I’ve seen some movies 50 times. That is not a joke. I have access to almost any DVD I want. I have cable TV with premium channels and thousands of on-demand choices. Yet, when it comes to finding something to watch, I will invariably choose a film I’ve seen many times.
Sometimes many, many, many times.
Thanks to the advent of cable, where the same movie is sometimes shown upwards of ten times a week, I will even watch portions of movies I’ve seen dozens of times over and over again. I’m not sure why I do this either. It’s not that I don’t want to see other movies — I’ve seen my fair share over the years — but something just draws me to certain movies and I just have to watch them. I don’t think I’m sick or crazy. Maybe I’m just lazy.
I’ve seen the following movies at least 50 times in my lifetime (in no particular order):
The Graduate (1967) – My favorite movie. I own a copy on VHS. I own a copy on DVD. I’ve watched them many times. Yet, any time I see it on cable or regular TV I will watch it. I know the lines by heart at this point.
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) – Believe it or not, I think I’ve seen this movie more than any other in my life. It started when I was a young boy and that last scene with Ann-Margretsinging the title song, well, it’s probably something only a male can explain. Oh, and Paul Lynde is great, too. And I don’t even like musicals!
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – The only movie I’ve paid to see in theaters three times…in one week! I also own a copy of this one. I’ve seen it so often I know all the different versions with all of the different edits. If you are not seeing the version with Jerry Lewis running over Spencer Tracy’s hat you may be missing a lot.
My Cousin Vinny (1992) – My favorite movie of the past 30 years. I will watch every time I can. If you haven’t seen it buy it now. Or, watch it on-demand. I did, last week.
Casablanca (1942) – One of the best, perhaps THE best, ever made. It should be part of everyone’s movie collection (certainly everyone reading this blog). It is an easy one to watch over and over again. And again…
The Great Escape (1963) – My favorite war movie– if it actually classifies as a war movie since there is no actual fighting. What a great cast! Steve McQueen is great! James Garner is great! Even the theme song is great!
The Odd Couple (1968) – To this day I think this is one of the funniest movies ever made, based on a hugely popular play. The scene where Jack Lemmon has to clear his ears in the restaurant should be in the cinema hall of fame.
Field of Dreams (1989) – This may not be one of the greatest movies ever made, but it strikes a chord with me every time I watch it, which is often since it is on cable so much. My wife gets mad at me every time I watch it because I always cry at the end. Always, Dad.
I’m not even going to mention what happens when I decide not to watch a movie. (I’ll only say Everybody Loves Raymond, Cheers and Man vs. Food.)
What movies have you seen 50 times? Let us know in the comments!