Happiness is Old Movies

~ Jenny

I went through my movie collection and started watching things I hadn’t seen in years. Did you know While You Were Sleeping was filmed twenty-five years ago? Big Trouble in Little China, thirty four years ago? Real Genius, thirty-five years ago? Ghostbusters, thirty-six years ago? (Some of those actors–Sandra Bullock–must have portraits in their closets. Others, not so much.). Still, the movies we love are ageless, so watching the old ones is a good break from the current reality. I mean, not Schindler’s List, for god’s sake, (twenty-three years ago), but certainly the Brendan Fraser Mummy (twenty-one years ago) or His Girl Friday (eighty years ago) or can lift you up.

What feel-good-from-the-past-before-world-went-nuts movie do you recommend? (NO TRAGEDIES. Jeez.)

145 thoughts on “Happiness is Old Movies”

  1. I’ve been working my way through some of my old favourites from the teen romcoms – Clueless, and 10 Things I Hate About You, and more recently The Duff (whole lotta stuff that I cringe over, but still good fun). The Power Rangers movie from a few years ago falls into my feel-good category – it’s sort of The Breakfast Club but with giant mecha.

    Love While You Were Sleeping, and I need to rewatch Good Advice which is worth it for watching Angie Harmon kick Charlie Sheen into being a halfway decent human being.

    And I adore Crazy Rich Asians, although that’s a much more recent movie. That’s my current go-to when I need a feel-good hit. It’s one of the rare instances, in my opinion, where the movie did it better than the book – the movie nailed the family/community arc in ways that the book missed, and Michelle Yeoh is a goddess.

  2. Movies aren’t really my thing. I keep thinking “must watch that” and not getting round to it. So you’ve just reminded me of more on my must-watch list.

    Last night, the 3 of us who’re in lockdown together watched What We Do in the Shadows. It’s not very old but it definitely cheered us up.

    1. What We Do In the Shadows is so batshit that I think I watched the whole thing with my mouth hanging open, most of it laughing.

    2. There’s a hilarious What We Do in the Shadows TV series now. It’s been a mental health boost of humor for me.

  3. The Princess Bride. My brother and I got that movie from the video store so often they practically handed it to us as we walked in the door. I suspect it has faults, but I if so, I don’t care.

    Also I’m fond of watching Leia kick butt, especially since it’s May the 4th tomorrow.

    Madagascar, because we always end up all dancing at the dance party finale. Mamma Mia, ditto (no, I don’t care that it’s eye-rollingly terrible, it’s fun, the people making it look like they’re having fun). Paddington because family and sumptious film-making.

    Last, but not not not least, Strictly Ballroom. Was that widely released outside Australasia? I have no idea. Anyway, it’s wonderful. I think I should watch it tomorrow. No, the day after (tomorrow, it’s Leia, or maybe Rey).

    1. I love Strictly Ballroom! I don’t know how widely it was released in theaters, but I’ve definitely been watching it in the US (in various formats) since shortly after it came out.

      1. It’s a classic here. I’ve never seen it, but it gets mentioned every time somebody writes about dance movies.

        1. Probably because the ballroom is real ballroom. A lot of dance movies fake it and if you dance you can tell and it’s really distracting. It’s too bad because it can ruin an otherwise really good movie

    2. I don’t think Princess Bride has any faults. Cary Elwes wrote a fun book about making it, and talked about how madly in love he was with Robin Wright. It sounds as though everybody in it was good to work with and that they had a blast.

      1. I bought that book, autographed. I read it, had a blast, then gifted it to my nephew and his bride, who walked down the aisle to the music from that film. I figured it needed to be theirs.

      2. Princess Bride is my favorite. Back when I used to date (eons ago), it was my date test movie. If a guy didn’t like Princess Bride, that was it for him.

        2. I was dating my first love when The Princess Bride was first released. Instead of a song, we had a movie, and that was it. Didn’t hurt that he strongly resembled Cary Elwes in TPB.

      1. I love it so much, right from the beginning.
        Actually, it’s funny the conversation about What We Do in the Shadows being batshit – in a completely different way, Strictly Ballroom is too, right from the opening scene. It also has that talk-to-camera style of What we do…
        Only the vibe is more bright and glittery. Very glittery

  4. We watched “Raiders of the Lost Ark” with the kids for family movie night on Friday and it was fun to watch them enjoy it. I think I would have been fine not watching it again, but I think that’s just b/c I’ve seen it so much, I’ve memorized the parts I like.

