Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice: I Guess We Had a Good Run

[DISCLAIMER]

*Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (2026) spoilers contained herein.

Photo credit, property of 20th Century Studios, Hulu, and Disney+, fair use

I often share my opinions on movies, expressing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) about how I tolerate and accept outcomes of frustration, annoyance, and disappointment which stem from my beliefs. For clarity, one REBT source states (page 71):

REBT conceptualizes [distress] as healthy even though it is intense. Other approaches to therapy have as their goal the reduction of the intensity of negative emotions. They take this position because they do not keenly differentiate between healthy negative emotions (distress) and unhealthy negative emotions (disturbance).

Now, REBT keenly distinguishes between healthy distress and unhealthy disturbance. Healthy distress stems from your rational beliefs about a negative activating event, whilst disturbance stems from your irrational beliefs about the same event.

Complete elimination of distress is highly unlikely in an impermanent and uncertain world wherein people conceptually suffer, struggle, and battle with, or merely experience hardship. Still, individuals often make matters worse for themselves by disturbing about such instances.

Not uncommonly, I experience tolerable distress (e.g., annoyance) regarding my rational beliefs about modern films. Favorably, neither distress nor disturbance resulted from my beliefs about Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (2026). I liked it! Briefly describing the flick, one source states:

In the film, Vince Vaughn plays Nick, a gangster who discovers a time machine and uses it to go back to one of the most crucial nights of his life. On that night, his friend Mike (James Marsden) and wife Alice (Eiza González) both went through some major, major life events because of Nick, and Nick wants to set things right. The only problem is, there are two Nicks in this timeline, so Future Nick recruits Present Nick to help everything go down.

I won’t spoil the film beyond that description. Personally, the flick was enjoyable, so I don’t want to ruin the experience for those who care to watch it. Still, two quick points are worth expressing before I discuss an electronic dance music (EDM)-inspired REBT lesson.

First, characters in the film speak fondly of the comedy-drama television series Gilmore Girls, of which I’m a fan. If you also enjoyed the series, then you’ll likely appreciate its references which appear throughout the movie. If not, then too bad!

Second, I was pleasantly surprised by the eclectic soundtrack from the film. Of course, I’m fond of the EDM influences, especially the track “Confusion” by EDM group New Order. In fact, on May 27, 2024, I dedicated a blog entry to that song which was entitled “Confusion”.

Aside from those two points, there was a scene in Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice during which Mike and Alice danced at someone’s wedding. At that moment, I was reminded of the EDM track “Call on Me” by Eric Prydz, about which one source states:

“Call on Me” is a song by the Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz. It is based on a sample of the 1982 Steve Winwood song “Valerie”, and was inspired by a similar track created by the French duo Together.

“Call on Me” reached number one on several record charts. Its music video features women performing aerobics and dancing suggestively.

In 2025, Billboard named “Call on Me” the 57th-greatest dance song. Prydz refused to play “Call on Me” at shows for years, calling it “lazy”. In 2025, he played it for the first time in 20 years at a show in Austin, Texas.

As a matter of personal taste, Benny Benassi’s video for the track “Satisfaction” and Prydz’s video for “Call on Me” represent what sensual EDM music was like during my time when attending raves, festivals, concerts, and so forth. Those were subjectively beautiful times!

Before Mike and Alice dance as Winwood’s song “Valerie” plays, they discuss relationships of differing sorts. Alice acceptingly states, “I guess we had a good run,” a statement with which Mike concurs regarding his own circumstance. This is where an REBT lesson is relevant.

For context, REBT uses unconditional acceptance (UA) to relieve self-induced suffering. This is accomplished through use of unconditional self-acceptance (USA), unconditional other-acceptance (UOA), and unconditional life-acceptance (ULA).

With my approach to REBT, I incorporate author Stephen Covey’s concepts regarding the circles of control, influence, and concern, as well as an area of no concern. UA maps onto the circle of control (USA), circle of influence (UOA), and circle of concern and area of no concern (ULA).

The circle of control encompasses only oneself, the circle of influence encapsulates elements which may be subject to one’s sway, the circle of concern engrosses most matters one can imagine, and the area of no concern relates to all content which isn’t yet imagined.

Again, I won’t spoil the film for you. So, rather than discussing the particulars of Mike and Alice’s unique conditions, I’ll instead provide a personal anecdote during which I used “we had a good run” as a matter of a healthily distressed UA expression.

A couple years ago, friend X and I discussed the possibility of a civil war erupting in the United States (U.S.). Neither of us wanted that outcome! Still, while friend X was self-disturbed (i.e., terrified), I was self-distressed (i.e., frustrated) with how U.S. sociopolitical matters unfolded.

“Aren’t you worried?” friend X asked me. “Not really,” I Stoically stated, “we [U.S.] had a good run!” Friend X laughed at my expression of UA resolve, though I was serious. After all, what else was there for me to do?

As a fallible human being with control over only my reaction to activating events (USA), I was unlikely to influence others in any meaningfully way (UOA). Besides, even though I don’t like or love this fact, wars do come and go (ULA). Thus, “we had a good run” was a healthy UA view.

This, too, was the healthily distressed perspectives of both Mike and Alice in Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. To be frustrated, annoyed, or disappointed regarding one’s beliefs about undesirable circumstances is a healthy outcome.

Favorably, I experienced neither distress nor disturbance when watching Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. Maybe you won’t either. Still, you may! Even if you do, perchance you can healthily conclude, “I guess we had a good run,” rather than running around horrified by your beliefs.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As the world’s foremost EDM-influenced REBT psychotherapist—promoting content related to EDM, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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