I’m watching a Columbo episode this morning that stars Johnny Cash as the bad guy, and it’s a great episode. Peter Falk is at his funniest, and he has such good chemistry with Cash (who insists on calling him “Little Buddy” in every scene) that their scenes meander for as long as ten minutes and it’s no problem at all.
I love this show. I have every episode, and I watch it when I want a reset between things. It is one of my favorite comfort foods. What do you guys watch when you just want some warm fuzzies? Is a TV show? A movie? Do you disconnect in some other way?
As always, you can talk about anything here today, and I’m curious what you guys are seeing in theaters this weekend, if you are.
I frequently go to either THE SIMPSONS or MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 whenever my spirit needs a boost. Both of them taught me that as long as you can laugh at the shitty parts of life, then life is worth living.
To answer your question: My girlfriend and I fall asleep to old episodes of Bob's Burgers on a regular basis. That and Brooklyn Nine Nine represent comfort to us (to be clear, we watch new episodes fully alert, and doze off to old favorites).
For me personally, I'm a sucker for sharp dialogue. Sports Night, West Wing and Justified hit me like warm bowls of soup on a cold day.
Going off topic: I saw BIRDS OF PREY earlier this week. I dug it. Felt like a more clever, less obnoxious DEADPOOL. Looking forward to COLOR OUT OF SPACE and PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE in the next few days.
On the TV front, I'm tearing through S3 of The Expanse, and I'm hooked. Hoping to get into Picard soon (need a friend to come through with a CBS All Access account)
I remember watching Big Trouble in Little China when I was a little kid shortly before our family deployed to Korea. I thought it was terrifying and epically awesome, and couldn’t wait to be near the action.
As I grew up, the humor and commentary of the film became clearer, but I still got a big kick out of Jack and Wang. When I was on my own deployments and operations, I’d psych myself up thinking of the film and Jack’s unearned confidence! We even quote some lines sometimes after rough nights. “Wasn’t easy!” “It’s all in the reflexes.” “Shut up Mr. Burton, you were not put on this Earth to ‘get it!’” Love this movie.
The West Wing is a huge comfort show for me. It's a great political drama that manages to make me laugh harder than most comedies I see. Also, Martin Sheen is a world treasure. I also love the shows Frasier, Chuck (which no one talks about), and Cobra Kai, which is my favorite show on TV right now.
As for movies, my biggest comfort movie right now is Isle of Dogs. I just love the world Wes Anderson creates, and the animation is absolutely gorgeous. I think the story is a little sloppier than Fantastic Mr. Fox, but that's also part of what I like. I like that the film meanders and lets these dogs talk about whatever they want, whether it's rumors going around or their go-to snacks. I just love it.
Add The Venture Brothers to my list, same for Bob’s Burgers and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Any episode of Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul.
Forged in Fire on the History Channel is one that also hits the spot for me from time to time.
If it’s a movie, I’ll watch John Carpenter’s The Thing or Nimrod Antal’s Predators even though I’ve seen them multiple times. Hot Rod as well, because I fell in love with that one the same way I did with Super Troopers.
Also, for some reason Nightcrawler was a movie that I missed originally, but have been obsessed with watching lately after catching a few clips.
No theater movies this weekend, but I may check out Doctor Sleep or Sweetheart tonight. Looking forward to The Invisible Man and Antlers soon.
Phineas and Ferb: my GenZ children discovered this show, oddly enough, during a Disney World trip, and they got all of us hooked. If we need a disconnected 1/2 hour, can't beat a Phineas and Ferb ep. We have almost the entire series run on our TiVo's HD just in case. (And once we grab a month or two of Disney+, we'll watch the ones we don't have.)
This is not a good theater weekend for me. I never quite cashed in on Columbo, sadly. As far as warm fuzzies go: Justified or The Wire are probably my typical go-tos. Lately I've been leaning in to The Magicians (which has quite surpassed the original novels).
My wife and I watch the U.S version of The Office. A lot. It's the default when we can't decide what to watch. My go to comfort food movie is Michael Clayton of all things. I just enjoy the "adultness" of it. It's a mid-range non-genre studio movie that's all-too-rare these days, with great performances, tight script and direction, and a great final scene that always satisfies.
I like to put on old episodes of Star Trek TOS when I’m just looking to kick back with something comfortable. I like the classic episodes with original efx but I also like the updated ones too. Buck Rogers also works in a pinch too.
