According to a boatload of Twitter memes, there are a lot of things that men would rather do than just go to therapy.
Exhibit A:
men will literally learn everything about ancient Rome instead of going to therapy
— lisatomic (@lisatomic5) December 30, 2020
Exhibit B:
men will literally teach you how to open a can of beans for 6 hours instead of going to therapy
— prance (@bocxtop) January 3, 2021
Exhibit C:
men will literally join 10 improv teams instead of going to therapy
— Lily Sullivan (@LilyYily) January 4, 2021
But I’m calling it now: I think this year’s hottest burgeoning trend is men (or at least Jewish men) seeking therapy — and, perhaps even more importantly, they’ll talk about it!
I started to get this inkling when Jewish “Bachelorette” contestant Jason Alabaster talked about inner child work on the latest season. And now, I’m seeing a possible trend forming with the release of the trailer for Jewish actor Jonah Hill‘s upcoming film, “Stutz”!
The film (which debuts on Netflix on November 14) examines the life, career and techniques of Jonah’s therapist, Dr. Phil Stutz. It also features both Hill and Stutz speaking candidly and vulnerably about their mental health journeys.
“I’m just going to start by acknowledging how odd this endeavor is, a patient making a movie about his therapist,” Jonah says to Dr. Stutz in the trailer, adding, “But my life has gotten immeasurably better as a result of working with you.”
This is not the first time Hill has spoken publicly about his mental health journey, however.
“Through this journey of self-discovery within [‘Stutz’], I have come to the understanding that I have spent nearly 20 years experiencing anxiety attacks, which are exacerbated by media appearances and public-facing events,” Jonah told Deadline in August. He went on, “You won’t see me out there promoting this film, or any of my upcoming films, while I take this important step to protect myself. If I made myself sicker by going out there and promoting it, I wouldn’t be acting true to myself or to the film.”
The statement also accompanied Jonah deleting his Instagram account for mental health reasons.
“Stutz” feels very Jewish to me for reasons that go beyond Hill’s Jewish identity. As Hey Alma editor Molly Tolsky wrote earlier this year:
“Now look, I know Jews don’t have a monopoly on anxiety. But still, I can’t help but feel that anxiety has become one of the defining characteristics of the Jewish experience for me, and for so many of my Jewish peers — whether that’s due to the intergenerational trauma we inherited from a not-so-wonderful history of persecution, to a recent rise in antisemitism or just to the luck of the draw. The Anxious Jew has been well-represented in pop culture, from ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ to reality TV to superhero movies, even.”
So there you have it. Mazel tov, Jonah, for both this very vulnerable film and for taking care of yourself. (A prime example of pikuach nefesh, if I do say so myself!) I, for one, cannot wait to watch this film and get to know Jonah’s (possibly Jewish) therapist!
