Is It Really Possible To Have A "Favorite" Film? (1 Viewer)

[Tino]

Since I am a film buff, periodically I get asked what my favorite film of all time is. It happened today.
And to me, that's an impossible question to answer since I cannot say in all honesty that one film is better in every way than every other film I have ever seen. I define a "favorite" film as just that.
I mean I do have many "favorite" films, spanning many genres, and could perhaps compile a Top 10 of all time....maybe.
I just feel that being a lover of film as I am, I can't put one above all others.
Can you? And to those of you that answer yes, I'd like to know why you consider that "favorite" film to be better than all the other films you have ever seen.

 

[Larry Seno Jr.]

Sure you can!

My favorite film is the Blues Brothers and it's my favorite because it elicits the most joy from me every repeated viewing.

I think that if you can't think of a favorite film, then what you even ENJOY about film?

 

[george kaplan]

Yes it's possible to have a favorite film. I certainly do. Is it possible to put into words succinctly why it's my favorite. Not at the moment. Perhaps someday I'll have the time, but for now, I just have to say that it boils down to this. I have never seen a film that I liked better, or thought was better than The Apartment. Until I do, it'll be my favorite.

 

[AdrianJ]

I think so. I love Casablanca. It speaks to me as no other film and I can watch it over and over again.

 

[Jason Seaver]

I think that if you can't think of a favorite film, then what you even ENJOY about film?

Everything!
I love being told stories, good music, stunning visuals, memorable characters, witty repartee, the incredible physical talents of actors from Keaton to Chan, gigantic set-pieces that must have required a small army to make just so... And that's why I can't choose a favorite movie. I love so many movies, and so many kinds of movies, that it's impossible to compare some. I mean, how do you state a preference between the incredible creativity of A.I., the Hong Kong exuberance of something like Butterfly & Sword, or a documentary like Sound And Fury? You can rank them, sure, but eventually it's pointless - declaring one a favorite feels like I'm diminishing the others, which I also love with all my heart.
I get asked what my "favorite movie" is a lot, too, and for a while I was just mechanically saying North By Northwest - I love it, it's a classic, it shows my tastes aren't just flavor-of-the-week, it doesn't mark me as a terrible snob... But, honestly, I can't claim that I will, 100% of the time, say I prefer it to any other film you care to name. It's easier, and more honest, just to blurt out a list of "fantastic movies you've gotta see" when someone asks.

 

[Duane Robinson]

I can't have a favorite movie. Just doesn't make sense to me since I'm always finding new things that I like, love, or enjoy. That would mean constantly reshuffling my list of top 10 or whatever number movies or just stop watching new films and stick with the ones I've already seen. There's always going to be something out there that I haven't seen that has the possibility of replacing my current favorite film so I just discard the whole idea of picking a favorite. Of course there are films that I will watch repeatedly and love just the same as time goes on but you never know what new film is around the corner that will blow your mind or what film that after watching a few more times will become your new favorite.

 

[Matt Stone]

I'm with you Tino. I don't even think I could come up with 10 favorites...there are just too many films out there that give me so much joy.

 

[Steve Christou]

I find it easy to pick my absolute favorite films and Ben-Hur (1959) has been my top favorite film for about 20 years now, for me this film has everything I want in a movie, spectacle, good story, acting, superb music, a bit of humor and the greatest action sequence of all time.

Spartacus, Lawrence of Arabia, 2001, and Star Wars-Episode IV are all in my top 10.

Of recent years I would say FOTR is definitely numero uno, I already prefer it to any movie in the last 5 years.

I think the best way to do it is to make a list of 20 favorites and put them in alphabetical order if you can't choose which one of your babies you love the most.

 

[Jeremiah]

Yes I believe a person can have a favorite film. I would go by the "deserted island" trick; if you could only have one movie to watch on a deserted island what would it be?

My favorite movie is "Caddyshack" b/c IMO comedies are the best(I would rather laugh than anything else) and this movie has my kind of humor not to mention every scene is funny. I just saw it again on The Dish and just kept laughing. This was also the fisrt DVD I ever bought.

But to someone else, maybe a movie doesn't stand out above all others to that person.

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

Tino, I get asked this all the time, and I can't even imagine coming up with an answer. (I even have trouble sometimes thinking of recent films to give top recommendations simply because I see so much.)

