Open Forum Friday: What Makes a Movie Rewatchable?
When you run a movie website, you tend to watch a lot of movies — after all, if you didn’t do that, you’d have nothing to discuss! One unfortunate side effect of this, however, is that when there’s so much emphasis on keeping up with the latest releases, sometimes you don’t take the time to rewatch a lot of the movies that you’ve already seen. Or at least I don’t. Maybe it’s also just a result of marketing hype and human nature that compels us to keep looking forward. I’m sure I’m not alone on this.
It’s too bad because one of the tests of a good movie is whether or not it stands up to repeat viewings. But let’s face it — certain movies are a lot easier to rewatch than others. Everyone has at least a few favourites that they have seen more times than they can count. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the best movies you’ve ever seen, but they do offer new surprises every time you watch them, and never seem to get old. Maybe they’re just comforting and familiar. Clearly it takes a special kind of movie to overcome the fact that you already know the plot (not to mention the fact that you may also have the dialogue memorized). So what exactly is it that makes a movie rewatchable? Does it have to be light-hearted fluff, or should it be deep and thoughtful? Does it need to have visceral thrills and interesting visuals, or is solid acting the key to a timeless classic? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.
Comments (27)
I’ve often always asked myself the same question…to no avail.
All I know is that I could watch something like Memento, or Miller’s Crossing 100 times and still be entertained.
Unfortunately, the same is true for some unapologetically inane movies like Starship Troopers and The Lost Boys, and I don’t know why.
The one constructive comment I can make is that a movie has to have a good script for me to rewatch it. It can be ‘good’ as in profound or ‘good’ as in humorously ridiculous…I just can’t stand when it’s the latter trying to be the former.
I’m curious to see how other people respond…maybe all of my questions will be answered…
Posted by Stefan on January 9th, 2009I think what makes a movie rewatchable is chemistry between the actors. (i.e., Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Big Lebowski, They Live, Swingers, Bad Santa…)
Well written and well casted characters become something similar to a friend. They just have something that draws you in and, like a friend, make you laugh even though you’ve heard the story twenty times.
Although it doesn’t hurt to have instantly quotable lines:
“Each year it’s more booze, more bullshit and more buttsex…”
Posted by Hoffamania on January 9th, 2009“Sure, the three B’s”
For me it’s more of a question of what makes me NOT want to rewatch something, because I think that’s an easier question to answer. If it offends me in some way (aesthetically, cinematically, philisophically, morally) I’ll probably never watch it again. Depressing movies in and of themselves aren’t enough to deter me; they have to be depressing AND make me disinterested due to boring plot, lack of connection to the characters, etc.
Posted by Liz on January 9th, 2009While I too appreciate great lines and great moments delivered in context, for me what makes a film re-watchable is the visual style and the literary complexity (i.e. layers of meaning as revealed in structure and dramatic devices), above almost anything else. It’s why I could watch the film Miami Vice again and again, and why I can watch The Rules of the Game or Memento repeatedly.
Posted by Matthias Galvin on January 9th, 2009I just have to point out that there is nothing inane about Star Ship Troopers.
Posted by swarez on January 9th, 2009My top rewatchable movie is 12 angry men with Henry Fonda. Number two is The Thing. Number 3 is Big Trouble in little China.
Posted by Alex on January 9th, 2009I think the simplicity of a film should make it re-watchable. I’d probably re-watch Die Hard instead of Pi, if you catch my drift.
Posted by Mitch on January 9th, 2009I think ironically its the audio that makes something more rewatchable for me than the video – a movie with a lot of talking/great dialogue usually for me ends up getting watched more often. These are the movies I can pop on while doing sketches or crafts or eating, etc – stuff like yes, 12 Angry Men, but in comedies for example, its a lot of Coen stuff like Big Lebowski, the Hudsucker Project, etc, or Christopher Guests movies.
Posted by Goon on January 9th, 2009For me its a combination of many things….characters, setting, music, situations whether good or bad. Being able to relate and care about that character helps too. This is what makes it memorable. The kind of thing that you think about while at work or laugh at a funny moment from a movie.
