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"We feel compelled to rewatch things that provide us with either comfort or perspective."
In a world full of chaos and uncertainty, it seems we're often craving things that will ease our anxiety. And for a lot of people, one of those things is rewatching beloved movies.
Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
It's been scientifically proved that the reason people love to rewatch movies is that humans love predictability and nostalgia. "We feel compelled to rewatch [things] that provide us with either comfort or perspective," said psychologist Neel Burton.
Netflix
So when Reddit user u/Think-Yesterday-9012 posed the question, "Which movie have you watched more than five times and it's still good?" to the AskReddit community, it responded with some really solid responses. Here are some of the top-voted results:
1. Mean Girls (2004)
Paramount / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love to rewatch it:
"Mean Girls will never get old. I will watch it when I'm 60 and still laugh."
"Forty-seven-year-old father of two boys here. This movie is my kryptonite. If I'm flicking channels late at night and it's on, you better believe I'm watching it."
"Don’t have sex. You will get pregnant...and die. You will get chlamydia...and die."
2. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Buena Vista Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love to rewatch it:
"I'm 43, my work friend is 20, and we weekly have the 'nah huh, ya huh, nah huh, ya huh' argument."
"I just watched this the other night. I laughed like a child. It was blissful and hysterical. They legit just yeet an ollld dude out a window for throwing off the emperor's (mildly sociopathic) groove."
"A truly underrated Disney movie."
3. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Buena Vista Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love to rewatch it:
"Howl's Moving Castle is top-tier entertainment."
"Howl's is so beautiful, I cried when they took it off Netflix. But joke's on them 'cause it’s in HBO Max 😜."
"I love Howl’s Moving Castle!! It’s my favorite movie! I’m waiting for my daughter to be old enough to start Studio Ghibli movies. While they are beautiful, they can be a bit dark."
4. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003)
New Line Cinema / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"It's my comfort movie series. If I'm watching it, I'm either in a very good mood and want to enjoy a fantastic movie, or a very bad mood and want to lose myself in it."
"God, I've seen this movie about 50 times and I still can't get enough. I just wish The Hobbit was at that same level, but I don't think there'll ever be a J.R.R. Tolkien–based film (or TV series) that will come close to being as good."
"That reminds me: Time for my weekly marathon."
5. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Columbia / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"One of the best movies ever made, in all respects."
"I have two teenage sons and have had the privilege of watching it with them for the first time. This just made me realize that my 8-year-old has not seen it yet, and though she won’t be old enough for a little while, I will get to watch it with her, too! I love sharing classics like this with my kids! Shawshank brings the feels every time!"
"That movie has the most satisfying/relieving conclusion of all time."
6. Office Space (1999)
20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"I currently work in a pretty good office and really like the people I work with. The movie still perfectly captures so many random things about work."
"It's not even just office work. I've never worked in an office, but the movie just nails so much of the drudgery in being an adult with a job."
"I watch this at least once a year whenever I'm feeling shitty about office life."
7. Mulan (1998)
Walt Disney Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"Banging soundtrack, too! A regular on my Spotify playlists."
"By far the most inspiring Disney movie ever made."
"I immediately thought of this movie. I've had it on at least 100 times in my life for comfort (I'm autistic, so the repetitive, familiar sounds help calm me). I can recite the entire movie scene by scene."
8. Hot Fuzz (2007)
Rogue Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"My wife and I quote Hot Fuzz all the time. Honestly, this movie surpassed Shaun of the Dead, in my opinion, and is the best of the Cornetto trilogy."
"Hot Fuzz is where I realized Edgar Wright is a genius; I just wish they hadn't advertised it as an action movie but as a mystery movie instead. The second time you watch it, though, everything falls into place so perfectly. God, I love it! Whenever someone asks what my favorite movie is, Hot Fuzz is the first movie to come to mind, so it must be my favorite movie."
"There really is not a pound of fat on that film. Every moment, every shot, contributes to the story, sets up (or pays off) a gag, or is a callback to an earlier moment. It feels like every time I watch it, there's something new to find, even if just details in the background."
9. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Orion Pictures Corp. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"I think both Jodie Foster's and Anthony Hopkins' performances are spectacular; I am amazed by it every time."
"The intimacy from those close-ups. They’re hypnotic, and I get sucked in every time."
"I don’t think a movie has been released since with as much tension as that film. Horror or not."
10. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Buena Vista Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"Monsters, Inc. was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid (aside from Toy Story 2), and I can basically put it on whenever and have a good time. It really never gets old or gets tiresome."
"I used to work on an electronics sales floor about 10–15 years ago, and we had a row of TVs that played Monsters, Inc. all day. I've seen that movie at least 50 times, and it is still one of my favorite movies, I still laugh at the same jokes. I enjoy it more than my kids, I think."