    I’m also lobbying for “Galaxy Quest” for a future family movie night. I feel like that one is very funny and feel good with a little bit of something for everyone.

    People have already mentioned a lot of good old movies, but two of my quirky favorites – “I Know Where I’m Going” (English romantic drama filmed in the Hebrides in the 1940s) and “Walk, Don’t Run” (60s rom com with Cary Grant as matchmaker rather than the lead). They’re both very dated and may not hold up well for some people.

    “Walk, Don’t Run” in particular, is one of the 60s “sex” comedies where the whole plot hinges on “nice girls don’t do that” and it’s so of it’s time, they don’t spell out what “that” is.

    So if you know what that’s like, you know what you’re in for. I personally grew up watching a lot of those Rock Hudson/Doris Day comedies with my mom (with both of us making fun of the double standards and morality while oohing over the dresses), so I enjoy that sort of movie when I’m in the right mood. And I just love that Cary Grant is allowed to have this sweet exit from the movie world (this was his last film) and watching him ensnare everyone into his hijinks and shenanigans.

    The movie was actually a remake of a 40s movie “The More the Merrier” but I seem to be of the minority view that this one is better. Because. . . Cary Grant.

    1. I loved Walk Don’t Run. The big thing I remember is the sliding screen, but the whole thing is such a time capsule.

      1. Agreed Jill Q.

        Cary Grant movies any time. Must look at the Cary Grant library of cds. Just the thing.

        Cary Grant, Irene Dunne in The Awful Truth and the remake with James Gardner, Doris Day in Move Over Darling are fun movies.

        1. I love Cary Grant in anything – my favorites are CHARADE and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY.

          He had a big hit in MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE. I thought that one was okay but the remake (1986’s THE MONEY PIT, with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long) is ridiculous but it did make me laugh. A lot!

          There’s a quote about the Care Bears that really tickled my funny bone. My husband and I had spent a couple years in the 70s renovating a 100 year old house on a minimal budget, which may be one reason this made me laugh. Delayed hysteria, probably.

    2. I have “I Know Where I’m Going” on DVD she was such a determined woman, though you feel teary when he requests her to play that bagpipe song at her wedding.

    3. Jill, have you seen Down with Love? It’s from 2003, and stars Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor as the main couple, David Hyde Pierce and Sarah Paulson as the subplot couple. It’s a tongue-in-cheek critique and homage to the old Hudson/Day movies all at the same time. It’s totally over the top and so much fun!

      1. Not only do I love “Down with Love” but my mom and I went to go see it in the theatervtogether! Fun for both of us.

        1. The first time I saw Down with Love I was expecting a rom com and I didn’t go into it with the right attitude.
          I watched it the second time because I remembered the costumes being so amazing, and that time it got me right between the eyes. It’s not a romcom, it’s a farce, and it’s HYSTERICAL. My fave will always be David Hyde Pierce saying, “There WERE Nazis at the pool party!” So, so good.

      1. I’ve been holed up in my bedroom quite a bit while my husband works out in the living room. I’ve had lots of time to go through my DVDs. I went on a Bryan Fuller kick and watched the entire series of Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies over two weeks, that was the best. Pushing Daisies especially makes me so happy.

        I also really enjoyed rewatching Circle of Friends, Wedding Singer, Dan in Real Life and of course, Princess Bride. This week I’m thinking of Ocean’s Eleven, Into the Woods, Benny and Joon, and Amelie.

  6. Never seen Real Genius, will put it on the list.

    Um Amelie, Holiday (1938) with Katherine Hepburn, she’s awesome, MGM Guys and Dolls, Marilyn Monroe in How to Marry a Millionaire & Gentlemen prefer Blondes.

    Mae West in Every Day’s a Holiday

    Worth it for the clothes by Schiaperelli and her version of window shopping and the line “no woman is perfect”

    1. There is a great book The Last Collection about Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Channel (also a romance) that you might find interesting. I loved it. I did not realize that Channel did not get a state funeral because she was a Nazi sympathizer and quite like a Nazi spy.

  7. Victor / Victoria
    Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, James Garner, Alex Carras.

    Holiday
    Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn when they were very young (Grant does a standing backflip), with a bonus Edward Everett Horton (whose voice aways brings me back to “Fractured Fairytales”)

    Some Like it Hot
    Jack Lemon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe. Gangsters and cross-dressing

    Indiscrete
    (a much older) Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. The full length version is pretty slow; I’m partial to the edited-for-TV version that cuts out a lot of the atmospheric scenes that seemed to delight Hitchcock.

