This may be because I am about the same age as the characters in the movie, so all the music and all of the references ring true...but I love breaking out Grosse Pointe Blank about once a year.
Lots of great movies in the comments. But I don't see the early Nicole Kidman/Thandy Newton star-turn, Flirting, on here anywhere. Might be the most feelgood movie ever made. Behind that one (distant 2 and 3) are The Family Stone and Love Actually
The scene where the Wonders hear their song on the radio for the first time is one of my favorite scenes in any movie. I think it epitomizes the joy of that movie and it makes me happy every time. No great dialogue or standout acting, but perfectly done regardless.
My vote is for "Secondhand Lions". It's a delightful, almost perfect little movie. My only quibble is the very end. Thematically it would have been better for the story-within-the-story to remain ambiguous.
Agreed...When I was looking at my limited Substack budget, it ultimately came down to this: "Could Matt Taibbi possibly appreciate My Favourite Year as much as Joe does?"
The LOTR movies don't make me quite as happy as the books do - they are my favorite books of all time and I'm reading them now to my son - but the movies are still very good. The movies do bring me a lot of joy, and I will only watch the extended editions. It doesn't make sense to even bother with the theatrical cuts.
It's crazy that LOTR and The Princess Bride would both be on my happy movies list. You love one and hated the other, which makes me sad. LOTR is so good.
As far as the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit go, I only watched the 1st Lord of the Rings movie and then stopped (though I saw the animated Hobbit movie when I was about 7 or 8, which drew me into Tolkien's Universe- I loved it). I have read the books, and I think they feel much more real than the movies do. However, if you were to try them, you should definitely start with The Hobbit.- To me, a long time ago, THAT was fantasy for beginners.
Oh, 1 other thought popped into my head. When I was 7 (almost 8), my foster father surprised us by taking us to see the movie Star Wars (after my baseball game, what a wonderful day that was) - I loved it, but he didn't like it at all.
Maybe some of these types of films/books appeal more to people of a certain age, at least if they haven't already fallen for the genre.
This may be because I am about the same age as the characters in the movie, so all the music and all of the references ring true...but I love breaking out Grosse Pointe Blank about once a year.
Lots of great movies in the comments. But I don't see the early Nicole Kidman/Thandy Newton star-turn, Flirting, on here anywhere. Might be the most feelgood movie ever made. Behind that one (distant 2 and 3) are The Family Stone and Love Actually
Ever seen Akeelah and the Bee? That movie is a tear jerker of joy!
And then there's Dazed and Confused!
Also About a Boy
And totally agree about Rob Reiner! Although now I gotta watch your number 1!!
Joe this is a fantastic idea. And you and I see eye to eye on LOTR, the Hobbitt, and Harry Potter. I am a logic driven person though.
I agree with lots of these. I need to bookmark this article and the comments. Some nobody mentioned:
Fletch - my friends in high school quoted this like crazy to each other. “Are you a cop?” “Far as you know.”
Tin Cup - more great quotes
Vacation - my family and I took a 3 week road trip last summer and I made us watch this first
Ghostbusters “is that true?” “Yes sir, this man has no d- - k”
Happy Gilmore / Waterboy / Big Daddy (For me Adam Sandler is a guilty pleasure, hit or miss but I really like these)
And I normally am not a huge romcom guy but 27 Dresses and Sweet Home Alabama are good
The scene where the Wonders hear their song on the radio for the first time is one of my favorite scenes in any movie. I think it epitomizes the joy of that movie and it makes me happy every time. No great dialogue or standout acting, but perfectly done regardless.
I was disappointed in the list until number 2 and number 1....great job
In addition to many mentioned already I would add Zoolander, 40 Year Old Virgin, and Planes, Trains and Automobilesl
My vote is for "Secondhand Lions". It's a delightful, almost perfect little movie. My only quibble is the very end. Thematically it would have been better for the story-within-the-story to remain ambiguous.
Agreed
I can only presume Joe has never seen "The Court Jester"
No “Major League”?
bowfinger seems to be almost criminally underrated.
My Favorite Year" should be #1
Agreed...When I was looking at my limited Substack budget, it ultimately came down to this: "Could Matt Taibbi possibly appreciate My Favourite Year as much as Joe does?"
Here Here! One of the most underrated movies ever.
"They were going to fight a duel -- over that Peron dame I think. Anyway, Swan showed up drunk and, he kinda shot himself."
The LOTR movies don't make me quite as happy as the books do - they are my favorite books of all time and I'm reading them now to my son - but the movies are still very good. The movies do bring me a lot of joy, and I will only watch the extended editions. It doesn't make sense to even bother with the theatrical cuts.
It's crazy that LOTR and The Princess Bride would both be on my happy movies list. You love one and hated the other, which makes me sad. LOTR is so good.
As far as the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit go, I only watched the 1st Lord of the Rings movie and then stopped (though I saw the animated Hobbit movie when I was about 7 or 8, which drew me into Tolkien's Universe- I loved it). I have read the books, and I think they feel much more real than the movies do. However, if you were to try them, you should definitely start with The Hobbit.- To me, a long time ago, THAT was fantasy for beginners.
Oh, 1 other thought popped into my head. When I was 7 (almost 8), my foster father surprised us by taking us to see the movie Star Wars (after my baseball game, what a wonderful day that was) - I loved it, but he didn't like it at all.
Maybe some of these types of films/books appeal more to people of a certain age, at least if they haven't already fallen for the genre.
Thank you for giving My Favorite Year its due :)
"Waking Ned Devine" is a great happy movie.