Philosophical Monday: My New Top 5 Movies
So it occurs to me that as we get older, our Top 5 movies of all time pretty much remain static due to a combination of continued reverence and nostalgia. And after grad school and/or a certain age, the movies that get added to this list aren’t necessarily added b/c of their merit, but b/c of your reaction to them. In other words, you’re more likely to identify with the later entries on your list.
Anyway this is all to say that this weekend I added a new entry to my Top 5 list. Here’s my old list for those who are interested.
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1. The Seventh Seal
2. The Color Purple
3. 2001
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. Jerry Maguire
Strangely enough, Jerry Maguire is coming off for the same reasons this new film is coming on: back in college, when I first saw this film I strongly identified with it. I felt that if I eschewed the usual paths to money, worked hard, and did things my own way, I would eventually make money doing what I want. It took Jerry Maguire about 2 years to get where he wanted to be in life, career and love. It took me 13. And now that I’m there, this film no longer seems as relevant to me, though of course, I will always appreciate its lessons.
But on to my new #5. It’s Away We Go.
“Away We Go?!?!” you say, scratching your head.
And I say, “Yes, Away We Go.”
This one has a funny backstory. About 3 months ago, my co-worker, Negative Natalie, asked me if I had seen the trailer for the film. I watched it and I said, “That makes pregnancy look awful! Why would I go see that?” She laughed and agreed that it might not be an actual pregnant person’s cup of tea.
But then on Friday, I was brushing my teeth and listening to a review of Away on NPR and heard a clip of Maggie Gyllenhal, playing a smug, trust-funded, earth mother. I found myself laughing and told CH we should go see it.
One problem, it was only playing in two places: At a Landmark theatre on the Westside (which is basically like saying it’s playing in another country after you’ve lived on the Eastside of LA too long and at the ArcLight Hollywood, which used to be pretty close but now isn’t thanks to our move to Altadena.
However, we do attend church in Hollywood, so we decided to see the movie after service. There were a few other obstacles to seeing the movie, but they’re (even more) mundane, so I won’t go into them. The main point is that I turned down social engagements and skipped out on a screening that I promised to attend all b/c I was suddenly so determined to see this movie. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever felt like you just HAD to see a movie for some reason? Well, that’s what was going on with me as far as this one was concerned.
And Away We Go not only lived up to but exceeded my expectations. It’s gotten rather mixed reviews from the critics, but I can only assume that this is b/c most of these people have a) never been pregnant, b) don’t have a dead parent, and c) aren’t me.
I identified with Maya Rudolph’s bi-racial character so strongly, that I was crying less than 40 minutes into the film when the two sisters have a short conversation about their dead parents, and somehow manage to bring up in less than 3 minutes every issue my own sister and I have had about talking about our own dead mother. And then it seemed like I was crying off and on til the end, when I had to stay through the credits in order to get myself together, I was such a mess of tears. There were several other aspects of the film that I identified with, but since it’s in limited release, I don’t want to spoil any of it for anyone else who might want to go see it.
However, I did notice that I was the only (obviously) pregnant woman in the theater, so I’m worried that a lot of other pregnant women might have dismissed it as I did. All, I can say to that is that this film gets it: life, pregnancy, infertility, selfishness, worry, all of that. The characters are complex — often sensitive and insensitive in the same breath. And the ending is so unexpected, yet perfect that I’m welling up right now just thinking about it.
Anyway, here’s my new Top 5.
.
1. The Seventh Seal
2. The Color Purple
3. 2001
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. Away We Go
Have you recently added to your Top 5? If so, let us know what movie and why you added it. Meanwhile, here’s the trailer for Away just in case you haven’t already seen it.
i have been dying to see it. i think we're going this week. and no, i'm not pregnant. i just think it looks like a solid character drama directed really well.
i have been dying to see it. i think we're going this week. and no, i'm not pregnant. i just think it looks like a solid character drama directed really well.
girl you like pregnancy films! i'm looking forward to seeing it. oh and i made my little sister watch the seventh sign when my parents were out of the house and it scared her. i had to do some serious convincing to get her to not tell on me.
girl you like pregnancy films! i'm looking forward to seeing it. oh and i made my little sister watch the seventh sign when my parents were out of the house and it scared her. i had to do some serious convincing to get her to not tell on me.
Do you see a lot of pregnant women at other movies? It has to be extremely worthwhile for me to drag myself off the couch and to the movies these days, and I'm guessing that many other pregnant women feel the same way. Away We Go could make the cut if it starts showing anywhere near here.
Good point. I noticed my taste barometer went way up after the first trimester — I won't go out for just any movie anymore. But I did see a few pregnant women at Star Trek and Up! (both of which were pretty fantastic). BTW, Up! also deals with IF for like a second. Big surprise that made me like the film from the jump.
Do you see a lot of pregnant women at other movies? It has to be extremely worthwhile for me to drag myself off the couch and to the movies these days, and I'm guessing that many other pregnant women feel the same way. Away We Go could make the cut if it starts showing anywhere near here.
Good point. I noticed my taste barometer went way up after the first trimester — I won't go out for just any movie anymore. But I did see a few pregnant women at Star Trek and Up! (both of which were pretty fantastic). BTW, Up! also deals with IF for like a second. Big surprise that made me like the film from the jump.
I'm still trying to get over the fact that JERRY MAGUIRE is on someone's top 5 movie list. (sorry, no offense, it's a good movie and all, but we're talking TOP 5 FAVORITE FILMS OF ALL TIME?!) I enjoyed it when it came out and thought Tom Cruise gave the best performance of his career (not counting his "heterosexual involvements"), but I saw it not too long ago and it was a lot more dated than I anticipated it to be.
Yeah, that's kind of where the nostalgia kicks in. You'll notice that all of my picks were from different decades, b/f adding "Away We Go," and I feel that the idealism and references in Jerry Maguire completely captured the 90s. It's like a time capsule that leads back to a time when I didn't think Tom Cruise was crazy, Cuba Gooding Jr. annoying, and Renee Zelleweger completely unrelatable. Also the writing was good and the message of "do what you love better, with more compassion and less regard for money" was terrific.
I'm still trying to get over the fact that JERRY MAGUIRE is on someone's top 5 movie list. (sorry, no offense, it's a good movie and all, but we're talking TOP 5 FAVORITE FILMS OF ALL TIME?!) I enjoyed it when it came out and thought Tom Cruise gave the best performance of his career (not counting his "heterosexual involvements"), but I saw it not too long ago and it was a lot more dated than I anticipated it to be.
Yeah, that's kind of where the nostalgia kicks in. You'll notice that all of my picks were from different decades, b/f adding "Away We Go," and I feel that the idealism and references in Jerry Maguire completely captured the 90s. It's like a time capsule that leads back to a time when I didn't think Tom Cruise was crazy, Cuba Gooding Jr. annoying, and Renee Zelleweger completely unrelatable. Also the writing was good and the message of "do what you love better, with more compassion and less regard for money" was terrific.