With the release of director Greta Gerwig’s latest cinematic venture, “Barbie,” audiences have discovered yet again what it’s like to experience joy within the world of movies. I, like countless others, have also grown to fall in love with the shimmering pink joy that is Gerwig’s exploration into the legacy of the iconic American doll. But while many of my movie-obsessed peers are watching “Barbie” for the analytic nuggets it contains, along with wanting to stay in the magical realm of its pastel splendor, I find myself realizing the category I would put this new Gerwig joint into – that being it’s a new comfort movie for me.
For those that have never used or heard of the term, comfort movies are the films that no matter the topic, time of year, or any factor, they give you a sense of calm in a world full of unpredictable chaos. For some, their comfort movies are those they watched during their childhood and are of the animated variety, while to others, their comfort movie could be a stone cold serious Kubrick project. But no matter what slot your comfort film of choice falls into, all that matters is that it gives you the right amount of cuddly, safe, anxiety-free endorphins needed to get through this wild ride called life.
But with all that being said, what exactly makes a comfort movie for me, well, comfortable? Does it have to have some sort of specific visual aesthetic presentation? Does the music have to be of a certain variety? What about a comfort actor? Safe to say there are a lot of factors and maybe they’re the same for you too.
The Intellect (or lack of it)
While I find solace in watching both the original 1985 version and the 2011 version of “Fright Night,” there’s something about the allure of Chris Sarandon wearing an ungodly amount of chunky sweaters (especially this grey-meets-eggplant number) that gives me just the right amount of joy. For those that don’t know, both movies follow the basic plot of a boy who sees that a vampire moved in next door to him, and horror insanity begins to occur. But even if you push to the side the sexy vampire energy of Sarandon’s Jerry, what makes the OG “Fright Night” one of my comfort movies all has to deal the layered subtext underneath the fabric of both Jerry’s sweaters and the movie itself.
From the hidden references to Jerry’s bisexuality (including the bi-club lighting of the scene shown above) to the examination of the pressures and fantasies of losing your virginity, “Fright Night” is far from just your typical monster popcorn flick. And it is the magic of digging deep into those ideas that makes watching a movie not only comforting but deeply rewarding.
But on the flipside, there are movies that are as narratively simple as they are equally charming. Take for instance the camp messy classic “Mannequin,” starring “Sex and the City’s” Kim Cattrall and 80’s hunk, Andrew McCarthy. The movie centers around a Egyptian princess played by Cattrall (the movie’s choice, not mine) who finds herself under a statue-transforming curse that can only be broken by true love. The film then follows McCarthy’s character discovering said princess and their department store hijinks filled romance.
Is this a dumb movie? Absolutely. But do I love every mind-numbing moment of its hyper colored, consumer driven frames? You bet I do. Because sometimes a comfort movie doesn’t have to be filled with existential ponderings or film school level critique, yet instead can be a fluffy, by-the-books tale of malls, corporate greed, and love concurring over evil. This is indeed where the comfort can be found – in laughing at the stupid choices the movie makes, the great soundtrack it contains, and the hilarious missteps it made that led to its final version – along with the character of Hollywood himself, because he’s always timeless.
The Dreamy Aspects
Sometimes a movie becomes a source of comfort because of the visual world created within it. One of those movies for me (and apparently Greta Gerwig as well) is Jacques Demy’s “The Young Girls of Rochefort” – a pastel ice cream dream of a musical that taps into the simplistic inner thoughts of its ordinary (but likable) characters. Under Demy’s emotional lens, we as the audience are transported to a town where the simple act of walking down the street is a full on choreographed number, people fall in love in the most melancholy of ways, and wearing anything other than a bright colored outfit is considered taboo. Basically it’s my Pintrest fantasy come to life.
That in a nutshell is the magic of Demy’s unique filmmaking perspective, for he tells stories and creates cinematic worlds that are as far from reality as possible. But even with that being the case, they all evoke what we all secretly wish real life was. Because when you walk down the street of a crowded neighborhood, we wish someone (even a stranger) would share those same feelings with us through dance, or that your true love is only one cafe away from you at all times. Sure, it’s absurd, but that’s what makes Demy’s directorial vision brilliant from the get-go.
Simply put, all of these dreamy qualities are what make movies like “Rochefort” (including many of Demy’s other creations) amongst the top tier of my comfort selections. Because for just two or so hours, I get to live in this enchanting (but realistic) paradise without an outside care in the world.
