Gary Thompson:Here's hurling at you, kid

THERE'S SOMETHING in the air, and I think it's vomit.

I had only just digested news coverage of the projectile vomit guy at the Phillies game when I screened "The Back-Up Plan," in which a pregnant JLo barfs, barfs again, then stands back and watches her dog barf.

I know that in the sports realm, there is heated controversy around the incident at Citizens Bank Park. National coverage of Barf Man has again focused unflattering attention on Philadelphia fan culture.

The local talk show consensus seems to be that we're no worse than many other cities, but I think that sells the city short. Boorish behavior may be common everywhere, but on-demand projectile vomit is not. That's innovation.

A drunk guy who can quarrel with surrounding fans, then force himself to hurl on them is breaking new ground.

But is that what really happened? Some eyewitnesses are making vague assertions that the incident has been inaccurately reported in the media. Whole chunks of the story may be wrong. Some, and by some I mean me, are calling it RegurgiGate.

At the very least, there may be more to this story of gastrointestinal disturbance. Perhaps we need to focus on what was happening on the gassy knoll.

Paging Oliver Stone.

Which brings us to movies, and brings up (with appropriate abruptness) a question: What is the best vomit scene in movie history?

Yes, of course, Linda Blair puking pea soup at Max Von Sydow and Jason Miller. That's the stock answer, and a proper one. In a really good vomit scene you need to see the vomit, and you certainly do in "The Exorcist."

I like the inventiveness, though, of Christine Taylor's scene in "Dodgeball," wherein Ben Stiller comes on to her and she gags, saying, "I just threw up in my mouth."

Good, but not the best contemporary vomit scene. I've lately become addicted to the first 30 minutes of "I Love You, Man," in heavy rotation on HBO. It's the story of a guy (Paul Rudd) with no guy friends, going on "man dates" to find a best man for his wedding. He tries to fit in at a macho poker gathering, but that backfires during a drinking game that ends with him spewing all over Jon Favreau.

I think the definitive vomit scene, though, is and always will be the Terry Jones bit in "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life." Jones is the gourmand who orders and eats everything in a restaurant, then erupts, through his mouth, rib cage, everywhere, leaving only a skeleton.

It seemed to prefigure where culture was headed, not that lax cultural standards excuse anything that happened at the ballpark.

Sometimes, you just have to throw up your hands.