Hey, in addition I wanted to thank you for recommending Castle on the Hill last summer in a tweet. I’m listening to the audio book and its a terrific account of old and new Hollywood. I had the fortune of staying there last October so I was able to experience the vibe of the place. One day I hope to go back again especially knowing the history a little better.
Eureka. The Sci-Fi show. It's just delightful from beginning to end.
No theaters this weekend, I'm insanely pick what I see in the theaters nowadays and we saw Harley last weekend. Probably won't be back until Black Widow and the Summer Movies kick into gear. :)
Star Trek - TOS, TNG, VOY. The friendships between the characters mixed with sci-fi just hits a sweet spot of comfort for me. The new serialized version is enjoyable but hard to throw on as a comfort watch.
I watched the new Emma., starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn. Much more focused on the comedy elements than the other adaptations I’ve seen, and it mostly works. Bill Nighy is hilarious. It gets a bit too cartoony at points, especially the music, and the second half of the movie drags a bit. Still a lot of fun though, and the cast is excellent. Nice to see some of the Sex Education cast start to pop up in supporting roles.
I was also surprised that it was written by Eleanor Catton, novelist of The Rehearsal and The Luminaries. I like her books, but they’re very different to this.
I also watched the two 1996 versions before this. The Gwyneth Paltrow one is okay: A decent cast of then up-and-comers including Toni Collette, Ewan McGregor, and Alan Cumming, but it feels a bit flat.
I liked the Kate Beckinsale TV movie more. It’s obviously a much cheaper production, but Beckinsale, Samantha Morton, and Mark Strong are great in the lead roles.
Bob’s burgers is my go to comfort show. I’ll play it usually after work. I’m finishing up Little America and Mythic quest this weekend. Both shows were really well made and would check out another season. The Farewell is on PRIME and wanted to show my fiancé.
The biggest comfort food for me is Cheers. I can watch every episode of that 11 season run all the time without getting tired. It's just a nice warm blanket and it really helped me out in a really dire time in my life.
I got up to Totoro this week and it is really the most adorable movie. A real shift from his stuff before it but I love it just as much. Miyazaki is really growing on me.
Finished up the Wick movies with my brother and I really think they get better as they go. 3 is the closest to non stop masterful insanity since Fury Road and I can't wait to see more.
And just because I've been missing Phillip Seymour Hoffman, I gave the international cut of The Boat That Rocked a spin. Not the greatest movie in the world but it's charming and I just love seeing that man act. Has one of the most natural, infectious laughs ever. God I miss him.
80s comedies. "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," "Strange Brew," "Ferris Buellers Day Off," "Christmas Vacation," "Caddyshack," "Beverly Hills Cop,"
00's comedies. "The Hangover," "Super bad," "Anchorman," "Step Brothers" Basically everything from that decade from the Apatow Factory.
90's Action. Like "Con Air," "T2," "The Rock" and "Enemy of the State"
As far as TV goes, "Twilight Zone," "MST3K" and old school Mission: Impossible spring to mind. As does much adult animation; "Bobs Burgers, "Family Guy," "Home Movies," "The Simpsons," "Rick and Morty" even "Adventure Time" even though that isn't adult.
The West Wing all the way! It has such a Frank Capraish idealized view of the way the world should work and the dialogue just sings. Every moment makes me happy.
Comfort food TV: Rockford Files and Parks & Rec. Both series are examples of shows I never watched during their original run, but became an evangelist for once I saw them.
For TV Shows 30 Rock is a huge one, but when I need to go really deep I go to Taxi, M*A*S*H and similar fare. I love quick witty writing, high joke volume and shows with some heart. For movies stuff like Heat, Out of Sight, etc. Love heist movies as comfort food
I usually go with either creature features or Westerns. If I’m folding laundry or organizing things I usually go with something like The Big Country. If I’m just turning off my brain, then I want animals eating people. Preferably crocodiles. I hope that they’re good, but even when they aren’t there’s something really relaxing about watching characters get eaten. Amazon Prime has become a daily tool, more than any other streaming service, for me simply because of the endless hours of both types of content available that I can get for free.
I know this is cliched, but the original Star Wars. My earliest memory is sitting on my dad's lap in a dark movie theater, watching Darth Vader stroll out out through smoke and debris onto the white hallway of the Rebel blockade runner. This was the '97 Special Edition release, and I was not-yet-three, but I fell in love instantly. In the 23 years since, I've seen better movies, I've seen more emotionally impactful movies, I've seen smarter movies and funnier movies and more exciting movies, but I haven't seen anything that has meant as much to me, in a deep way that's embedded into my DNA and a part of me on a defining level.
It's the movie I pop in when I've had a crap day, when I've gone through a bad breakup or when I'm bedridden sick. For those two hours I'm whisked off to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, and Luke's longing for what's beyond the horizon becomes my own. It's a miracle of a movie, something that doesn't work on paper and shouldn't works on scree, but impossible does work in execution through the sheer force of will and effort of everyone involved, held together with silly string from moment-to-moment but coalescing through those combined talents into something that is so far beyond the sum of its parts. It's everything we culturally love about storytelling condensed into one stupid, beautiful film.
Also Parks and Rec, because any show that can make you laugh until it hurts, then make you ugly sub five minutes later, all within a framework that allows its characters to grow without them ever becoming the empty, caricatured versions of themselves so many sitcoms default towards, and which never feels mean-spirited in its humor, is a show I will return to forever.
I threw in a Columbo too. S2E1 Blythe Danner and Cassavettes who is really charismatic in this as a conductor. I need to read a bio of him. Any recommendations?
My movie comfort food is The Princess Bride, which I can, at this point in my life, recite word for word. It is as perfect a movie as there is. Would I change some things if I could? Not really. Well, maybe the synth-score. I wish the movie had the budget for the full orchestral score it deserved, but the cheesiness of the synthesizer score adds to the overall effect of the film. Any Spielberg or Spielberg-adjacent film, like Back to the Future also brings me comfort. Ghostbusters is maybe my all-time favorite film, but the designation tends to shift between others like Field of Dreams and The Lord of the Rings. Any Mel Brooks film when I want to laugh my ass off, and then weep when I finish because movies that funny and that good could not be made in today's constant fauxrage society where "woke" people without no senses of humor seem to decide what we can and cannot laugh about in pop culture.
For television, that's tough, because so much of what I consume on TV depends on my mood. I'm a big Whedon guy, so Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse all do it for me in different ways. I love, love, love the farcical comedy of Frasier. That cast is maybe the greatest cast in television history. Their timing was like a Swiss clock, and their chemistry jumped off the screen. Every one of them should have won every award, and it's a shame Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpen, and especially John Mahoney never did. Just another point that goes to prove how dumb awards generally are in the entertainment industry. Seinfeld is another show I can throw on, at any point, and laugh my ass silly. The combination of Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's senses of humor made magic.
For TV, there are a lot of shows I just rotate through because I find them consistently entertaining and comforting: Cheers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bob's Burgers, Superstore, Frasier, Parks and Rec
For movies, my comfort food lately has been dad movies, or dad-adjacent movies; low-key macho adventure stories without deeper emotional resonance or expansive worldbuilding. Anything from The Fugitive to The Martian to the Mission Impossible movies. Though last year, I think one of my most consistent rewatches was Mary Poppins Returns, which felt very cathartic and reassuring while I was dealing with my lousy old job.
I'm fortunate in that my all time favourite TV show and movie are also my go too comfort food. Quantum Leap for TV and The Natural for movies. I'm long overdue on the former actually but I just love spending time with those characters and watching Sam Beckett in different time periods of the 20th century. The Natural was the first film I watched as a child where I became aware of the different aspects of filmmaking as artforms in their own right and how they help tell the story. Specifically Randy Newman's score and Caleb Descahnel's cinematography. As for the past week I finally saw Parasite as it was released in the UK and I'm glad to report that the hype was real! At one moment my jaw was slack for as long as I can ever remember in a movie or TV show. As the credits rolled I turned to my girlfriend and just mouthed, "Wow!." She was rendered speachless.
So many 30min comedies are easy comfort food. Scrubs use to be my go to. Also mindless action movies that you can move in and out off. Or just anything that you love that you have seen 100 times so you are able to use it and disconnect. Nothing better.
Enough time goes by and I remember chunks of the episodes, but not all the details, which makes it fun to watch again.
Recently, I find myself going back to Hannibal.
Between the theatrical visuals, the darkness of this world, the chemistry between Lector and Grahams, and the sheer amazement that this was on network TV for 3 YEARS, it's a joy to rewatch. (and to hope a 4th season comes some day.)
I tend to disconnect by putting on episodes of point-and-laugh shows like "truTV Presents World's Dumbest" and "America's Funniest Home Videos" while doing other things, or pulling up some old MST3K episodes.
Movies: “Waking Life,” “Keeping the Faith,” “Star Wars: A New Hope” and “The Whole Wide World” are the movies I tend to look at as my “comfort food” watching, with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is my TV choice. All of those really connect to me emotionally and help align me if I’m having a hard time.
Rough couple weeks so I went on a binge yesterday: watched 1917 in the theater again, the Judy Garland / Gene Kelly musical FOR ME AND MY GAL (another WW1 movie, made during WW2), then BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT. Headed to BIRDS OF PREY today, which is weird because I never got around to watching SUICIDE SQUAD.
Definitely, The Big Lebowski and Clue. Sometimes, I watch scenes from these movies on youtube to cheer me up. Both have perfect timing, so fast dialogues full of humor. I am always discovering new jokes or small details that make me appreciate it even more.
My wife has showing me Star Trek TNG for the last two years, because I've never seen more than a few episodes (I'm a TOS kid myself). We're in season six now, and it's the ultimate comfort food, like being tucked in under a warm blanket.
Is it weird that I tend not to comfort-watch of my own volition? I never feel like I have the time, so everything I watch, film or show-wise, is for a reason (something to review, something I've never seen before, something I want to show my partner, etc). The closest equivalent I have -- because they're my partner's comfort shows, so they tend to become mine, too -- are UK panel/comic game shows like WOULD I LIE TO YOU?, THE BIG FAT QUIZ and TASKMASTER.
My number one comfort show, or type of show, would be any long running Shonen Anime, such as Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, or One Piece. I for me the reason why these are such easy watches for me is because of the large amount of episodes, generally light tones, and very colorful and pleasing art styles. I also love to go back and watch these because more often than not, the worlds are just fun to be in. This goes double for One Piece, which honestly might have might be the greatest example of great fictional world that I could think of.
I tend to lean on stuff that was airing when I was in High School. FRIENDS and The Batman Animated Series are lovely little "unplugs" when I just want nostalgia fuzzies.
Red Dwarf series 1-6 is a definite go to for me. It’s the little asides, like the crew finding themselves in a universe where “Ringo was a really good drummer”, or that moment with the ai toilet in series 1, “sorry sir, I misunderstood”. For the mid eighties to early nineties it was sublime stuff.
There are certain movies that I’ll always think of as Saturday Matinees — the ‘50s and ‘60s stuff (much of which was sci-fi and adventure) that used to play repeatedly on cable tv when I was a kid, and that repeated viewings of which formed the backbone of my love of film. 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad,’ ‘The Time Machine,’ ‘The War Of The Worlds,’ ‘Treasure Island,’ ‘The Thing From Another World,’ ‘Swiss Family Robinson…’ I watch those childhood favorites endlessly. There are also latter classics mixed in there, too; I’m fairly certain I’ll never get enough of ‘Local Hero’ or ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’ or ‘Help!’. But my all-time favorite comfort food movie is Cary Grant in ‘Father Goose.’ I bet I’ve seen it 40 times, and it never fails to put a smile on my face.
I frequently go to either THE SIMPSONS or MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 whenever my spirit needs a boost. Both of them taught me that as long as you can laugh at the shitty parts of life, then life is worth living.
To answer your question: My girlfriend and I fall asleep to old episodes of Bob's Burgers on a regular basis. That and Brooklyn Nine Nine represent comfort to us (to be clear, we watch new episodes fully alert, and doze off to old favorites).
For me personally, I'm a sucker for sharp dialogue. Sports Night, West Wing and Justified hit me like warm bowls of soup on a cold day.
Going off topic: I saw BIRDS OF PREY earlier this week. I dug it. Felt like a more clever, less obnoxious DEADPOOL. Looking forward to COLOR OUT OF SPACE and PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE in the next few days.
On the TV front, I'm tearing through S3 of The Expanse, and I'm hooked. Hoping to get into Picard soon (need a friend to come through with a CBS All Access account)
Venture Brothers full stop. Even in some of the weaker episodes, there’s usually a line or two that will get me going
I remember watching Big Trouble in Little China when I was a little kid shortly before our family deployed to Korea. I thought it was terrifying and epically awesome, and couldn’t wait to be near the action.
