Favorite Movies

Last night during dinner, someone at my table asked about everyone's favorite movie. I mentioned that I liked a lot of movies and it was hard to choose a favorite. I listed a comedy I love (Old School with Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn). He then asked what my next favorite movie was and I froze. I went blank. All of I could think of was There's Something about Mary, which I didn't want to mention because I was trying to think of something a little more important, like Shawshank Redemption. While that movie is good and I liked it, it doesn't really qualify as a favorite. I am probably not going to choose to watch that over There's Something about Mary if I am flipping through channels. It makes me sad. So, of course, since then, I have been thinking about movies I love. Truthfully, I don't really have favorite movies. I have movies I really enjoy--movies I can watch over and over again and while I like movies, I don't really LOVE movies in general. I am not a "movie buff" like some people I know. I don't go to a lot of movies in the theater. I don't watch all of the Oscar-nominated movies; I didn't even watch the Oscars this year. When I think of someone who loves movies, I think of my brother. He watches a lot of movies and he can have a pretty deep conversation about important themes and messages and what thought processes the movie evoked in him. He embraces movies, learns from them and connects the movie to his own life if he can. A movie he convinced me to watch was Gran Torino. Excellent movie. Hard to watch at times. Important message, and Clint Eastwood was amazingly convincing.

Growing up I watched a lot of movies, so I have a good working knowledge of movies from the eighties and nineties. Not so much anymore. The truth is, I don't watch a whole lot of new movies these days. By the time the kids go to bed and my husband and I could sit down and watch a movie together, I am bound to fall asleep and miss half the movie. We tend to flip through the channels and settle on a good comedy we have seen twenty times already.

My definition of "favorite" movies would have to be movies that thoroughly entertain me and make me laugh. I love comedies. I have seen many though-provoking, feel good movies with excellent messages, and while I do enjoy those, I am not going to watch them over and over again. I also enjoy a good chick flick (like Sweet Home Alabama). I would not say that my favorite movies are Oscar-deserving or cinematic marvels...these movies make me laugh...usually these are not the movies that make me think really hard. These are in no particular order, but here are some movies I love to watch over and over again. I am sure there are many more, but these are the ones that pop into my mind.

1. Old School ("Let's go streaking!!")
2. There's Something About Mary
3. The Hangover (Seriously. I have never laughed so hard in my life.)
4. Both of the National Treasure movies--love them!
5. Baby Mama (Tina Fey AND Amy Poehler!!!)