It is really a difficult thing to put a finger on because my most re-watchable movies have little in common with each other, other than them having my complete attention.
Posted by Tomas on January 9th, 2009that is like asking what makes a color funny.
Good job with the Tango and Cash pic.
Posted by Bob The Slob on January 9th, 2009There are many factors that key into replayability…but the most important thing is that the movie must be close to what I would make if I were in the industry…T2, The Fifth Element, Blade Runner, American Psycho, Akira, Kubrick films and many others are so relevant to my interests (sci-fi/fantasy/horror)…I typically prize visual style and life-or-death thrills above all other aspects of cinema when it comes down to something I’ll ever watch more than thrice a lifetime.
The Dark Knight may join a long list of rewatchables as I’ve already watched it twice on BD (and maybe five times if all the skipping to Joker and Two-Face scenes really count).
PERHAPS the short answer is that someone must have a personal attachment to the film’s portrayal of it’s genre element…note how no one you know watches non-genre films (Oscar-winners and indies) over and over again.
Posted by Ryan M. on January 10th, 2009the movie must have either sylvester stallone or kurt russel in it, and it must have great lines like “Rambo is a pussy” or “Hey Tango, come here i wanna talk to you” or it has to be Anchorman or Dumb and Dumber both of which have too many great quotes to list…
Posted by fizzle on January 10th, 2009For me, a movie is rewatchable if I have it on VHS and I get a DVD copy of it. Then I watch both the VHS and the DVD at the same time to make sure there are no differences before I reuse the VHS tape for recording television shows.
Seriously, if I fall in love with an actress’s character or heavily relate to an actor’s character in a movie, then I can rewatch the movie.
Actually, my memory gets wiped every 365 days, so I can rewatch any movie once a year.
Wait, I’ve got a final answer. A movie is rewatchable if I have a copy of it.
Posted by Reed Farrington on January 10th, 2009Reed, you’re too much.
And please change your pic, it’s starting to freak me out.
Posted by RJ on January 10th, 2009This is a great topic, because I take this into account whenever I consider purchasing a DVD. If I’m going to watch it once and never feel like rewatching it, why should I spend my money on it? I agree that simple plots are rewatched a lot, as well as comedies with Seinfeld-esque plots (about nothing) like The Big Lebowski. If one has a favorite filmmaker, their movies are probably prime for rewatching. I watch my Coen Brothers, Peter Weir, and Bourne movies over and over. Action comedies are great too (Hot Fuzz is a favorite). Layered dramas and noir can also be good because you discover new details each time (Memento, The Conversation, Marc Forster’s Stay). Comic book movies too, if they are good ones. My wife watches Batman Begins over and over. I like it too, but I don’t want to get tired of it. She is not worried about that. If a movie is 3 hours long I am less likely to watch it repeatedly even if it is otherwise rewatchable. So length is also a factor. I can tell you what makes a film not rewatchable. One thing is a twist ending, or an ending that resolves a lot of built-up suspense. If you’ve seen it and know the ending, much of the fun of watching a thriller like that is gone. It could be a perfect movie, but not worth owning. Another thing is if it is a gut-wrenching dark film. And this is usually a matter of personal preference. For me some examples are: In the Company of Men, The Deer Hunter, Videodrome, City of God, Stephanie Daley or The Killing Fields. Historical dramas, might be good once, but not interested in seeing them again (All the Presidents Men, The Pianist, Good Night and Good Luck).
Posted by Mason on January 10th, 2009Many years ago I think I watched Evil Dead 2 every day for at least a month. There were number of factors that made this happen, fantastic dialog, great camera moves and actors that delivered their stuff perfectly. Plus a shit load of gore.
The film made me happy and it’s one of those films that if I put it on I’ll watch it till the end.
Since I’m working at home now I usually put something on to run in the background.