  8. Practical Magic. I don’t care what anyone says, I love it and I love that house. The still room is my dream.
    Princess Bride as mentioned.
    The Emperor’s New Groove. Why do we even have that lever?
    The Long, Hot Summer with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. As great as they are, Orson Welles and Angela Lansbury are equally as amazing.
    The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is wonderful.

    1. Oh, man, The Long Hot Summer.
      And second The Emperor’s New Groove. Feel good and snarky comedy.

    2. If you want to see Angela Lansbury at her best, check out the original The Manchurian Candidate. It was quite an eye opener for someone who knew her most from Murder She Wrote.

    3. Yes, that house! Still have pages from a magazine that featured how they built it, planted the garden, etc. Then tore it all down when the movie was over.

    4. Paul Newman! THE STING is brilliant. Also love him in NOBODY’S FOOL.

      And going back in time, he and Elizabeth Taylor and Burl Ives are brilliant in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF.

    5. Oh, I love The Emporer’s New Groove! But I’ve never seen it in English. It came out when my kids were little and we lived in Germany, where it is Ein Königreich für ein Lama. I’ve seen it so many times. My girls can still recite all of the dialogue. It’s one of those movies we have to watch in German.

  9. Back when my grandchildren were much younger I would go to Walmart or Target and get Disney movies, Barbie princess movies for the girls, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Pirates of the Caribbean and such for grandson. Then I would look into the bins of $5. 00 movies for me. So I have a lot of Meg Ryan, Cher in Moonstruck, 27 Dresses with Catherine Heigl. I even bought all 8 seasons of The Closer but not at $5.00 each. The Martian and American Sniper and the like for husband. But when I’m in a mood I like to watch TCM Classics for all the old favorites of the thirties and decades moving forward. All the glimmering gowns the actresses would wear. James Cagney as a gangster or as George M. Cohan, Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn in African Queen, so good.

    1. Moonstruck is a perfect romantic comedy. Lani and I analyzed a lot of them back in the day, and that was one that stood out. Just so good.

      What’s Up, Doc? is a remake of Bringing Up Baby, so it’s fun to watch both because they’re both good.

      1. I LOVE What’s Up, Doc? That scene with the plate glass window delights me every time. I never thought about it being a remake of Bringing Up Baby.

  10. Galaxy Quest! I keep thinking I need to watch that again, and not getting around to it, with the long long long list of movies I haven’t seen that I want to watch. My Netflix subscription is Such a Waste. It takes me about ten times as much concentration to watch video as it does to read, and although I say “Maybe I can watch a movie tonight” about once a week, it doesn’t happen as often as once a month.

  11. Mumford is one of my favorite movies EVER. It starts very strangely so I always warn people, but it is quirky and has some great lines in it. I try to get everyone I like to watch it. I now want all of you to watch it immediately and tell me you love it.

    Enchanted April. Never found anyone who didn’t like it.

    There are other movies I love, but these are my best two feel good ones.

    Also, my boss who has no relationship with either yarn or animals sent me this delightful link of mini crocheted sofas for cats.
    https://www.boredpanda.com/tiny-crochet-cat-couches/

  12. ‘What’s Up, Doc?’ – my kids roll their eyes at it, but I laugh every time.

    ‘Working Girl’ – makes me feel better every time I watch it.

    ‘Overboard’ – Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell at their best.

    ‘Witness’ – just for the scene when they build up that barn. Moves me to tears.

    And of course, ‘Love – Actually’ which is a must for my husband and me to watch sometime before Christmas.

    1. I was going to say Love, Actually. Except for the necklace and Joni Mitchell.

      1. My sister & I watch that every Christmas and we always wonder at the last scene where she is meeting him at the airport, are they back together or not. Or did they ever split up…..

        Our holiday movie tradition started when we would watch Holiday Inn and then we have to sing the Sisters song.

      2. I can’t remember where I heard/read this but someone described Love Actually as “fuck the help” because most of the relationships are male employer/employee. I have to wonder if Richard Curtis was a bit obsessed with his housekeeper or secretary. Between that and Andrew Lincoln being a stalker you’d think I’d be put off the film but it’s still oddly enjoyable.

        1. Yeah, it’s problematical. There are story lines in it that I loathe so I don’t rewatch, but then there’s Bill Nighy, and Hugh Grant dancing, and that little girl singing, and the whole Neeson-and-son thing, such good pieces.

  13. So many great suggestions, and yet I’m having just as hard a time watching all my old favourites as in reading new books. (??)

