At the end of a long day, you finally have a moment to grab a glass of wine and a snack. There are no new episodes of your favorite shows recorded, so that only means one thing: it’s Netflix time. Given the choice, do you take your chances on a new movie that you haven’t seen? Or do you opt for something tried and true? Something that you know will make you laugh? That will make you feel good? That feels like a cozy old sweater?
I took a (very unscientific) poll and found something interesting. When it comes to the movies that we watch over and over and over again, it doesn’t seem to matter if they’re comedies, dramas, rom-coms, foreign, well-written, action-packed, sentimental, old, or new. Maybe we first saw them at a particularly sweet moment in life and forever associate them with that time. Maybe their sense of humor hits just the right chord when we’ve had a bad day. Maybe they’re so beautifully crafted that every viewing reveals something new. Maybe they remind us of people we’ve lost. Or remind us of good times.
The reason we re-watch certain movies is highly personal. But the actual movies that people prefer to watch again and again happen to be the same across the board. Sure, there were some outliers (like Sword of Doom or What About Bob?), but many were the same among the people I polled.
Here’s a list of the top movies people love to watch on repeat. What are yours? Let us know in the comments!
10. Father of the Bride
The beauty of this movie is that we have a Steve Martin comedy coupled with an incredibly sweet father-daughter plotline. You laugh, you cry, you think of your own father/daughter/future/past/wedding. I would imagine that anyone who can sink into this film time and again is doing so for all the warm and fuzzies that come along with it (and also for the hot dog bun explosion in the supermarket that is hilarious and oh-so-true to life).
9. Die Hard
Bruce Willis is hands-down just too cool in this classic. He can fight the bad guys with glass in his bare feet, while smoking cigarettes and simultaneously winning over his estranged wife. Guys want to be him, and ladies want to be with him. Beyond that, though, the script is well-written and there’s nothing quite like that moment when Hans Gruber slowly falls from the top of Nakatomi Plaza.
8. Mean Girls
It’s so fetch. This Tina Fey comedy reminds us of just how harsh high school could be, but it makes us laugh far more than we ever would have while we endured the horrors of adolescence. While watching this movie though, don’t you secretly wish you were a Plastic? Yeah, um, me neither.
7. Goodfellas
Sure, it’s ridiculously violent. But the chemistry between Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and Robert De Niro is second to none. It’s funny, it’s beautifully shot, and the acting — from the leads right down to Jimmy Two Times’ “I’m gonna go get the papers, get the papers” — is simply perfection.
6. Moonstruck
“A bride without a head!” “A wolf without a foot!” Here you have a story of tough New Yorkers, love, cheating, and food (that egg0-in-a-hole dish that Olympia Dukakis throws together for breakfast makes me drool every time), all against the backdrop of the beautiful moon in New York City. It’s an all-star cast and it has soul.
5. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
While the entire movie is one priceless moment after another of strangers invading personal space, it’s pretty much guaranteed that anyone who watches this on repeat can’t wait for Steve Martin’s meltdown at the car rental counter opposite Edie McClurg. His language is far too colorful to quote here, but you know all the lines by heart if this is one of your faves.
4. The Godfather
I was surprised by just how many people mentioned that they could watch this over and over. The movie is a classic and showcases the beginnings of several huge careers. It’s violent (to say the least), but the characters are so well-developed and acted throughout. You also get unforgettable lines to say right along with the film that have completely worked their way into the modern lexicon: “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” “Revenge is a dish best served cold,” and my personal favorite, “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.”
3. Grease
What’s the best part of watching this movie over and over? The songs. We all know them by heart and they’re just so fun. If you’re truly a fan, you know all the dances and get right up with your glass of wine and shake your hips with Danny and Sandy.
2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
“My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with a girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night.” You know you know it. Because every line is just as good (and Ferris Bueller’s life is what we all wish we’d had in high school), we can’t help but watch this over and over.
1. Groundhog Day
If you’re really into this one, you’ve watched it closely to try and determine how many days Bill Murray has to repeat Groundhog Day. And if you’ve done this analysis, you’ve learned that you can’t figure it out because of camera cuts. But you would only know that, and every line to this movie, if you can’t turn it off whenever it shows up on TV. “Needlenose Ned? Ned the Head? Come on, buddy. Case Western High.”
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