"This is my favorite Pixar movie. Funny enough, my 3-year-old is obsessed with Monsters, Inc., so I’ve now seen it over 50 times. Still love it to this day!"
11. The Princess Bride (1987)
20th Century Fox Licensing/Merchandising / Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"I miss Andre the Giant. They will never be able to remake The Princess Bride because it was so perfectly cast, and Andre is irreplaceable."
"I kept telling my wife how great it was, and couldn’t figure out why she looked at me funny when I did. Eventually I realized the name doesn’t really convey what kind of movie it is, and I never realized it because I knew it so well. Finally caught it from the beginning and made her watch it. Now she understands how amazing it is."
"One of my coworkers was struggling to remember a line from it, and I immediately fed him the next full minute of dialogue before I caught myself and stopped. Someone else asked me how many times I've seen it, and I honestly think the number has to be over 100."
12. The Fifth Element (1997)
Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"I could listen to that opera singer all day."
"One morning, I got up to get ready to go to school, and my dad said, 'I'm sick today. So are you. Already called the school.' We got breakfast and watched The Fifth Element. It was a good day."
"Anytime this movie is on TV, regardless of how far into the movie it is, I will stop and sit down to watch it."
13. Back to the Future (1985)
Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"Back to the Future somehow gets better each time."
"I think that's because (at least for me) you catch some kind of Easter egg or background detail every time you watch it! It took me years to catch that, after the skateboard chase, you can see that George is stealing away in the background!"
"This is one of only a handful of movies that, if I see it's on, I will watch to the end, no matter where it’s starting from. I think my dad and I can quote the whole thing between the two of us, with how many times we’ve watched it."
14. The Dark Knight (2008)
Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"Sometimes I just rewatch the opening bank robbery. Such a great reveal."
"It was a watershed moment in the 'superhero' genre because it totally didn't look like a superhero movie; it was a heart-pounding heist flick. Heat, but with masked vigilantes.
"The last five minutes of this film are, in my opinion, one of the best endings to a film ever. The thematic payoffs, character developments, plot conclusions, the use of the amazing Hans Zimmer score, and overall shot composition were phenomenal!"
15. WALL-E (2008)
Walt Disney Co. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"Yesss! The fact that a little animated robot can touch my heart."
"I saw this in the theater with my sister, both of us in our 30s, and we were an emotional mess."
"My favorite animated movie of all time. The minimal amount of actual speaking in it is wonderful. Just sounds."
16. The Big Lebowski (1998)
Gramercy Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"I just introduced a high school friend of mine to The Big Lebowski; what a joy that was."
"Comedies don't get nearly enough respect, and neither does The Big Lebowski. I am still not sure whether Lebowski is a comedy. It's pretty dark, with a very serious plot that just happens to have a lot of people doing and saying things that are funny."
"I watch The Big Lebowski basically once per year, with White Russians, of course."
17. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Tri-Star Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"One of the few instances where the sequel is better than the original (and the original is already amazing)."
"Saw it eight times during the original theatrical run alone. Never, ever gets old. AND IT IS THE FINAL MOVIE IN THE TERMINATOR SERIES, AND NOTHING HAPPENS AFTER THAT — FIGHT ME."
"I’ve seen T2 probably 75 times or more. When I was a kid, it was the first R-rated movie I was allowed to watch. So I watched it often."
18. Aliens (1986)
20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"Probably the best sci-fi action film of all time. It's been in my top five since I was about 18, and that was a long time ago."
"Watched it with my teenage daughters a year or so ago. Instantly became a top 10 film of all time for both of them."
"I’ve loved this movie since I was maybe 8 or 9, when Kenner came out with the action figures. Damned if I don’t watch Alien and Aliens once a year at this point, and I’m 37."
19. Castle in the Sky (1986)
Buena Vista Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"Underrated AF. Was always my favorite Ghibli while growing up."
"I'm so happy that this is the top comment I saw because YES. I love it. It's my comfort movie."
"This movie is straight-up soothing to me."
20. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Miramax / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"Every time I watch that movie, I swear there are new scenes that I have never seen."
"This used to run in a second-run theater near me for $1.50. We went to see it once a week. It occurs to me now that's about the most Tarantino way to see one of his movies: rundown theater, sneak in some snacks. They ran it for months. We kept going, over and over."
"Gets better every time you watch it."
21. Finally, Groundhog Day (1993)
Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Why people love rewatching it:
"I've watched this every Groundhog Day since I was born. So that means I've seen it at least 27 times. I still love it."
"It’s an almost flawless film."
"Every Groundhog Day, I put on Groundhog Day...on a loop, starting at midnight, all the way through the night, and into the next night. It's such a wonderful movie that I still laugh every time. Every playthrough, there's a different bit I notice and appreciate. It's just so well paced and well shot."
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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