    But lately I have a new all-time favourite movie, Their Finest, based on Lissa Evans’s Their Finest Hour and a Half. I’ve watched it at least half a dozen times since it came out. London, WWII, a young woman writing a script for a propaganda film about Dunkirk.

    (Ah yes, While You Were Sleeping. Hard to think of it as an “old” movie. I watched it with Jenny and the gang on Popcorn Dialogues. Great fun.)

    1. I love “Their Finest”! It might be one of those rare cases where I love the movie even more than the book. I adore Bill Nighy and I could watch it only for the scene where he sings “Wild Mountain Thyme.”
      I think Their Finest, like Galaxy Quest, is about found family and the importance of telling stories, which are two things that always resonate with me.

      1. Yes, I love every scene with Bill Nighy, including those in the film within a film. And I especially appreciate his character arc. In fact, everyone’s character arc.

  14. I love His Girl Friday. And it brings to mind another classic by Howard Hawks: Bringing Up Baby. Also love comfort watching some of the others mentioned above: Victor Victoria, What’s Up, Doc? , Galaxy Quest …

  15. No one seems to have expressly mentioned When Harry Met Sally, but it’s one of my top 5 rom coms along with While You Were Sleeping! Also I like Friends with Benefits (Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher). I like the old Holiday with Cary and Katherine but there’s another Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet and Jude Law and Jack Black which is great too. So many great rom coms out there!

  16. There are some movies where I will stop and watch them every time I see them on TV. These include

    Big Trouble in Little China – Kurt Russell doing his best John Wayne, all while being the sidekick in the movie.

    The Fifth Element – It’s crazy weird, but we save humanity at the end. Try to get the video, rather than the TV cut – you lose a lot of the director’s art with that one.

    The Princess Bride – nuff said.

    The Hunt for Red October – such a guy flick, but since I’m from a Navy family, it kinda speaks to me.

    Lately now, The Martian. It’s really about smart people solving problems, and has a great soundtrack thanks to the Mission Commander’s stash of disco music.

    For the older movies, my favorite is The Philadelphia Story.

  17. The Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981 -39 years old) has already been mentioned.

    Help (The Beattles 1965 – 55 years old)

    Tootsie (1982 – 38 years old) I love this movie.

    Stop Making Sense (The Talking Heads 1984 -36 years old)

    When did all these great movies get to be so old. Some of them could have grandchildren by now.

    1. Have you seen the Beatles’ A HARD DAYS NIGHT? I like that even better than HELP!.

  18. Heads up for Murderbot fans – the first book All Systems Red is $1.99 today on Amazon.

  19. For no reasonable reason, I decided to restrict my own choices to the DVDs on my bookshelves. I should make a list of what’s there.

    I have eight movies based on Nora Roberts books. Northern Lights, Carolina Moon, Blue Smoke, Tribute, Midnight Bayou, Montana Sky, Angels Fall, and High Noon. Any one of that batch is a comfort, and I know the girl’s gonna get the guy. The whole group is from the oughts, not really old.

    In one DVD case I have The American President and Dave. The former is from ’95, the latter from ’93. Older, but not ancient. I love The American President. With this movie as a guide, how did we end up electing Bob Rumson?

    Have I got The Princess Bride on my shelves? Yes I do. Do I rewatch it now and then? Not to do so would be… inconceivable!

    I am not the world’s greatest Clint Eastwood fan, but I have Heartbreak Ridge (’86) and The Outlaw Josie Wales (’76). I re-watch the first a lot more than the second, even if it’s just to hear him growl, “Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.” or “Surrender is not in our creed.”

    Speaking of surrender not being in our creed, Galaxy Quest (’99) is getting worn out, I’ve watched it so much. Best. Star Trek. Movie. EVER.

    Princess Bride? Yes. I watched it on repeat for years. Now, maybe once a year.

    The rest of my old collection were on VHS Tapes, which went to new homes via the thrift store. I mean, sure, I’ve got all the Harry Potter movies and they date to 2001, but they’re still making more.

    The Postman (’97) is on my re-watch list, too. It was a rare case of the movie being better than the book.

    1. Which reminds me: my favourite actual Star Trek film is First Contact. Particularly love the reluctant hero they have to corral into action.

  20. Oh YES!! to Galaxy Quest. The wonder of Alan Rickman’s performance!

    I also love

    – Office Space
    – Groundhog Day
    – A Fish Called Wanda
    – Soapdish
    – A Night at the Opera
    – When Harry Met Sally
    – Despicable Me

    This is an interesting topic! It’s like time travel through your own old memories. 🙂

    2. I love Groundhog Day so, so very much. I saw an article that estimated he repeated for about ten years – at least 3,600 days. I couldn’t find it on the shelf, so it must have been VHS.

