Michael J. Fox: Adventures Of An Incurable Optimist – Television Review

Tonight on ABC, Michael J. Fox is starring in a special that explores optimism. In the face of events that might sully the outlook of the most depressingly cheery, Michael finds himself filled with hope and positive outlook. Not content to just go along the merry ride, Michael’s “incurable optimism” resides in a bright enough person that it needs an explanation.

While a documentary on finding out why some people are just ruthlessly optimistic is not my usual cup of tea, Michael J. Fox manages to make this an interesting exploration. Rather than just another attempt at turning people on to “Don’t Worry. Be Happy”, or something similar, the show wanders through a variety of lives, and lifestyles, and tries to explore the fundamentals of the optimistic attitude.

Why are people unable to rid themselves of a positive outlook even when bad things happen? Why do some people, like Lance Armstrong (who is interviewed in the show), actually point to their challenges as making them better? Can you have hope, or optimism, in any real sense without things going wrong? Can a person ever be their best without having to overcome serious adversity?

Sure, there are easy responses to all those questions, but hold on a minute… it may not be as simple as it seems.

Michael J. Fox travels the globe to talk to a variety of people, and get different perspectives on optimism in all its forms. From Bhutan, where Gross National Happiness is measured, to groups of actors (who choose a statistically near-hopeless career), to Chicago Cubs fans, Michael tries to get a feel for why people have hope that things are going to work out for the best.

Are people with difficult lives who embrace their hardships just… well, stupid? It might be a tough call, but some people can’t seem to avoid finding that silver lining. A group of small dairy farmers come together to form a co-op, because it’s the only (slim) chance they have of surviving, and somehow they all seem pretty happy about it. Basically, to the objective observer, giant corporation dairies have been able to undersell them, and all but ground them to dust beneath their heels. And yet, though they admit things are tough, they seem rather chipper about their lives, and moreover seem to think things like, “How great is this co-op idea, and we never would have come up with it if we weren’t so screwed.”

And the show isn’t just Michael J. Fox playing golf with Bill Murray either. He talks to researchers, and has some tests done on himself, to find out if this positive outlook is genetic. He also shows us some interesting research on improving performance based on where a person falls on the optimist/pessimist scale. It’s actually a very interesting little test that shows that there may be some great work to be done in the field of education based on people’s outlook.

All in all, this is anything but the first thing that would pop up on my radar, but I was rather sucked in. First off, who doesn’t like Michael J. Fox? Might as well say you like kicking puppies. More importantly, this was actually a unique, and relevant spin on the general exploration. I strongly recommend it, and I think it’s quite safe to say that if there is any chance you’ll enjoy this, you’re in for a treat.

Check out the show’s homepage here.

You can watch the show at this link -

http://abc.go.com/player/index?pn=index&spartner=hulu&show=205278&season=205269&episode=205883