Perhaps it’s a comfort movie because you watched it for the first time with your mom when you were home sick from school. Or perhaps, it was the first time you went out with friends to watch a film in a theater without your parents. All I know is that we all have one. A film or two or three we can turn to when we are sad or sick or in need of some comfort.
When I was in labor with both of my sons, I let my husband know that if I needed to be distracted, the best thing to do would be to put on the 1959 classic, Rio Bravo. I think this film is comforting to me because my husband introduced me to it. Growing up in Los Angeles, I loved classic films but didn’t watch many westerns. Growing up with immigrant parents, my husband and his older brothers loved watching what they perceived as pure Americana. He introduced me to the genre and I fell in love with this story of a madcap group of unlikely heroes saving the day. I watch Rio Bravo both nights my sons entered the world. It is no surprise that with this story, my sons love Rio Bravo too.
When I am sad, simply put on nearly any Cary Grant film and I’ll recover. Tombstone? I’ve seen it over 50 times. And my 14-year-old has just discovered that the film The Breakfast Club, is the perfect antidote to a day home from school with the flu. He watched it 3 times that day.
I think comfort films provide solace when we are sad because of the stories associated with how these films came into our lives. Like how Rio Bravo came into my life and then into the lives of my sons. Even coming across your favorite comfort film while flipping channels can instantly conjure up emotions from viewings past; your first kiss, watching with a parent who finally thought you were old enough to introduce you to their own favorite or the first time you saw that film in a movie theater and when the credits rolled in that darkened room, you knew you had been changed.
These are the stories I tease out from friends and even new acquaintances. This is how I get to know the stories of their families and what is important to them. The stories of their heart.
So of course, I want to hear yours? What is your comfort film? And why do you think that is?
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I’ll be leading a Zoom Workshop: Poetry of Doubt and Faith
Like David called out to the Lord in Psalms, so too, modern psalmists wrestle with doubt and faith in the language of poetry. From Pádraig Ó Tuama’s popular podcast Poetry Unbound to Douglas Murray’s weekend poetry reflection Things Worth Remembering for The Free Press, there has been a resurgence in finding meaning and solace through the doorway of poetry. Spend three luscious hours reading and discussing 20th and 21st century poetry and how these words can hold us as we struggle with faith and doubt.
Nov 11th
9am-Noon PST
$50
For a warm, fuzzy, feel-good movie, my first choice would be Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. For me, seeing this film is like hearing a story with which one is fondly familiar being retold by a master storyteller who puts their special twist on it, and really makes it their own. There are not many movies that make me feel this way (though Hayao Miyazaki's film Ponyo deserves an honorable mention, as does Shrek).
My Dad loved Tombstone so much. He would randomly say "I'll be your huckleberry" and laugh and laugh.