When I talk about favorite movies, I’m talking about movies I can watch over and over again. This could be for a number of different reasons: there are comedies where the jokes come so fast that I have to watch it again to pick up on all of them; or films so full of detail that every time you watch it, I see something new; or I just love it, and I can watch it again and again for that very reason. For those of us who have favorite movies that we can watch over and over again, those movies are like comfort food, just as helpful for feeling better when you’re sick as chicken soup, or picking you up after a bad day as mac & cheese or apple pie. After spending the last week sick, I thought I’d share the list of my Top 5 favorite movies to watch when I’m sick.
Radioland Murders
I’ve mentioned this movie in another blog post ("Top 5 Favorite Movies That Nobody Knows"), and I really cannot say enough about it. While I first saw this movie only four years ago, this has quickly made it to this list as, in that time, I've watched and rewatched this movie over two dozen times. As I've said before, this film is pretty much a love letter to the golden age of radio . . . Complete with references to every type of entertainment that could be found in that medium in 1939. For a kid who grew up listening to his father's collection of radio shows as well as in the community-theatre back stage, the goings-on both on the air and behind the scenes are almost too nostalgic, but mix in a solid murder mystery, a cast of brilliant and thoroughly funny character actors, and enough rapid fire jokes, gags, and one-liners to make even 'Airplane' look timid, and you have an amazingly fun film that never fails to leave me feeling better afterwards.
Rear Window
This movie is both my favorite movie of all time and, in my opinion, the greatest film ever made. It’s got everything; comedy, suspense, action, romance, smart dialog and solid social commentary. It is paced perfectly, the characters are well-acted and well-developed, the cast has good chemistry, not only between the leading couple, but every relationship dynamic. Even the setting itself, while fairly obviously set in the time in which it was filmed, has very few aspects about it which date the story and prevent it from being relatable yet today. I could write pages about this film (and have), but the simple point is this: it fits perfectly into those conditions of which I spoke at the beginning of this post. I can watch it again and again, and every time I enjoy it, every time the curtain comes down (or, actually, the blinds) at the end of the film, I just feel better.
Charade
When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I stayed home sick from school by myself for the first time. Bored and alone in a big empty house, I found this movie in my parents' collection. I loved it, and I've continued to love it. I love the premise, the sense of humor, the complexity, the twists and turns, the suspense, the chemistry between Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, James Coburn as a villain . . . I really just love everything about it. Ever since that first time seeing it, this has continued to be one of my favorite movies, as well as one of my pics for one of the greatest movies ever made. This is the movie that made me love mysteries and continues to be one of the few romantic movies that I love. Even though the movie involves the deaths of five people, I can't help but enjoy it.
This is another one of those films that I first saw and loved as a kid, and my appreciation has only grown for it over the years. This is also easily one of the most quotable movies that I know, and I share my love of this movie with friends and family alike. Clue, much like Charade, was one of those that, because we owned it, I watched it a lot when i was a kid, whether sick or healthy, but, whenever I was sick, it was there, and was usually my standard choice to help me feel better. Honestly, if you have not seen this movie yet, this is, in my opinion, one of the funniest movies ever made, and, while it is not without it’s flaws or inconsistencies, particularly with the third ending (yes, third ending), it is also a very smartly written murder mystery in the vein of “The Thin Man” and “And Then There Were None”. A few years ago, the experience of watching this movie was made new for me when I upgraded from the VHS version I had grown up with to DVD. The VHS had all three version as a part of the same movie, but, with the DVD, you could watch it that way, or the way it was shown in theaters, with one ending chosen at random. It was like seeing it for the first time all over again.
Down Periscope
This is one of the most ridiculously stupid movies I know, and I love it. While the psychological satisfaction of seeing Rob Schneider walk the plank is alone worth the price of admission, the whole movie is fun. I first discovered this movie in college, and it quickly became my goto movie to help me destress. While it was originally made to parody submarine action dramas like “Hunt for Red October” and “Crimson Tide” by turning the crew of the sub in question into the Navy version of the residents of “Animal House”, including Harland Williams and ‘Artie, The Strongest Man In The World’ (of “The Adventures Of Pete And Pete”). However, unlike “Animal House”, the cast of “Down Periscope” actually face real conflict and stakes, and, while the movie is a solid comedy, it also has a good amount of action, making for a great ride.
Honorable Mention: Princess Bride
As was brought to my attention by a friend, "princess bride" is the quintessential movie to watch while you are sick, albeit a little on the nose. Being sick and watching a movie where a kid who is home from school sick is being read a story by his grandfather may be a little 'meta', but it does have a lot in common with the other films on my list. It has a little of everything: action, comedy, romance, suspense; and it is also one of the most quotable films I know, maybe even moreso than Clue. Either way, at the end of the day, its a fun movie with a solid ending that just just leaves you feeling good.