  21. When I want distraction I start with Bugs Bunny and Rocky and Bullwinkle until I can concentrate long enough for a whole movie. Then it is on to some classic like My Man Godfrey, His Girl Friday, The Thin Man, The Lady Killers or The Lavender Hill Mob, Holiday or Adam’s Rib. I adore the original Holiday and am partial to anything with Edward Everett Horton.
    Then I’m ready for something more recent, like Tom Jones or a musical , Like Gigi, An American in Paris, The Music Man or Victor, Victoria.
    If I want a good cry with a hopeful ending, I love Truly, Madly, Deeply with Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson. I remember loving My Beautiful Launderette when it came out, but I haven’t watched it lately to see if it withstands changing tastes.

    1. Truly, Madly, Deeply kills me every time. If you like Alan Rickman, try Bottle Shock, with him and Chris Pine–the true story of the Napa Valley vineyard that won big in France and put California wines on the map.

      1. Yup to Truly, Madly, Deeply. It gets me every time. I miss Alan Rickman 🤐

  22. I’ll try not to repeat although a lot of my favorites have already been called. Two week Notice, the scene where she takes the ice out of his water and he takes the beets out of her salad. What a great relationship is. Breaking away. Arsenic and Old Lace. Sister Act. Singing in the Rain. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Airplane and Something about Mary. May have to watch Galaxy Quest again

    1. Arsenic and Old Lace is one of my very favorites! Still wildly funny after, what? 80 years!

    2. That ice/beet moment is some of the best romance writing I’ve ever seen. Completely throwaway moment that tells you everything you need to know about how they understand each other.

    3. I saw a special about GALAXY QUEST last week that made me realize what a perfect movie it is. I can’t watch it now without regretting the loss of Alan Rickman. SUCH a wonderful actor.

      Just thought of a couple more, nothing like GALAXY QUEST but definitely worth watching – THE VIPS, from the 1960s. REAR WINDOW, still scary after all these years. And THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, where Doris Day has the best scream scene ever!

  24. We’ve watched Tootsie, Groundhog Day, Support Your Local Sheriff. There are so many great reminders here!
    Decided we needed to try Sister Act as well.
    If I don’t pick a movie it’s Jeopardy and then news alllll night.

    1. Oh, wow, Support Your Local Sheriff. Best thing James Garner ever did. I quoted it a lot in Faking It and then made it part of the resolution because it was so perfect: “I’m really on my way to Australia.”

  25. Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea with Colleen Dewhurst and Megan Fellowes. I watched them over and over when I sewed the dresses for my daughter’s wedding, and now I’m watching them again while I sew masks and scrub caps.

    1. Ohhh, I have the box set of Anne of Green Gables. I had a crush on Jonathon Crombie who played Gilbert. Have not watched the series in a while; will have to dig it out tomorrow. I am a big fan of Sandra Bullock, so I have watched While You Where Sleeping a number of times. Can’t believe it has been twenty-five years since it was released.

      Philadelphia Story. I also like the remake High Society with Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.
      Roman Holiday, Charade and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The scene between Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard in the taxi near the end of the movie gets me every time.
      Jumping Jack Flash. Whoopi Goldberg is brilliant in this film. But I never watch the end of the movie because it annoys me too much. When the Carol Kane character says, you did all of this for a date, I nod along at the stupidity of that plotline. I think the movie should have ended with Whoopi Goldberg hitting the Stephen Collin’s character. She outwitted the bad guys throughout the movie, put her life at risk, yet Stephen Collins doesn’t tell her who he is till after the shootout.
      Other movies: Straight Talk. One for the Money. White Palace.

      1. One of happy moments was going to see “The Drowsy Chaperone” and Johnathan Crombie was playing the Man in the Chair. My friend was a bit embarrassed when I squealed “it’s Gibert! Live!”

  26. Deep in my Heart, 1954, it was on turner movies my DH and I saw it when we were going stead!
    Soooo it was feel good. Jose Ferrar was at his best, and the music, brought us so many memories.

  27. Anything with Fred Astaire. Anything with Gene Kelly, but especially Singin’ in the Rain and American in Paris. And Ginger Rogers, who could do everything Fred did, but did it backwards and in high heels. The quality of the dancing in those movies just shows you what a poor shadow La La Land is.