One of these days I may attempt the futile task of sitting down to calculate a top ten or one hundred, but to name just one is nigh impossible.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Tino ( hey! ) - My answer is yes. I have one film that stands out as a favorite.
But the second question, for me, isn't framed properly. I don't consider it the 'best' film ever, or 'better' than everything else that I've encountered. There are a number of films that I honestly feel are superior for a variety of reasons; including ambition, cinematic technique, scope, narrative style, cinematography, and so on.
But all of those factors work on an intellectual level. For whatever reason, this title never fails to elicit an emotional resonance that transcends any reasoned critical analysis of the merits of the film, making it my favorite.
I suspect that part of the reason that this film is my favorite has to do with the time period of my life when I first viewed the title; during my 'formative' years when I was really beginning to appreciate film as something beyond entertainment. The title in question is Chariots of Fire.
I can watch this film literally anytime from start to finish and ( almost ) relive that first viewing as though it were happening this very moment. ( A Tuesday evening at 9:20 P.M. with perhaps a handful of others in the theater at the Meyerland Theatre on the SW side of Houston in early October of 1981. I was working an early shift that day and rushed out after work and managed to catch the last showing of the day. )
I have a few films that come very close to this title, but it is still my all time favorite.
- Walter.

 

[brian a]

I'm on the yes side as well. I also agree with the idea that it's the film that I most enjoy watching. There's no deeper reason than that. Just from the personal memories that it brings back to a million other reasons, I have to say the Three O'Clock High is my favorite film.

I also don't think that picking a favorite film now precludes one from changing your mind if another film comes along that you enjoy more.

 

[Josh_Hill]

I think a person can have a favorite film. While its very hard to choose for me, cause Ive gotta knock out all these others films that I love. But if I had to choose, I'd say The Star Wars Saga.

 

[Tino]

It kinda like trying to pick a favorite child. Could you? Of course you love them all dearly, but loving one more than the others?
Of course it's possible to have a favorite film. Many people I know do. But as others here have stated, and for me, it's just too difficult. Every time I think I have a favorite film, I'm reminded of another that I enjoyed as much, if not more.
Or how about "What's the BEST film you have ever seen?" Now that question is even harder! Can you differentiate between your favorite and the best? I certainly can't.:b
BTW Donny, it's film, not film(s).

 

[george kaplan]

cannot say in all honesty that one film is better in every way than every other film I have ever seen

If this is your requirement for having a 'favorite', I assume pretty much you don't have a favorite anything. I mean, your favorite food would have to be better in every way than any other food you've ever eaten. Your favorite book, song, band, day of the week, etc. Do you have any favorites at all?

 

[Tino]

I'll say it again....to me, a "favorite" anything is something that I enjoy more than all others. That is a distinction that I personally do not, will not, or can not make.
OK George? I'm happy that you and others here have a favorite film. I, and others here, do not. It's a pretty simple question. Do I have "favorites" of anything? Maybe, but we are talking about films here and not days of the week.:rolleyes

 

[TheoGB]

Hmm. Well if I was to pick a favourite film I don't know if I could choose between Fight Club or Empire Strikes Back.
However, if you were to pair a favourite film down to a Desert Island Discs type thing where we're only aloud one film for the rest of time...Well who could decide.
I think Tino your problem is that you see Favourite as too important a word. I did a search and the dictionary reckoned it only meant "best liked or most enjoyed", so for some people that's basically very easy.
Nothing wrong with not having one, but you probably have a few you could throw out at people when they ask...

 

[Tino]

It seems now as though we may be arguing semantics. Let me rephrase my original question.
Do you personally have a BEST film, one that you do indeed consider better than all the others you have seen? And if you do, why?
Now...Is that clear enough?

 

[John Stone]

Now...Is that clear enough?

I thought your first post was crystal clear, and was puzzled by some of the replies. I'm with you, Tino. I couldn't possibly pick a single favorite movie that I like better than all the others. No way. The analogy of picking a favorite child is a good one. I think the inability to choose a favorite film is a positive quality and very often indicates an individual's passion for movies.

 

[Steve Christou]

Ok Tino, Ben-Hur is not only my favorite film, its also the best film I have ever seen, and I wouldn't say Star Wars-Episode IV is the best film I have ever seen, because I know it isn't, although its definitely the best film of its type (space opera) I have ever seen, just as FOTR is the best fantasy film I have ever seen, and 2001 is the best SF film I have ever seen, hows that?