In this paper, the author discusses an exercise she uses requiring students to view a popular film that portrays a particular mental disorder or a character with a mental disorder. Students analyze the film and write two papers, one about the sociological model of mental illness and a second about possible links between media images and the societal rejection or acceptance of people with mental illness. The author begins with a description of necessary materials and how the films can be used, then discusses the assigned readings and classroom discussions of the sociological and medical models of mental illness, including suggestions for reading assignments. Next, she explains how popular films about mental illness can be categorized to maximize the exercises utility for students' learning. She concludes with an evaluation of the exercise based on a pre-test/post-test comparison of students' knowledge of the theory and concepts of residual deviance, labeling, stereotype, and stigma. (Contains 1 table.)