  28. I read sn article in the Washington Post where they interviewed the cast of While You Were Sleeping after 25 years. I had that movie on DVD and watched it a lot.😊

  29. I have nearly all the Meg Ryan rom-coms from those years. My favorite is the — I think — underappreciated FRENCH KISS. Kevin Kline is the best!

  30. What’s Up Doc and French Kiss are definitely on my list. Also American Dreamer. And, going back in time, Arsenic and Old Lace, Bringing Up Baby and the dark but brilliant Charade.

    I’m also hooked on some British mystery series on TV: Shakespeare and Hathaway, Murder City, Lewis, Endeavour and Midsomer Murders.

    1. I’ve been waiting to see American Dreamer!

      I agree with the Princess Bride, While You Were Sleeping, A Fish Called Wanda, Despicable Me and sequels, and Mama Mia.

      I’ll add Hudson Hawk, Better Off Dead, Clue, Miss Congeniality, The Librarian starring Noah Wyle (the whole franchise), Remo Williams the Adventure Begins…, R.E.D. with Bruce Willis and others (a little violent), Journey to the Center of the Earth starring Brendon Frazier, And Kung Fu Panda. Just a few other options.

  31. I believe Clueless has its mumblety-mumblety anniversary this month. And in this house Some Like It Hot is a favorite because hotel and beach filming happened a couple blocks away. Town still tells Stories about that time. Stunt Man with Peter O’Toole because it was also filmed there, mostly on the roof. And – because O’Toole – My Favorite Year. Throw in France for Charade, French Kiss, and A Year in Provence.

    2. Oh my gosh, how could I forget SOME LIKE IT HOT? That’s one of my all-time favorites!

  32. Some of my favorites have already been mentioned (Moonstruck, Princess Bride, Love Actually etc). So here are a few others: The Gods Must be Crazy, Romancing the Stone, Secondhand Lion, Gosford Park, Juno, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Any of these are good escape/feel good movies for me.

    1. My favorite part of THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY is the part where he goes off on a rant about his Jeep, “The Antichrist.”

      For a VERY weird but also weirdly wonderful movie check out Miranda July’s ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW. When I first watched it I almost threw it out the window after about 20 minutes. After that it grew progressively more addictive.

      Not sure if it’s available, but LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS from about 1970 is another old favorite.

  33. Well, I was all set to share this week’s top happinesses. I’m going to do it anyway. Midweek I was thinking how to make birthday cards (I’ve got three this month), and suddenly remembered that I’ve got thousands of photographs on my computer, quite a few of which would make excellent cards. I then managed to find my old photo paper and instructions (sort of) for printing to my all-in-one printer – which I gave up doing six years ago because it’s ridiculously tricky. And it worked first time! I’m going to make more. In fact, I may give up on buying cards, since they’re so expensive.

    I rang my two closest friends from school, who were both delighted to catch up, and keen on my idea of a Zoom reunion (we’ve all got birthdays this month).

    And, while it’s hard work, the allotment’s shaping up – I’ve been clearing the weeds and making paths. And this afternoon, out of the blue, a guy I’d asked for advice this morning on erecting four eight-foot metal poles as a support for my fan cherry came over and offered to put them up for me! It took him ten minutes. It would have taken me hours and hours.

  34. LOVE THIS!! I just spent 15 minutes scroooooooollling through Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime to find something to watch, so I’ll definitely bookmark this post for future reference!

  36. “portraits in their closets” LOL Good one, Jenny! I know someone IRL who I’m convinced has a portrait of himself aging somewhere. I know this is juvenile humor but the Police Squad movies make me laugh. I think Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley are cute together. I love Moonstruck and The Princess Bride too. There’s a classic Cary Grant movie called Every Girl Should Be Married with one of his IRL wives, Betsy Drake, that is cute (if you can get past the title – Ha, just kidding)

  37. One that hasn’t been mentioned is Hellboy. I love that movie, just the right amount of adventure and snark.

    And anything with Cary Grant.

  38. I love many of the movies already mentioned (Princess Bride, Juno, French Kiss, Amelie, Fred and Ginger), but I’m a sucker for a quirky Australian or Kiwi flick, doesn’t matter how cringy. Siam Sunset, Rikki and Pete, Pork Pie (the 2017 remake, I couldn’t stand the man’s laugh in the OG), The Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Tempe Tip are the standouts. I also love Red Dog, but I’m not a big fan of the sobbing I have to endure.

