My Go-To Comfort Movies

I'm sure that by the title you can guess where I'm going with this post, but these are some of my all-time favorite movies. These are movies that I watch when I'm upset, passing time, or want to ~feel something~.

1. She's The Man

"WELCOME TO ILLYRIA! WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME..."

What would this blog post be without this movie?

I wanted to be Amanda Bynes growing up. I idolized her so much and after watching this movie you couldn't convince me that she wasn't the coolest person to walk the face of the earth.

She was the perfect person for the "Girl Next Door" vibe of Viola Hastings. Her witty dialect, impersonations, and delivery are hilarious in this role. Let's not forget Channing Tatum as Duke Orsino...

The witty humor is so good that you can't help but laugh, even if it is corny.

I will stand by this movie being one of my favorite movies, possibly ever.

And remember, inside every girl, there's a boy... that came out wrong, but you know what I meant!

2. A Cinderella Story

"Because waiting for you is like waiting for rain in this drought... useless and disappointing." Here we go again with the unrealistic expectations!!!

It didn't help that Hilary Duff was the IT Girl of the early 2000's. After Lizzie McGuire, this woman could do no wrong in my eyes.

Chad Michael Murray has gone down a peg or a few thousand since I learned of his affair during his marriage to Sophia Bush, whom I LOVE (Also allegedly with Paris Hilton during House of Wax???).

Separating the actor from the character, Austin Ames aka Nomad, was definitely the golden boy of his high school.

It's your typical attractive, athletic, witty boy (again, unrealistic!! jk), but it made the movie that much better. It added some depth to a boy who seems like he would be very one dimensional and I think that's what I like the most about it.

We were also blessed with many, many quotes from this movie. Such as Jennifer Coolidge's ICONIC line,

"You're not very pretty and you're not very bright. I'm so glad we had that talk!"

We did not Stan the step mother of course, but you have to admit that she was comical in this movie.

Overall, if I'm ever feeling nostalgic this is a movie I turn to.

3. Easy A

Emma Stone is one of my favorite actresses because of this movie alone. This is one of the first movies (other than She's the Man) that I memorized all the words to.

This movie is a literal masterpiece and every time I re-watch it I find something new to love about it.

It's witty, it's charming, and it has so many layers to it. I love that the movie features snippets of Olive Penderghast, played by Emma Stone, on her webcam narrating the movie to the audience (her high school and us).

It's smart that they had her character label "chapters" of the film, and how it ties back together at the end of the movie. You come to realize that throughout the movie you've been watching her live webcam that she advertises in the gym with Lobster Todd to try to clear her name. Can we have a moment of silence for the Knock on Wood scene? It was absolutely SCANDALOUS.

I could pick multiple quotes to add into this text, but I'm just going to end it with this one.

"I don't know what your generation's fascination is with documenting your every thought... but I can assure you, they're not all diamonds. 'Roman is having an OK day, and bought a Coke Zero at the gas station. Raise the roof.' Who gives a rat's ass?"

4. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Kate Hudson, aka Andie Anderson, is the first female character that made me want to be a writer. I loved how much she cared about her writing and that she wanted to be known for more. I wanted to be her.

Matthew McConaughey, aka Benjamin Berry, is one of the many reasons I have unrealistic expectations in relationships.

The scene where he takes her home to meet his family and play Bullshit... I love the authenticity.

I love that the movie has these moments where you can truly see them falling in love when they're both trying to win their separate bets.

I will also never listen to "You're so Vain," by Carly Simon the same ever again.

"...because he's sooooo vain. You probably think this song is about you, Ben Barry, you're so vaaaain... probably think this song is about you. Don't you? Don't you?"

5. My Best Friend's Wedding

This is just a Rom Com that I love watching because of young ~Dermot Mulroney~, that's why.

Julia Roberts realizing that she's in love with her best friend, played by Dermot Mulroney, who is dating Cameron Diaz? This movie screams chaotic 90's Rom Com and I find comfort in the chaos.

To sum up the plot, two best friends make a pact that when they're 30 if they're both single they'll get married. When Michael calls Kimberley and tells her that he has big news, she realizes that they're merely months away from having to follow through on that promise. To her surprise, Michael tells her that he's engaged to be married and to her surprise she's flooded with emotion. With the wedding being weeks away, will she be able to change his mind and get him to marry her instead?

Please give it a watch and text me your synopsis, thank you.

6. Lady Bird

I think that the director, Greta Gerwig, does a great job of connecting to her audience in this film. Throughout the film you have a lot of scenes of reflection and you see Christine, aka Lady Bird, really come into her own.

Christine is quick-witted, intelligent, determined, and stubborn, which tends to get her into some trouble. Throughout the film, we see her go through so many changes in the span of a year/a few months. She is preparing for college, getting ready for prom, performing in her first musical, has her first serious relationship, loses her virginity, gains and loses friends, and deals with the highs and lows of high school.

Throughout the film she seems to butt heads with her mother constantly. We see a mother who is trying her hardest to make ends meet and dealing with an angsty, ungrateful teenage daughter.

I remember being that angsty and wanting so badly to leave a town that proved to have nothing more for you. I remember wanting to be someone completely different than who I was or to go to a new place where nobody knew me or my family and I could start over fresh.

I think I connect to the movie so much because I remember being that teenage girl that thought she knew everything. Then you grow up and you realize that you don't know as much as you thought you did, something clicks and you're grateful for everything you have.

You also get to see adult conversations, insight into the lives of the people around Lady Bird, and her realization of how similar she is to her mother and how much she misses her.

“Don’t you think maybe they are the same thing? Love and attention?” – Sister Sarah Joan

7. Little Women

I saw this movie THREE (3) times when it was in theaters. Greta Gerwig is phenomenal and I love her take on this movie.

Laura Dern, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen, Meryl Streep, and Timothée Chalamet make this movie a true masterpiece.

I could not imagine better casting because the story line unfolds beautifully throughout the film.

The proposal scene, you know the one I'm talking about, is one of the most watched things on my YouTube account.

The way he says, "I think you're wrong about that, Jo. I think you will marry Jo. I think you will find someone and love them and you will live and die for them because that is your way... and you will. And I'll watch."

BRB SOBBING and looking up the movie as we speak (Yes, I bought it on Amazon. Leave me alone).

8. La La Land

The acting, the soundtrack, the dancing, the love story!!!! 10/10 I will always recommend this movie.

I love that you are taken along their journeys to fame. You see the beauty and the ugliness of trying to make it big in Hollywood, while also seeing them grow as a couple.

It's a beautiful thing to watch, from the initial party scene where they dance to "What A Waste of Lovely Night," and then to see how their relationship progresses throughout the film.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are brilliant in this movie. I love the growth that you see come from both characters throughout the film, as she is an aspiring actress and he is a dedicated musician/pianist. As much as I hate to see them not end up together, it's beautiful that they inspired each other to go after their dreams, even if it meant watching each other from the sidelines.

There are so many hidden Easter eggs and small details throughout the film that also make it so incredible. I mean it didn't win 7 Golden Globe Awards for nothing.

The famous line, “L.A. worships everything and values nothing" was actually said by Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling loved it so much he decided to incorporate it in the film.

I encourage you to watch it if you are looking for a good movie, even if you aren't into musicals, it could be the one to change your mind!

9. Love, Rosie

This movie RUINED me. The constant back and forth of this movie kept me interested, but it was so brutal to watch.

This movie has so much depth to it. It has scenarios that don't feel romanticized because they feel very real. The issues that always seem to keep them apart have good intentions behind them and seem like they could happen to two people in their situations.

It seems like every time they get close to being together, life happens. Sam Claflin and Lily Collins were the perfect choice for this movie and it is always one that I go back to.

10. LOL

This movie feels like a romanticized version of a high school love story and it only added to my obsession with Miley Cyrus in high school. This movie came out around her Tumblr era, when she wore the cutest outfits and was every teenage girls inspiration.

It was a very edgy teen movie about a girl who is navigating high school. Some of it is relatable in the sense of cheating boys, crushes, divorced parents, and best friends. Some of it is very hard to relate to, but it adds a little ~spice~ to the movie, like their trip to France and all of the attractive guys in the movie being musicians.

The friendship to relationship trope between her and Kyle is everything to me. It is so messy and complicated because Kyle is best friends with Lola AND Chad (the ex boyfriend).

When Lola is going through her break up and Kyle says, "We're friends, but, I just want you to know that if I were him I'd never let you go."

This signals the beginning of the back and forth between the two of them. The "forbidden love" if you will. Throughout the movie you see them trying to navigate a friendship when there are obvious feelings between the two of them.

I think this movie is where my obsession with boys in bands and writing in a diary came from. She made me want to write everything that ever happened to me in such an angsty/teenage way. I lived for the scenes of her sitting on her bedroom floor scribbling away in her notebook.

Overall, do I think this movie is realistic? No. Do I still watch it and imagine a similar high school experience? Yes.

11. 10 Things I Hate About You

I'm sad that I did not and will not ever have a high school love like this. The BLEACHER scene? Are you kidding? If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please take a moment to look up the scene or watch the movie.

Heath Ledger put his whole chest into this role. May he rest in peace.

The only negative thing that I have to say is that the scene in the classroom when Kat Stratford gives her speech is a little cringey, but what would a good Rom Com be without a little bit of cringe.

"...I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all."

12. Before I Fall

I have to admit, I only watched this movie originally because I saw that Kian Lawley was cast in it.

This movie pleasantly surprised me. It was a movie that I fully expected to hate, I didn't think it would have much depth to it and I thought it would be a poorly executed film.

I loved that the main character Samantha, played by Zoey Duetch, undergoes this transformation while living the same day over and over again. Initially, she starts off as a popular girl who just goes with the flow, she doesn't really participate in making fun of others, but she doesn't step in to say anything.

Then, as you see her try to figure out why she's re-living the same day, she begins to realize how wrong her life was. She wasn't sticking up for people that her friends picked on, she was dating someone that wasn't right for her, and she seemed to develop into her own person.

Throughout the movie you grow an attachment to her character as she makes changes to break the cycle and become the person that she was meant to be all along.

This movie is also when I started to have a minor obsession for Logan Miller, but that is for a later discussion...

THE END...

FOR NOW ;)

xoxo,

Jamie Lee