As I grew up, the humor and commentary of the film became clearer, but I still got a big kick out of Jack and Wang. When I was on my own deployments and operations, I’d psych myself up thinking of the film and Jack’s unearned confidence! We even quote some lines sometimes after rough nights. “Wasn’t easy!” “It’s all in the reflexes.” “Shut up Mr. Burton, you were not put on this Earth to ‘get it!’” Love this movie.
The West Wing is a huge comfort show for me. It's a great political drama that manages to make me laugh harder than most comedies I see. Also, Martin Sheen is a world treasure. I also love the shows Frasier, Chuck (which no one talks about), and Cobra Kai, which is my favorite show on TV right now.
As for movies, my biggest comfort movie right now is Isle of Dogs. I just love the world Wes Anderson creates, and the animation is absolutely gorgeous. I think the story is a little sloppier than Fantastic Mr. Fox, but that's also part of what I like. I like that the film meanders and lets these dogs talk about whatever they want, whether it's rumors going around or their go-to snacks. I just love it.
Add The Venture Brothers to my list, same for Bob’s Burgers and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Any episode of Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul.
Forged in Fire on the History Channel is one that also hits the spot for me from time to time.
If it’s a movie, I’ll watch John Carpenter’s The Thing or Nimrod Antal’s Predators even though I’ve seen them multiple times. Hot Rod as well, because I fell in love with that one the same way I did with Super Troopers.
Also, for some reason Nightcrawler was a movie that I missed originally, but have been obsessed with watching lately after catching a few clips.
No theater movies this weekend, but I may check out Doctor Sleep or Sweetheart tonight. Looking forward to The Invisible Man and Antlers soon.
Phineas and Ferb: my GenZ children discovered this show, oddly enough, during a Disney World trip, and they got all of us hooked. If we need a disconnected 1/2 hour, can't beat a Phineas and Ferb ep. We have almost the entire series run on our TiVo's HD just in case. (And once we grab a month or two of Disney+, we'll watch the ones we don't have.)
Any episode of Alan Partridge stuff, but usually his Mid Morning Matters series.
This is not a good theater weekend for me. I never quite cashed in on Columbo, sadly. As far as warm fuzzies go: Justified or The Wire are probably my typical go-tos. Lately I've been leaning in to The Magicians (which has quite surpassed the original novels).
I veg in front of forensic files and Law & Order reruns.
Mine's gotta be Star Trek TOS, although recently Perry Mason has been giving it a run for its money.
My wife and I watch the U.S version of The Office. A lot. It's the default when we can't decide what to watch. My go to comfort food movie is Michael Clayton of all things. I just enjoy the "adultness" of it. It's a mid-range non-genre studio movie that's all-too-rare these days, with great performances, tight script and direction, and a great final scene that always satisfies.
30 Rock and Brooklyn 99. Any time I need a re-set these shows are the remedy.
I like to put on old episodes of Star Trek TOS when I’m just looking to kick back with something comfortable. I like the classic episodes with original efx but I also like the updated ones too. Buck Rogers also works in a pinch too.
Hey, in addition I wanted to thank you for recommending Castle on the Hill last summer in a tweet. I’m listening to the audio book and its a terrific account of old and new Hollywood. I had the fortune of staying there last October so I was able to experience the vibe of the place. One day I hope to go back again especially knowing the history a little better.
Eureka. The Sci-Fi show. It's just delightful from beginning to end.
No theaters this weekend, I'm insanely pick what I see in the theaters nowadays and we saw Harley last weekend. Probably won't be back until Black Widow and the Summer Movies kick into gear. :)
Star Trek - TOS, TNG, VOY. The friendships between the characters mixed with sci-fi just hits a sweet spot of comfort for me. The new serialized version is enjoyable but hard to throw on as a comfort watch.
I watched the new Emma., starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn. Much more focused on the comedy elements than the other adaptations I’ve seen, and it mostly works. Bill Nighy is hilarious. It gets a bit too cartoony at points, especially the music, and the second half of the movie drags a bit. Still a lot of fun though, and the cast is excellent. Nice to see some of the Sex Education cast start to pop up in supporting roles.
I was also surprised that it was written by Eleanor Catton, novelist of The Rehearsal and The Luminaries. I like her books, but they’re very different to this.
I also watched the two 1996 versions before this. The Gwyneth Paltrow one is okay: A decent cast of then up-and-comers including Toni Collette, Ewan McGregor, and Alan Cumming, but it feels a bit flat.
I liked the Kate Beckinsale TV movie more. It’s obviously a much cheaper production, but Beckinsale, Samantha Morton, and Mark Strong are great in the lead roles.
Bob’s burgers is my go to comfort show. I’ll play it usually after work. I’m finishing up Little America and Mythic quest this weekend. Both shows were really well made and would check out another season. The Farewell is on PRIME and wanted to show my fiancé.
The biggest comfort food for me is Cheers. I can watch every episode of that 11 season run all the time without getting tired. It's just a nice warm blanket and it really helped me out in a really dire time in my life.
I got up to Totoro this week and it is really the most adorable movie. A real shift from his stuff before it but I love it just as much. Miyazaki is really growing on me.
Finished up the Wick movies with my brother and I really think they get better as they go. 3 is the closest to non stop masterful insanity since Fury Road and I can't wait to see more.
And just because I've been missing Phillip Seymour Hoffman, I gave the international cut of The Boat That Rocked a spin. Not the greatest movie in the world but it's charming and I just love seeing that man act. Has one of the most natural, infectious laughs ever. God I miss him.
80s comedies. "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," "Strange Brew," "Ferris Buellers Day Off," "Christmas Vacation," "Caddyshack," "Beverly Hills Cop,"
00's comedies. "The Hangover," "Super bad," "Anchorman," "Step Brothers" Basically everything from that decade from the Apatow Factory.
90's Action. Like "Con Air," "T2," "The Rock" and "Enemy of the State"
As far as TV goes, "Twilight Zone," "MST3K" and old school Mission: Impossible spring to mind. As does much adult animation; "Bobs Burgers, "Family Guy," "Home Movies," "The Simpsons," "Rick and Morty" even "Adventure Time" even though that isn't adult.
I'm sure I really just showed my age but oh well.
The West Wing all the way! It has such a Frank Capraish idealized view of the way the world should work and the dialogue just sings. Every moment makes me happy.
Comfort food TV: Rockford Files and Parks & Rec. Both series are examples of shows I never watched during their original run, but became an evangelist for once I saw them.
Off topic, but saw VFW Friday. If you haven’t seen it yet, do anything you can to check it out. Superbly scuzzy. Stephen Lang is the truth in this.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE. I've seen them so many times, they're almost not like shows anymore, they're more like music that I can kind of groove to.
For TV Shows 30 Rock is a huge one, but when I need to go really deep I go to Taxi, M*A*S*H and similar fare. I love quick witty writing, high joke volume and shows with some heart. For movies stuff like Heat, Out of Sight, etc. Love heist movies as comfort food
I usually go with either creature features or Westerns. If I’m folding laundry or organizing things I usually go with something like The Big Country. If I’m just turning off my brain, then I want animals eating people. Preferably crocodiles. I hope that they’re good, but even when they aren’t there’s something really relaxing about watching characters get eaten. Amazon Prime has become a daily tool, more than any other streaming service, for me simply because of the endless hours of both types of content available that I can get for free.
Foyle's War, which reminds me a bit of Columbo.
I know this is cliched, but the original Star Wars. My earliest memory is sitting on my dad's lap in a dark movie theater, watching Darth Vader stroll out out through smoke and debris onto the white hallway of the Rebel blockade runner. This was the '97 Special Edition release, and I was not-yet-three, but I fell in love instantly. In the 23 years since, I've seen better movies, I've seen more emotionally impactful movies, I've seen smarter movies and funnier movies and more exciting movies, but I haven't seen anything that has meant as much to me, in a deep way that's embedded into my DNA and a part of me on a defining level.
It's the movie I pop in when I've had a crap day, when I've gone through a bad breakup or when I'm bedridden sick. For those two hours I'm whisked off to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, and Luke's longing for what's beyond the horizon becomes my own. It's a miracle of a movie, something that doesn't work on paper and shouldn't works on scree, but impossible does work in execution through the sheer force of will and effort of everyone involved, held together with silly string from moment-to-moment but coalescing through those combined talents into something that is so far beyond the sum of its parts. It's everything we culturally love about storytelling condensed into one stupid, beautiful film.