    1. Remember – horse person here – so in the top five of my list is Man From Snowy River – never watch the scene where Jim and Denny plunge down the cliff chasing the brumbies without goosebumps. I know the love story is a little lame, but the riding scenes are all excellent, music is terrific and just a sweet lovely movie. At the top has to be Galaxy Quest, then Princess Bride, Gross Point Blank, and Dave. Wow, just realized how eclectic my taste is. Star Wars (the first one) , Arsenic and old Lace and Bell, Book and Candle show up in the top ten.

  39. I love many of the above, but also anything Mel Brooks, but especially Blazing Saddles. For something older, Danny Kaye in The Court Jester. Monsoon Wedding and Bride and Prejudice (Bollywood). For something a little different, a magical realism romcom with Sarah Michelle Geller, called Simply Irresistible. Other favorite romcoms include Must Love Dogs, Raising Helen, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Someone Like You. If you like quirky (and a young Minne Driver and Rufus Sewell, plus Nigel Hawthorne), try Uncorked. It’s about wine and family and crazy, It has ARGH written all over it.

    1. Ah…jeez, I went out on a first date with something, I can’t remember who, but we went and saw Blazing Saddles… wonder what happened to that guy…

    2. Speaking of Mel Brooks – I can watch Young Frankenstein at any time of year. And the black-and-white cinematography feels…peaceful.

    3. You know of Simply Irresistible! I thought I was alone, I am a huge Buffy fan, I watched it after Sarah Michelle Gellar said something about a film and a lobster. Also because of Sean Patrick Flanery, from the Adventures of Young Indiana Jones

    4. Oh! Rufus Sewell. How could I forget Cold Comfort Farm! “There’s always some oversexed cousin called Seth or Reuben or something.” We get both a Seth and a Reuben. I had to give up saying “Something nasty in the wood shed” because no one else had seen the movie.

  40. I also love “While You Were Sleeping.” I’ve been having a Meg Ryan fest here,
    with “When Harry Met Sally,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” and “You’ve Got Mail.”
    Also partial to Kenneth Branagh’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Very fond
    of “American President.” And love the remake of “Sabrina” even more than
    the original, Audrey Hepburn notwithstanding. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

  41. It’s Sunday. So, appropriate of no movies whatsoever, I took the dotter to dinner and shopping, not in that order. She wanted to go to a distant Walmart (there are two closer ones), so we did that. She got plants (of course) and some lunch meat and cheese. I got other stuff, and managed to forget the condiments again.

    What restaurant did we patronize? The drive-through window of Burger King. Keto-woman disassembled two double Whoppers with bacon and such and chucked all that bread. She chowed down while I drove. The only disappointment was the aftertaste of disinfectant from cleaning the drink dispenser. The diet colas were poured out the window.

    She turned 35 last week. Hurrah!

  42. My sweatshirt says, in large letters, “The Book was Better.” HOWEVER:

    “Invictus,” the only movie that made me enthusiastic about watching what I think must have been twenty minutes of soccer. Though I loved the book as well.

    “Charlie Wilson’s War,” for the moral arc.

    “The King’s Speech.”

    “My Cousin Vinny.”

    “Galavant,” especially for the music.

    “Seven Days in May,” though I really prefer the book.

    “1776” why does “Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve” seem so very timeless?

    1. MY COUSIN VINNY is a classic! I also love Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey, Jr. in ONLY YOU.

      MOULIN ROUGE is one of those movies that people either love or hate. I mostly love it.

      For a nice twisty mystery, try MALICE with Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin.

    2. We quote My Cousin Vinny at least once a week, be it about cooking grits or blending.

      1. You just made me google my cousin vinny cooking grits and watch two YouTube results. I’d completely forgotten those scenes. Thanks!

  44. Yes to lots of these!

    I have three Australian movies to add, which you may not have seen:

    Paperback Hero (Hugh Jackman as a truckdriver/romance novelist)

    The Castle (possibly every Australian’s favourite movie. It’s about love and families)

    The Return of Captain Invincible (starring Alan Arkin and Christopher Lee – it’s a musical. Leave all preconceptions at the door 🙂

  45. Speaking of romcoms, anyone remember Mississippi Masala with Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury? Also, while we’re on Denzel, I liked Mighty Quinn. He seemed like he was really enjoying himself in that movie.

  46. We watched Speed this weekend – enjoyable, but I was surprised at how long it took to get Sandra on screen.

    Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure always leaves me feeling most triumphant.

  47. Lots of my favorites already listed. Some unmentioneds:

    –Little Miss Sunshine
    billed as a story of a dysfunctional family I think it’s a story of dysfunctional individuals in a highly-functioning family.

