My wife had a brilliant idea last week; brilliant in every respect of the word. We were talking about movies while we were out at dinner and she mentioned that, yes, while movies like The Godfather and Psycho are considered classics they are in no way rewatchable. At least, not like Superbad, Almost Famous, and The Shawshank Redemption are rewatchable.
(An aside: Superbad has fast become one of our favorite movies of all-time. We constantly quote it privately and in public–”Fogel! HI!!!!”. It will soon become the litmus test by which to gauge potential friends and whether we want to hang out with them: if you don’t like this movie, your fate may be sealed with us. You think I’m kidding.)
In tandem with our rewatchability conversation, my wife told me that on rainy days this summer (she is a teacher and, thus, has summers off) she plans on watching some of the movies that I really like that she’s never seen, either because she’s sure she’s predisposed to hate them (see: This Is Spinal Tap) or because she is somewhat allergic to old movies (see: Citizen Kane). And here is where the brilliant idea comes in. She told me to come up with a list of movies that are the most rewatchable. Not most groundbreaking or greatest overall per se but most rewatchable.
So, below is 125 movies that are the most rewatchable to me (and I’ve ranked them as best as I can—sorting through 125 movies was not as easy as I thought it would be…). This list is largely devoid of classics because, well, the “classics” are oftentimes movies that you may watch one or two times every 10-15 years (if that). I’ve seen Raging Bull, Scarface, 2001: A Space Odyssey, On The Waterfront, and Breakfast At Tiffany’s and you know what? I’m fine with seeing all of them only once so far in my life. They’re good but I’m in no hurry to watch them again. They are missing those intangibles that make Superbad, The Cider House Rules, and To Kill A Mockingbird so magnetic in its power to want to rewatch them. Obviously, a list like this is conducive to comedies and they are plentiful here. Comedies are typically shunned by the Academy every year come Oscar time and, like erotica, place themselves totally at the mercy of our subjective whims—if a comedy doesn’t make you laugh or an erotic movie doesn’t turn you on there’s really nothing to be done that can help salvage it for you. Additionally, you may look through this list and think, “Why isn’t Caddyshack or Lethal Weapon or Beverly Hills Cop on this list?” Well, to be honest, I’ve never gotten a chance to watch any of those movies in their entirety; I’ve always caught pieces or long stretches of them but never all of it. Don’t judge.
Please note too that the movies here in the top 5, if they were to be ranked on a point system, would only have hundredths of a point separating them. I was half-tempted to number them 1a-1e instead of 1-5. Finally, the movies in black bold are the ones that my wife has not yet seen—either at all, or all the way through—and the ones that she will watch during her rainy days. (She has promised reviews of these movies too so, when the time comes, she’ll post them to this site as well.)
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Almost Famous
The Shawshank Redemption
The Cider House Rules
Superbad
Fantasia
The 40-Year Old Virgin
Batman Begins
Anchorman: The Story Of Ron Burgundy
Old School
Big Fish
Fight Club
Signs
Airplane!
School Of Rock
The Incredibles
Ratatouille
Juno
Finding Nemo
Wonder Boys
The Matrix
Kill Bill, Vol. 2
Kill Bill, Vol. 1
Se7en
The Big Lebowski
Office Space
The Sixth Sense
American Beauty
Boys Don’t Cry
Million Dollar Baby
Major League
Good Will Hunting
Dazed And Confused
The Green Mile
Boogie Nights
The Dark Knight
The Devil Wears Prada
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
The Godfather
The Godfather II
Adaptation
Knocked Up
Zack & Miri Make A Porno
Clerks
Millions
Election
Being John Malkovitch
Stranger Than Fiction
American History X
The Ring
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
The Girl Next Door
Citizen Kane
Pulp Fiction
The Usual Suspects
The Silence Of The Lambs
Monty Python & The Holy Grail
L.A. Confidential
Airplane II: The Sequel
Jerry Maguire
Unforgiven
Bad Santa
Toy Story
Trainspotting
The Exorcist
The Amityville Horror
The Blair Witch Project
Network
Ricochet
Return To Me
Top Secret!
Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire
Pineapple Express
The Naked Gun
Raising Arizona
Harry Potter & The Order Of Phoenix
Jurassic Park
Back To The Future
Predator
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The Breakfast Club
As Good As It Gets
Dr. Strangelove
Singles
Say Anything…
Chasing Amy
Do The Right Thing
This Is Spinal Tap
Monster’s, Inc.
There’s Something About Mary
Mallrats
Big
Requiem For A Dream
Parenthood
Akeelah & The Bee
Terminator 2
White Men Can’t Jump
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Men In Black
Mystic River
Finding Neverland
Kung Fu Panda
Fantasia 2000
Wall-E
The Game
Mean Girls
The Simpsons Movie
The Graduate
Sling Blade
Pleasantville
Elf
Memento
Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban
When Harry Met Sally
About A Boy
Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone
Terms Of Endearment
Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets
Cold Mountain
Boyz N The Hood
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
Amazon Women On The Moon
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
Gone Baby Gone
A Bug’s Life
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring