Alphabetical Movie – Home for the Holidays

Every time I watch Home for the Holidays, I enjoy it.  When it comes time to watch the film again, I have absolutely no desire to do so.  I’ve never been able to figure out why I respond that way.

Why are some films so re-watchable while other, arguably better, films are watched once and then all but forgotten?  A lot of it is personal preference but still, I own a lot of movies that are better than The Mummy and yet, I’ve watched The Mummy more than most of them.

If it is a film that is emotionally wrenching, I don’t tend to watch it all that often.  That makes sense.  I think Big Fish is a fantastic film but the ending just ruins me.  It makes me think of my dad, who died when I was nineteen and it takes me to an emotional place that I just don’t need to go all that often.

I love a good black comedy but I’m never going to watch them over and over again.  I’m going to pop in Young Frankenstein or Blazing Saddles every time.  When I’m in the mood to laugh, I’m in the mood to laugh.  I don’t want to laugh and think.

That could be the problem with Home for the Holidays.  The movie is very funny but it is also sweet and sad and thoughtful and hey!  I don’t want sweet and sad and thoughful!  I want another person to get a turkey in their lap ‘cuz that was some funny shit the first time!  Now that’s comedy!

As this project shows, I own a lot of movies.  You would think that when it comes time for me to pick a film to watch when I’m not anal retentively watching all of them in a completely arbitrary order, I’d have an easy time of it, right?  I mean, I own all (well most) of them because I really like them, right?

Well, yes.

As much as I love 2001: A Space Odyssey, though, I’m not going to want to watch it as often as I want to watch Star Wars.

And I’m not going to want to watch Star Wars as often as I’m going to want to watch The Mummy.

Choosing a random film is, in fact,  a long, internal negotiation process in which I ask myself if I’m in the mood for a comedy or a drama or a musical or a science fiction film or a western or a…you get the idea.  Then I have to figure out which movie in that genre I want to watch.  Then I have to decide if I really want to watch that movie.

Then, more often than not, I  check out that genre on Netflix and see if there is anything I’d like to stream.

And then I end up watching The Mummy.