    –Ghostbusters (2016)
    the one with Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy (who merits a film festival by herself)

    –Tortilla Soup
    great music too

  48. “Everlasting” with Drew Barrymore…gives me the same kind of feels as “Crazy Rich Asians”…..and my favorite quote “I’m just here for the food.”

  49. Oh, and The In Laws (Peter Falk/Alan Arkin). Spy, with Melissa McCarthy, and the other movie she made with Sandra Bullock.

    I really enjoy the Hotel Transylvania movies, they have just a different view. Who would think of racing flying banquet tables?

    The Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility, sigh.

  50. I just remembered “Joe versus the Volcano”. That was an under appreciated gem!

  51. I love so many of these. What’s up, Doc?, Galaxy Quest, and The Princess Bride are way up there. I also love The Fifth Element, Shaun of the Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the First Wives Club.

  52. Jill, I just now found you! and am happily reading The Cinderella Deal. Then I found your blog and this wonderful post! So many movies here are my favs, too. I’m amazed other people know some of the more obscure ones (Joe vs. the Volcano; Truly, Madly, Deeply; Cold Comfort Farm) I thought I only knew about. I’d like to give these an honorable mention:

    If You Could Only Cook (1935) very charming; with Jean Arthur and Herbert Marshall and It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)

    Zathura (2005) Two brothers find a mysterious mechanized vintage board game in their house and are transported into outer space.

    The Age of Adaline (2015) A young woman stops aging after an accident in the early 20th century. Blake Lively, Harrison Ford (There is also an interesting book, The Many Lives of John Stone, probably written for the teen market, that is about a secret group of people who live very long lives that a young woman stumbles upon.)

    Greenfingers (2000) British rom com – a group of prisoners find redemption and participate in the Hampton Court Flower Show – Clive Owen, Helen Mirren.

    More good ones from across the pond: Blow Dry with Alan Rickman (2001, comedy); Saving Grace (2000) Brenda Blethyn, Craig Ferguson, Martin Clunes; I’ll Be There (2003) A former ’80’s pop star in a downward spiral finds he has a daughter. Funny, and really lovely – Charlotte Church, Craig Ferguson, Anthony Head

    Enchanted April (1991) A group of very different English women go on holiday to an Italian castle during the 1920’s looking for a change from their lives.

    Best in Show (2000) A humorous mockumentary

    August Rush (2007) a runaway orphan who is a musical prodigy searches for his parents.

    Diamond Fleece (1991) a made for tv movie about a charming ex-burglar who is advising a jewelry store on security. He crosses paths with a bookseller and is smitten. (Ben Cross, Kate Nelligan – she won a Gemini award for her role; and Brian Dennehy)

    The Beautician and the Beast (1997) Fran Drescher and Timothy Dalton – Improbable and funny.

    Flawless (2007) Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Lambert Wilson. Demi Moore gives an incredible performance. Her role is as one of the first women managers at a diamond corporation. During some career conflicts, the company janitor, played by Michael Caine, comes to her with a dangerous proposition. And the fashion is pretty spectacular, too. Several movies are entitled “Flawless”, so put Demi Moore, Michael Caine in the search engine with the title if you’re looking this one up.

    Crazy Moon (1987) – really obscure; an eccentric, wealthy teenager meets a hearing impaired girl. Worth a watch if you can find it. (Kiefer Sutherland)

    Nobody’s Fool (1986) – A very off-beat, quirky, romantic drama comedy. A small town girl with issues gets involved with a traveling Shakespeare troupe and is drawn into the production and involvement with one of its members.

    Knightriders (1981) Definitely not a rom-com, but an unusual movie. A traveling troupe jousts on motorcycles. The leader wishes to keep the group on track with his ideology, based on King Arthur’s court.

    Timerider: The adventure of Lyle Swann (1982) a B-movie with merits. Dirt bike racer competing in desert Baja 1000 accidentally involves himself in a time travel experiment and crosses over to 1877.

    Hearts in Atlantis (2001) Anthony Hopkins – mystery/drama

    Self/less (2015) A billionaire with a terminal disease is offered a chance at a new life. Ryan Reynolds, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Dockery, and Matthew Goode

    Just two more – A Walk in the Clouds (1995) w/Keanu Reeves a romantic drama; and The Lake House (2006) with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves: A doctor and an architect living in different time periods. Romantic drama

    This is waaaay too long but they just kept pouring out! I hope someone will find a new favorite. I look forward to checking out films others have mentioned.

  53. How could I forget Somewhere in Time (1981)? Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour

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