It’s awards season, and I love it. All the fashion, the gorgeous men and beautiful women, the cringe-worthy acceptance speeches…oh yes, and the movies. I love the movies!
There are some movies that you forget 5 minutes after you leave the theater, and there are the movies that stay with you for a long time. Both types fill a need – sometimes a fluffy rom-com is just the ticket, other times you want a movie that makes you think for days afterwards – “The Crying Game” was one of those movies for me, as was “Leaving Las Vegas.”
Then there are the movies that you fall in love with, movies from which you remember whole passages of dialogue, or in some cases, the dialogue from the entire film. These are the movies that you can watch over and over, whether you’re channel-surfing and happen to catch them on TV or just feel in the mood for something that makes you feel happy, or weepy, or brings back memories…that’s what movies can do.
Here are my movies, my favorites that I can watch pretty much anytime, anywhere.
1. The Wizard of Oz
I know I’m not alone here. I pretty much know the dialogue in this movie from start to finish.
Best line: “There’s no place like home.”
2. Moonstruck
Though I’m not a fan of Nicolas Cage, and Cher is ok, this is just about the most romantic movie I’ve ever seen. Everything about it is romantic – every relationship, every room, every scene. Love it.
Best line: “Snap out of it!”
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Truthfully, I don’t know that I’d love this movie nearly as much as I do if it wasn’t for Paul Newman and Robert Redford – and as really ridiculous as it was to hear “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head” in the middle of this film, I still adore the scene where they’re riding on the bicycle.
Best line(s):Butch Cassidy: Alright. I’ll jump first.
Sundance Kid: No.
Butch Cassidy: Then you jump first.
Sundance Kid: No, I said.
Butch Cassidy: What’s the matter with you?
Sundance Kid: I can’t swim.
Butch Cassidy: Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you.
Sundance Kid: Oh, shit…
4. When Harry Met Sally
I just saw this again a few weeks ago and laughed out loud again at all of the same lines I’ve laughed out loud at before. It just never gets old. Unfortunately, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan DID get old, and have had way too much plastic surgery…but that’s another topic altogether. Written by the brilliant, late Nora Ephron, this is a classic.
Best line: “I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
It’s funny to think that when this movie was made, ordering like Sally did was considered unusual!
5. Lars and the Real Girl
Besides the amazing Ryan Gosling (not at his sexiest), this movie has a sweetness and gentleness that keeps me teary-eyed through the whole thing. It also makes me want to move to Minnesota and join a sewing circle.
Best line(s): Sewing Circle Lady 3 – Hazel: Well that’s how life is, Lars.
Mrs. Gruner: Everything at once.
Sewing Circle Lady 2 – Sally: We brought casseroles.
Lars Lindstrom: Thank you.
This post was my husband Peter’s idea, so I asked him what his top five are. Here’s his list:
1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. The Guns of Navaronne
3. The Fugitive
4. Animal House
5. The Sound of Music
I love numbers 4 and 5, too.
EDIT: How could I have forgotten the genius Woody Allen? Annie Hall is beyond fantastic. Mea culpa, Woody.
So what are your favorites? Tell me in a comment.
I love the movies!
The Patriot with Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger and The Gladiator with Russell Crowe. Don’t know why exactly, but whenever they’re on tv, we usually end up watching them. And, of course, Gone With The Wind.
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I love The Gladiator, and yes of course Gone With the Wind…one of the best ever!
Get Shorty. If it is on I will stop and watch. It just cracks me up! I just told my niece her Hybrid was ‘The Cadillac of electric cars”, and she got it!
I am a big fan of Gone with the wind too.
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The Princess Bride, Pride and Prejudice, Annie Hall, Bananas, Love and Death & more Woody…
Of course, Woody – so fabulous! I can’t believe I left him off my list.
I love your choices, every single one of them!! Lars was so great, so quirky and sweet!. I loved The Red Shoes, Dirty Dancing (of course), Confessions of a Shopaholic (duh) and The Bodyguard, and the one I saw on netflix last week where I got a glimpse of myself in the only scene I wasn’t cut out of, A Force of One! Loved chatting with you last night!
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Love this post? I could list hundreds of faves, but here’s my top few: His Girl Friday (1940, Cary Grant/Roz Russell) fast-talking & hysterical (2) My Favorite Year ( based loosely on Sid Caesars Your Show of Shows) (3) A Few Good Men (4) Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (5) The Philadelphia Story (1940 Kate Hepburn/ Cary Grant James Stewart(6) Blazing Saddles (7) Judgement at Nuremberg(8) Rain Man (9) Forrest Gump (10) MASH
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All my faves! Good choices!! I kept waiting for one I didn’t like or hadn’t seen, but you nailed them. I also always watch Terms of Endearment. I just love a good cry sometimes!
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I love Terms of Endearment. At this rate, I may have to do another list.
I think we wrote the same blog post today! I cannot believe I left When Harry met Sally off my list.
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I saw that, MJ! So funny. I couldn’t believe I had left Woody Allen off of my list! So many great movies.
Rainman
High Society
The Graduate
Silver Linings Playbook
Kramer vs. Kramer
AND
everyone of yours
Love High Society and The Graduate!