Makes You Feel Like a Kid
As a little nerd child of the 90’s, easily some of my favorite comfort movies are the ones that I fell in love with as a kid. Many of these happen to be of the fantasy variety, because let’s face it, I always preferred fairy tales to real life. But even with my love of Disney and fantasy-specific adventures, I often found myself more interested in stories that were a tad more on the more rugged side of things.
One movie that fits that description is “Dragonheart,” a CGI-pioneering 1996 flick about a knight and a dragon becoming friends, despite their rough past. Sure, the movie might have its dark qualities, but with the jaw dropping special effects and the emotional bond between the two lead characters, this movie never fails to make me feel a sense of wonder and delight, much like it did when I was a pointsized neurospicy kiddo who was dazzled by the overall magic of movies.
Sure, to some these movies might be flawed (Alonso Dulrade’s hilarious question “Was is great or were you eight?” comes to mind), but it ultimately doesn’t matter. Because at the end of the day, if they help you emotionally return to that time in which screens felt bigger than you could have imagined, and CGI-Dragons felt just as real as the scrape you got on your knee at school, then you don’t have to defend the comfort factor of movies like this.
*Insert Mandy Moore’s “Crush” Here*
Let’s face it: while movies certainly do supply a lot of narrative excitement, there’s no denying the comfort factor that can come from revisiting an actor/character you got the cinematic butterflies towards. And while I have a laundry list of movies that fit into that particular category, a flick that deserves to be mentioned is 2018’s “Black Panther”. Why? Because it’s not only an excellent adaptation of my childhood favorite comic book character, but it just so happens to feature an ensemble of a multitude of people that are the definition of comforting eye candy.
From the immortal Chadwick Boseman as the beautifully regal T’Challa to Winston Duke as the arrogant but lovable M’Baku, there’s something about watching a talented (and hot) person play a role so excellently that your body just can’t help but give you all the sparkly endorphins as a reward for watching it again and again. Plus, it tickles that part of your brain that used to be cringy as a tween (and still is in their 30s) that wanted to write a fanfiction based off of said movie, and that’s always a good thing, trust me.
You Want to Revisit A Feeling
When I originally saw Jon M. Chu’s “Crazy Rich Asians,” I wasn’t exactly sitting next to the world’s best movie watching partner. Instead I was treated to a marathon of grunts, sighs, and other vocal exercises in aggression. But despite having said audience member next to me (for whom is thankfully not in my life anymore) I fell in love with this movie simply because it made me feel a lot of things. From the greatest wedding scene in all of cinematic history to the simple exchanges between the film’s fantastic cast of characters, “Crazy Rich Asians” fits into my comfort movie world because it knows how to check all of the right emotional boxes.
In many ways that’s what the best films of this kind should do – they can always be reliable cinematic shoulders to cry, laugh, and cringe on. Because even though I’m not culturally from the same world as Rachel Chu and the film’s other incredible characters, there’s universally relatable moments within the narrative of this (and many of my other comfort movies) that make me want to revisit them much like I would a long time friend. Essentially, if the my life is maybe not going according to plan, movies like “Crazy Rich Asians” can certainly pick me up and remind me that something good is likely around the corner.
It Has It All
While much of this little love letter has covered movies that are inherently romantic or fantastical, what I often think are the best comfort movies are the ones that combine all of your favorite genres into one glorious package. A recent example comes in the form of SS Rajamouli’s “RRR,” a fanfiction of sorts that is at times an action movie, a historical drama, and even a rom-com musical. Sure, some of the plot might be simple to some and a bit of the dialog might not be the most nuanced lines in all of movie history, but truly, “RRR” is a movie that is everything I (or many movie fans) could have asked for. And that’s what makes it a film that symbolizes a soft cinematic blanket (despite some of its extremely intense sequences.)
Because at the end of the day, all a movie has to do to be comforting to me is evoke what makes movies so magical in the first place. Whether it’s a film taking me on an epic adventure or telling a relatable tale from an emotional perspective, as long as it feels like something grand and spectacle in my little neurospicy brain, then it likely will become a comfort watch in some way or another.
In conclusion, there’s no easy answer to why a movie can be comforting to you. We’re all individuals with our own unique tastes, lifestyles, and perspectives, and not one movie is going to be the universal connecting thread between all humans on this strange planet. But regardless, what is wonderful is discovering what makes a movie a comfort watch for you. So tell me that exact thing down in the comments! Share lists, reasons, recommendations – go wild!
Until next time, see ya at the movies!
The Faded Reel 