Posted by swarez on January 10th, 2009Entertaining scenes (I know I’ll even watch a few minutes of something that isn’t that good on TV if I know that a particularly entertaining fight scene or joke is coming up)
A good but complex story. Something that you can tell you’ll probably get more from on repeat viewings.
character performances that appeal to you.
Posted by Ian on January 10th, 2009Any movie that I know leaves me with a positive feeling is very much worth rewatching, including (yup, I admit) TANGO & CASH. I don’t know, it just cracks me up. Any movie that leaves me feeling good with the world will be watched over and over. That’s why I can never watch enough THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION or O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?, but I haven’t rewatched TITANIC, although I liked it quite a lot.
Posted by Juan Carlo Rodríguez on January 10th, 2009I like to rewatch almost any comedy i’m so-so on the first time I see it.
i wasn’t very impressed with either Pineapple Express or Tropic Thunder, but I would absolutely give each of them another chance. There’s simply too many cases of comedies I didn’t like the first time – Shaun of the Dead is a notorious example for me, and now I’m a pretty big Edgar Wright fan.
Even Idiocracy, while still very much flawed, is proving itself to be a GREAT rewatch movie that for me now transcends everything wrong with it. I find I can rewatch anything Mike Judge has done pretty easily actually.
Without getting back into the same old arguments the comedies I find I can’t rewatch are anything Parker/Stone have done. There’s nothing to catch you didn’t get the first time.
Posted by Goon on January 10th, 2009Just about everytime I see Boogie Nights or Magnolia on one of the premium cable channels I’ll rewatch them. Especially Boogie Nights for all the great music and the way each song helps frame the mood in those scenes. I still watch Office Space a lot. It never gets old. Casino Royale is getting to be another that I have rewatched a lot too.
Posted by Hoopersx on January 11th, 2009Goon, when you watch Gran Torino again, you’ll realize how much you actually love the film.
Posted by Reed Farrington on January 11th, 2009for reasons unknown – some of my rewatchable films
matchpoint
Posted by parkham on January 11th, 2009flash gordon
there will be blood
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
“Goon, when you watch Gran Torino again, you’ll realize how much you actually love the film.”
I actually did rewatch it, like I’ve said already, I’ve been showing it to people to see if I’m the crazy one. I’ve said all along its easy to watch – its like The Wicker Man remake or Showgirls – if everyone only agreed with me I’d probably even buy a used copy to laugh at, but at the rate things are going, the clerk would say “oh, i love this one. don’t you?”
Posted by Goon on January 11th, 2009Does anyone have movies that they liked initially, then watched again and actually decided they were completely wrong about and hated?
I um… loved K-Pax when it first came out and fell for it hook line and sinker. I guess I was blind to Spacey at the time. First time I re-watched it I was flat out embarrassed.
Chaplin doesn’t re-watch well, Lars and the Real Girl admittedly didn’t seem nearly as good on rewatch…
Posted by Goon on January 11th, 2009I agree with Mitch’s comment that an “easy” film usually has a higher re-watch value than others. Napolean Dynamite, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Ghostbusters, Rubin and Ed, Highway 61, Tron and a few others do that for me. (Like others said, these also have great memorable lines, jokes, scores, colors, and characters.)
But some movies that kind of make my head hurt on first viewing become not only my faves to re-watch, but to re-watch two or three times in one sitting. Some are Primer, Memento, 2001, Hukkle, Mulholland Drive, 12 Monkeys, Being John Malkovich, Vampire’s Kiss, Donnie Darko, and Woman in the Dunes, and Eraserhead. A lot of these seem like different films on each viewing. My impression of characters’ motivations and what the films are even about changes each time.
Posted by Mike on January 11th, 2009I must add that I try to force any new visitor to my house to join me in watching Grey Gardens. For their second visit they are subjected to Scott Prendergast’s short film The Delicious.
Posted by Mike on January 11th, 2009Oldboy and Amelie are two of my favorites that I watch every couple of months. They have so much life and energy to them and they are both just insanely refreshing to experience over and over again.
Posted by Derek on January 11th, 2009Leave a Reply