Love the Wizard of Oz, Butch Cassidy, and Harry Met Sally. Lars and the Real Girl fascinated me how the whole town embraced the life-sized doll all the way down to the funeral. I have a lot of favorite movies. Currently I recommend A Good Year, which I want to do a post about, for its beauty, romance, and comedy.
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I haven’t seen A Good Year- I’ll have to look for it. Can’t wait to read your post.
Loved this post and reading everyone’s comments!
My top 5 (lol or at least the first five I thought of):
1. The Princess Bride
2. The Jerk
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. Babes in Toyland
5. Kate and Leopold
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Oh of course, The Princess Bride! I adored the book, and the movie didn’t disappoint when it was released – so unusual that it works that way.
Mine are:
1. Jaws
2. The Godfather Part I
3. Goodfellas
4. A Few Good Men
5. The Fugitive
You and my husband have similar taste!
I was reading your blog after I typed in inspirational blogs by women and found a link to yours. I loved reading down the list and putting in your favorite lines was a stroke of genius! I have a whole series of films for different moods. but I will list my slightly off the wall list of my current top five and why. (This is FUN!)
1. Midnight in Paris – because it reminds me to follow my dreams
2. Rise of the Guardians – to tap back into my own wonder
3. Pan’s Labyrinth – when I need to cry
4. Swordfish – because Hugh Jackman is just so pervingly divine
5. Constantine – because that is about as scary as I can handle
Thank you for the opportunity to share!
In Joy,
SuziSavanah
Hi, so glad you found my blog – and movies are the best, aren’t they! I too love Midnight in Paris- anything by Woody Allen works for me!
Some that haven’t already been mentioned:
1. Adam’s Rib (Hepburn & Tracy battle of the sexes comedy)
2. Mildred Pierce (the original with Joan Crawford)
3. Sleepless in Seattle
4. The Best Years of Our Lives (soldiers trying to pick up their lives after WW II)
5. The Grapes of Wrath (Henry Fonda)
6. Rear Window (Hitchcock with Jimmy Stewart & Grace Kelly)
so many more…
and all of yours, Sharon! I quote Moonstruck often! “Chrissie, bring me the Big Knife!”
“I’ll say no more.”
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I love the ones you’ve mentioned, but I have my favorites, too.
Under the Tuscan Sun is my go-to movie when I need a pick me up. I always feel better about my life when I watch that movie.
I love The GodFather I & II (let’s not discuss III). The first one is soooo good, but the second one is just tremendous. The fall of Michael juxtaposed against the rise of Don Corleone? Breath-taking cinema. I watch in awe every single time.
Dirty Dancing. Nobody puts this movie in a corner.
The Matrix. This movie always makes me want to work out harder and buy leather pants.
And sometimes I like to watch Troy and Wolverine. I turn the sound off, but who needs words while watching Brad and Hugh at their moments of physical perfect?
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Dirty Dancing!!! You couldn’t be more right!
People always laugh at me when I say it’s the best movie ever made, but isn’t it?! 
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Funny Girl.
I have a few movies that I would watch over and over again without a doubt.
1) Shawshank Redemption
2) Incendies (Quebec-made film nominated for best foreign picture at last year’s Oscars)
3) Dirty Dancing (I know I know real girl’s flick)
4) We Need to Talk about Kevin (too similar to the Sandy Hook incidents, but definitely leaves you thinking for days)
5) Gran Tarino
Bonus: 6) The Departed
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This is a great list, though I actually am more in line with your husband’s top 5. The Fugitive is one of my favorite films.
My most recent post is about the top 5 movies from this year. While I enjoyed them, none of them have entered my top 5 ever.
As with many other commenters, one of my all time favorites is The Princess Bride. Another four, in no particular order:
2. Singing in the Rain
3. Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back
4. Waiting for Guffman
5. The Court Jester
Wow. That’s an eclectic mix.
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That’s a great list! My husband has a huge man-crush on Harrison Ford – so he loves anything he’s in.
We LOVE the movies and go just about every weekend! Favorites are Forrest Gump, It’s Complicated, Hope Springs (liked your entry on that one
), Notting Hill. Now Showing: Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty. Looking forward to the Oscars!!
Shari, I loved It’s Complicated – Nora Ephron is my hero! Couldn’t sit through Zero Dark Thirty – way too intense for me – but I loved Silver Linings Playbook.
I still love some of the old romantic comedies that just make me feel good. Of course, Dirty Dancing is one. But I also love Murphy’s Romance with James Garner and Sally Field. And Chapter Two with James Caan and Marsha Mason. I could watch them over and over again. Neither one was a box office hit but sometimes I like the “sleepers” better that explore relationships slowly rather than action movies.
I love some of your favs. Not sure what I would consider my #1 movie of all time. But some of my favs that I could watch over and over are (in no particular order):
1) ALL of the Star Wars movies
2) Wizard of Oz
3) Both Legally Blonde movies
4) Little Women (w/Wynona Ryder)
5) Blind Side
6) Midnight in Paris
7) Field of Dreams
8) The 10 Commandments
9) All of Shirley Temple’s movies
10) Ghost
I’m sure there are many more (in 50 years, I’m sure I’ve seen lots of movies). This year, I’ve made it a resolution to go to the movies at least once/wk. I’m sure there’ll be some great movies to add to my list!
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