The way I see it, there are two types of people when it comes to movies: those who watch a film once and never again. And those who, once they find a film they like, watch it over and over again until each line, scene, and even the soundtrack are imprinted on their subconscious mind.
I am the latter.
The first time I watch a film, it’s for the plot. The second, third, fourth, and fifty ninth time I watch it for the feeling it gives me. The way that the dialogue, the wallpaper in the protagonist’s bedroom, or the rainy coffee shop, give you just enough room to imagine what that character’s life is like and maybe project yourself into it too.
I re-watch films for the glimpses of everyday life that are wedged in the cracks of the plot. It’s ridiculous sometimes, the things that make me feel nostalgia for this life I’ve never lived: tube socks pulled up over a pair of sweatpants (The Holiday), trick-or-treaters in a suburban neighborhood (The Silver Linings Playbook), a character belting out lyrics in her car (Sleepless In Seattle).
Sometimes all it takes is one single line to make a movie one of my favorites, the same way a single lyric in a song can make your breath catch in your throat. And if the media has this kind of intense power over me, over us, to evoke emotions that were lying dormant, then dammit, I want to be a part of it. That’s why I write screenplays. That’s why I love movies.
My favorite movies are about characters that feel like they could be your next door neighbors. I’m not into car chases or supernatural powers or far-fetched coincidences. I like normal people in normal situations with relatable problems. I like real life on the screen.
I wanted to share a few of the movies that I tell everyone to watch: my friends, people I meet at parties, taxi drivers, waiters. Just do me a favor and watch one. Put your phone away while you watch it. Pay attention. And see if it doesn’t stir up some kind of emotion in you, some type of nostalgia, curiosity, or desire.
St. Vincent
I love the theme of unlikely friendships as well as characters being difficult to comprehend at first glance. This is a sweet story about Vincent, a grumpy, broke, aging man played by Bill Murray, who ends up babysitting his scrawny, intelligent, well-mannered next door neighbor kid to the dismay of his desperate mother. This is the kind of film that makes you laugh and ache in one fell swoop and reminds you not to judge other people at first, second or even third glance. The final scene in the auditorium gets me every single time.
The Silver Linings Playbook
Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert DiNero…need I say more? Apart from the all star cast, this is one of those films that accurately depicts the way you can find beauty in the middle of pain. It’s a story about the aftermath of Pat Solitano’s life crashing down around him and the way his relationship with an equally messed up neighbor girl, Tiffany Maxwell, opens him up to a chance at normalcy again. The film will break your heart and put it back together again. The final scene and Pat’s final speech live rent free in my mind. I’ve pasted it below if you want a sneak peek.
“The world will break your heart ten ways to Sunday, that’s guaranteed. And I can’t begin to explain that, or the craziness inside myself and everyone else. But guess what? Sunday’s my favorite day again. I think of everything everyone did for me and I feel like a very lucky guy.”
– Pat Solitano, The Silver Linings Playbook
Dan In Real Life
I don’t think this movie receives or has ever received enough praise. It’s a simple story about a widowed dad (Steve Carell) who mistakenly falls in love with his brother’s girlfriend (Juliette Binoche). But I love it for the family aspect: a whole clan of family members spending a weekend together in a cabin in Rhode Island. It’s cozy, charming, clever and feels like it could really happen. I love the bookstore scene for sentimental reasons: who wouldn’t want to fall in love in a waterfront bookstore? I can’t think of anything more romantic. Plus, there’s a stellar scene of Steve Carell breaking it down and the Ruthie Pigface Draper piano ditty is something that my relatives would easily compose and perform at our own family get togethers.
When Harry Met Sally
Boy meets girl. Boy and girl go their separate ways. Boy and girl run into each other and are both dating other people. Boy and girl run into each other again, after heartache, and become…friends? This is one of Nora Ephron’s masterpieces starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal that begs the famous question “can men and women ever really be friends?” I love romantic comedies, but this one just hits differently. Maybe it’s the clever dialogue, the scenes of New York, or the 80s nostalgia (we’re talking cord phones, file-a-faxes and shoulder pads). I don’t know. All I know is that these characters all feel relatable, the story isn’t so far-fetched, and the slices of random couple interviews that are wedged in between scenes make my heart happy.
Sleepless In Seattle
Another romantic comedy by Nora Ephron because she was the queen of relatable characters, charming settings, and witty but relatable dialogue. The plot of this film is a little more far-fetched than I typically prefer for films to be, but the slice of life scenes that make up the fabric of the film are what get me. It’s about an engaged journalist who hears a man, Sam, (played by Tom Hanks) talking about his recently deceased wife on a radio program, and how it throws her whole life off balance.
I have to paste some lines down below because this is some of my favorite dialogue in existence. It’s painful and honest and beautiful. When the radio host asks Sam what he’s going to do now that his wife is gone, he responds like this:
“Well, I’m going to get out of bed every morning. And breathe in and out all day long. And then after a while I won’t have to remind myself to get out of bed in the morning and breathe in and out. And then after a while I won’t have to think about how I had it great and perfect for a while.”
– Sam Baldwin, Sleepless in Seattle
Life, Itself
This movie isn’t necessarily one that I watch over and over because it’s an emotional rollercoaster, but I always recommend it to people who haven’t seen it. The plot sneaks up on you, especially the first 30 minutes or so. It’s definitely going to make you sad, but it’s also really well done and deserves a Friday night on the big screen. The film has four “chapters” that follow different characters. Half of the film is English and takes place in New York City. The other half is in Spanish with subtitles and takes place in Seville, Spain. It’s a gem written by one of the creators of This Is Us and it reminds you to appreciate life and never take anything for granted.
Cinema Paradiso
If you’re a cinephile or an Italophile, you’re going to love Cinema Paradiso. I happen to be both, which is why this film ranks high on my list of all time favorites. It’s about the relationship between an adorable boy, Toto, and the local cinema owner, Alfredo, in his small Sicilian town. The film starts out with Toto as a boy, a little troublemaker obsessed with the cinema. Then it shows him growing into a lovestruck teenager and finally a successful filmmaker who leaves home. When he returns home for Salvatore’s funeral, he receives a posthumous “gift” from him that is absolutely genius.
