Thirteen Movies I’m Powerless to Resist
We’ve all been there. You’re parked on the sofa on a rainy Saturday afternoon, channel-surfing through basic cable, when your twitchy remote-control trigger finger stops on TBS. Ooooh… one of your favorites. Is it a good film? Not necessarily. Do you really need to watch it for the dozenth time? Emphatically not. In fact, you may even own it on DVD. Why don’t you break that out and watch the movie without endless commercial interruptions?
Because to do so would be to admit that you’re watching this dubious film for the dozenth time. This way, you can fool yourself. I’ll only watch five minutes, you tell yourself. Your husband walks by, notes that you’re watching this piece of crap yet again, and rolls his eyes. You don’t care. You cannot look away…
| Overboard Goldie Hawn is a spoiled heiress who finds love with hunky carpenter Kurt Russell someplace in the wilds of Oregon. Indefensible, misogynistic, predictable – but it has some freakish hold over me that endless broadcasts on TBS have only strengthened. |
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| While You Were Sleeping Sandra Bullock is adorable and Bill Pullman inexplicably attractive in a movie about cranial trauma and true love. |
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| Private Benjamin Goldie Hawn makes her second appearance on my list in a bracing tale of feminine empowerment that, in the 1980s, briefly made young women everywhere consider signing up for the army. |
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| Groundhog Day It’s ironic, sort of. Here’s a movie about a guy who’s living the same day over and over again. And I can watch it over and over again. |
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| Only the Lonely I’m pretty sure this is an awful movie, but anytime TBS gets a wild hair to play it, there I am. John Candy is an overgrown mamma’s boy who falls in love with mortuary makeup artist Ally Sheedy. I hate John Candy and Ally Sheedy, but I love this movie. It must be the Maureen O’Hara factor. |
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| Grosse Point Blank Minnie Driver makes me want to drive a spike into my skull, but if she’s alongside John Cusack – who’s playing a sexy freelance hitman – she gets a pass. This one is clever, witty, and all kinds of wrong, and I really enjoy it. |
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| The Bridges of Madison County Absolutely nobody believes me – but it’s not about the story. Though God knows the movie is better than the execrable book. No, it’s all about the atmosphere and the soundtrack. I can’t think of a single movie that’s caught the feeling of a midwestern summer quite so beautifully. Nice one, Clint. |
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| French Kiss I think I watched this about five times one week when HBO had it in heavy rotation. Featuring Meg Ryan in one of her last charming screen appearances. I don’t know what Kevin Kline was up to with that atrocious accent, but he’s kind of hot and the scenery is pretty, so who the hell cares? |
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| The Wedding Singer I have major Adam Sandler issues, but man, he is cute in this.There should be federal regulations that force him to only make movies with Drew Barrymore, who is charming enough to offset his obnoxiousness. Plus, the 80s were my decade, so I love the clothes, the music, the snide cultural references. |
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| The Godfather (I only) With apologies to all who insist II is better than I, you’re wrong, wrong, wrong. This is perfection. You got James Caan, you got Brando, you got the whole cannoli. |
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| Crimes and Misdemeanors My very favorite Woody Allen film, and it’s all due to Martin Landau’s mesmerizing performance. I’m convinced he won the Oscar for “Ed Wood” as an apology for passing over his performance in this movie. |
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| Clueless Alicia Silverstone, back when it looked like she was going to have a career, as a pampered but good-hearted Beverly Hills princess. Most. quotable. movie. EVER. Natori will back me up on this. |
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| Blues Brothers “What kind of music do you usually have here?” “Oh, we got both kinds… country AND western.” |
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