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Where would we be without comfort food? It provides us with solace through grief, reminds us of treasured people in our lives, and just makes us feel content. Movies can also do the same. They can evoke a specific memory of where you saw it, who you were with, and how it made you feel. Thus, the comfort movie. Why is The Wizard of Oz consistently viewed? Besides having a great story, terrific actors, and beautiful and vibrant cinematography, who doesn’t remember their first time seeing it? It was usually a family affair. A shared experience. A connection. And ripe for repeated viewings.
My comfort movies that I will watch repeatedly and find new ways to enjoy are as follows:
What’s Up, Doc? (1972) – An homage to the screwball comedies of the ‘30’s and ‘40’s (Bringing Up Baby, in particular) stars Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal and was directed by film connoisseur Peter Bogdanovich. This fast-paced laugher throws everything and the kitchen sink at you. The two stars are helped by one of the best supporting casts ever assembled. Madeline Kahn (in her first feature film) is legend as O’Neal’s controlling fiancée (Where was her Oscar nomination for this?). Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, and Liam Dunn all make comedy gold in their respective roles. Also in a pivotal role is Mabel Albertson (Samantha’s “I have a sick headache” mother-in-law on Bewitched). There are car chases through the streets of San Francisco, sight gags galore, a never better Barbra singing “As Time Goes By” from Casablanca, and Ryan O’Neal channeling his inner Cary Grant.
My second choice is a love letter to the cinema:
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) – Woody Allen’s comedy/fantasy is as perfect as a film can be. Mia Farrow (underrated) is Cecilia, a 1930s waitress who frequents her local movie house to escape an abusive marriage to a deadbeat gambler (Danny Aiello). While she sits through multiple showings of a film called The Purple Rose of Cairo, one of its characters–Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels)–comes down from the screen because he has seen Cecilia in the audience and is intrigued by her. This stops the picture dead in its tracks. From there many hi-jinks happen. Naïve Tom finds himself in a bordello of very generous ladies of the evening but doesn’t partake (look for Dianne Wiest as one of the girls). He also takes Cecilia out for a fancy dinner, but not a real person he has no money, so they do a fast getaway when the check is due. The “real” actor who plays Tom–Gil Shepherd (also Daniels)–is called to the little town to try to remedy the very odd situation. Reality and fantasy duke it out and from there…well, you must watch.
During Christmastime I always watch this next selection. I like my holiday movies more alternative, less treacly:
The Ref (1994) – This dark comedy stars Denis Leary (doing his best Denis Leary), Judy Davis (brilliant), and Kevin Spacey. Davis and Spacey play a bitter married couple that would give The Bickersons (younger readers look it up!) a run for their money. Leary is a thief who needs to hide out for a while and takes the couple hostage in their own home. What he doesn’t count on is their family coming over for a nice holiday dinner and impeding his plans. Said relatives include a sarcastic Christine Baranski and mother-in-law-from-hell Glynis Johns. Everyone is at the top of their game, with a very frustrated Leary providing many laughs as the hapless criminal. ‘Tis the season to be snarky.
Another of my go-tos is this romantic comedy that asks the question is vacuuming topless appropriate? (gratuitous scene for $500 Alex?):
Working Girl (1988) – Starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and a scene-stealing Joan Cusack, this corporate world comedy completely captures the cutthroat chaos of company politics. Griffith is secretary Tess McGill trying to climb the corporate ladder, Weaver her duplicitous boss, and Ford, a merger and acquisitions guy and a love interest for both. Providing able support are Alec Baldwin, Nora Dunn, and Philip Bosco. Kevin Spacey, Olympia Dukakis, Oliver Platt also make the most of their minutes on screen.
The film is smartly directed by Mike Nichols, with a perfect screenplay by Kevin Wade. Some of best friend Joan Cusack’s classic lines are “Sometimes I sing and dance around the house in my underwear. Doesn’t make me Madonna. Never will,” and, while looking at Weaver’s closet full of fancy dresses, “Six thousand dollars? It’s not even leather!” Cusack and Weaver were rewarded with Best Supporrting Actress Oscar nominations, as was Griffith for Best Actress.
If dark humor and hippie sentiments float your boat, this pick’s for you:
Harold and Maude (1971) – A black comedy directed by Hal Ashby, starring Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort with songs provided by Cat Stevens. Harold is a young man obsessed with death (he drives a hearse), and Maude is a carefree 79-year-old who knows how to enjoy life. Of course, they fall in love. Complicating matters is Harold’s mother (an outstanding Vivian Pickles), who wants a different kind of life for her son. She signs him up for computer dating and hilariously answers the questions for him and also tries to get him into the military. None of her schemes work. He elaborately stages gruesome scenes for prospective dates and, with the help of Maude, commits a fake murder to elude his mother’s plans. But there is more to Maude than she first lets on, and eventually Harold discovers the truth about her.
The film was not well received when it was first released. Eventually it was shown at repertory theaters and became a cult classic. It was named number 45 on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 top comedies. The Cat Stevens song “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out,” which beautifully captured the essence of the film and the time in which it was made, finally became available in 1984.
For the baseball lover (Go Phillies!), diamonds are a guy’s best friend:
Field of Dreams (1989) – Kevin Costner stars as Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer haunted by his strained relationship with his late ex-ballplayer father. Ray has a vison of a baseball field in his cornfield and hears a voice tell him “If you build it, he will come.” With his wife Annie’s (Amy Madigan, currently having her moment in the horror film Weapons) approval they build the field, although doing so may cause them financial troubles. The ghost of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) shows up, followed by other diamond denizens, all players who were banned from the game for throwing the 1919 World Series. James Earl Jones appears as a 1960s author whose books are being threatened with banning by the local residents, and Burt Lancaster shows up as a small-town doctor linked to the ghostly goings-on. Get out the tissues for the very touching ending.
What films bring you comfort? Or help you escape reality? Please let us know in the comments.