen]

Its funny growing up watching this as a kid, you connect and sympathize with Hercules. As an adult, you come to understand Meg more.

[WorkingonTwos]

7:13 "He got what he wanted." *my mind finishing the lyric* "but you lost what you had."
Can we get a full cinema therapy for Princess of the Frog on want vs. need? I love how Tiana and Naveen both complement each other's character growth. Naveen learning the feeling of accomplishment of doing the work yourself and Tiana remembering that love and fun and friends are what our hard work is there to support.

[trinaq]

"My friends call me Meg, if I had any friends." Poor Meg, you can easily understand why she's so detached and aloof, since her boyfriend's betrayal has made her distrustful of others. Luckily, she learns to let Hercules in, and sees that he's genuine.

[aceofaces]

@11:00 To answer Jon's question regarding Hades' motivations in this movie, he is extremely resentful of Zeus for putting him in charge of the underworld while all the other gods lounge about on Mount Olympus. This is established in the opening scene when Hercules is born. Hades feels that he's the only one doing actual work, while all the other gods reap all the benefits of their high and mighty positions. Hades' desire to conquer Mount Olympus stems from a desire for power, probably from feeling disrespected by Zeus and being regarded as an outcast by the other Olympians (which is a common interpretation of Hades in Hollywood). The anger Hades has towards Hercules is based upon the knowledge from a prophecy that Hercules will be the one to foil his ambitions. To Hades, Hercules is just a stubborn obstacle that is frustrating to him.

[SpammytheHedgehog]

I like Meg's character. She went from using Hercules so that she could free her soul... to caring for Hercules and risking her life to save him.

[aimeeb.]

As someone in the boxing community, Philoctetes is such a realistic character! Many coaches put in outrageous hours of energy and struggle to find fighters who have all the talent and also “go the distance” (aka championship level).
Giving Phil that jaded boxing coach energy in this film created such a great subplot. Hercules wasn’t trying to save Phil, but restored his hope just with his pure sincerity.

[SpammytheHedgehog]

I like how Hercules' character development. He went from thinking that getting famous would welcome him to Mount Olympus--to turning it down when he realizes people on Earth need him.

[MomsAgainstCatboys]

Meg is one of the most—if not THE most underrated Disney movie heroines.
Some peopople don’t like him because she deceived the hero, but it was so much more complex than that. She even tried to stop because she didn’t want to hurt him.
And she realized that by deciving him, she was already hurting herself.

Her actions came from a place of trauma and from a place of learning, but she still had a lot to learn.