Also Parks and Rec, because any show that can make you laugh until it hurts, then make you ugly sub five minutes later, all within a framework that allows its characters to grow without them ever becoming the empty, caricatured versions of themselves so many sitcoms default towards, and which never feels mean-spirited in its humor, is a show I will return to forever.
I threw in a Columbo too. S2E1 Blythe Danner and Cassavettes who is really charismatic in this as a conductor. I need to read a bio of him. Any recommendations?
My movie comfort food is The Princess Bride, which I can, at this point in my life, recite word for word. It is as perfect a movie as there is. Would I change some things if I could? Not really. Well, maybe the synth-score. I wish the movie had the budget for the full orchestral score it deserved, but the cheesiness of the synthesizer score adds to the overall effect of the film. Any Spielberg or Spielberg-adjacent film, like Back to the Future also brings me comfort. Ghostbusters is maybe my all-time favorite film, but the designation tends to shift between others like Field of Dreams and The Lord of the Rings. Any Mel Brooks film when I want to laugh my ass off, and then weep when I finish because movies that funny and that good could not be made in today's constant fauxrage society where "woke" people without no senses of humor seem to decide what we can and cannot laugh about in pop culture.
For television, that's tough, because so much of what I consume on TV depends on my mood. I'm a big Whedon guy, so Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse all do it for me in different ways. I love, love, love the farcical comedy of Frasier. That cast is maybe the greatest cast in television history. Their timing was like a Swiss clock, and their chemistry jumped off the screen. Every one of them should have won every award, and it's a shame Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpen, and especially John Mahoney never did. Just another point that goes to prove how dumb awards generally are in the entertainment industry. Seinfeld is another show I can throw on, at any point, and laugh my ass silly. The combination of Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's senses of humor made magic.
For TV, there are a lot of shows I just rotate through because I find them consistently entertaining and comforting: Cheers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bob's Burgers, Superstore, Frasier, Parks and Rec
For movies, my comfort food lately has been dad movies, or dad-adjacent movies; low-key macho adventure stories without deeper emotional resonance or expansive worldbuilding. Anything from The Fugitive to The Martian to the Mission Impossible movies. Though last year, I think one of my most consistent rewatches was Mary Poppins Returns, which felt very cathartic and reassuring while I was dealing with my lousy old job.
I'm fortunate in that my all time favourite TV show and movie are also my go too comfort food. Quantum Leap for TV and The Natural for movies. I'm long overdue on the former actually but I just love spending time with those characters and watching Sam Beckett in different time periods of the 20th century. The Natural was the first film I watched as a child where I became aware of the different aspects of filmmaking as artforms in their own right and how they help tell the story. Specifically Randy Newman's score and Caleb Descahnel's cinematography. As for the past week I finally saw Parasite as it was released in the UK and I'm glad to report that the hype was real! At one moment my jaw was slack for as long as I can ever remember in a movie or TV show. As the credits rolled I turned to my girlfriend and just mouthed, "Wow!." She was rendered speachless.
So many 30min comedies are easy comfort food. Scrubs use to be my go to. Also mindless action movies that you can move in and out off. Or just anything that you love that you have seen 100 times so you are able to use it and disconnect. Nothing better.
I think over the years, it's been Original Trek.
Enough time goes by and I remember chunks of the episodes, but not all the details, which makes it fun to watch again.
Recently, I find myself going back to Hannibal.
Between the theatrical visuals, the darkness of this world, the chemistry between Lector and Grahams, and the sheer amazement that this was on network TV for 3 YEARS, it's a joy to rewatch. (and to hope a 4th season comes some day.)
I tend to disconnect by putting on episodes of point-and-laugh shows like "truTV Presents World's Dumbest" and "America's Funniest Home Videos" while doing other things, or pulling up some old MST3K episodes.
Movies: “Waking Life,” “Keeping the Faith,” “Star Wars: A New Hope” and “The Whole Wide World” are the movies I tend to look at as my “comfort food” watching, with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is my TV choice. All of those really connect to me emotionally and help align me if I’m having a hard time.
Rough couple weeks so I went on a binge yesterday: watched 1917 in the theater again, the Judy Garland / Gene Kelly musical FOR ME AND MY GAL (another WW1 movie, made during WW2), then BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT. Headed to BIRDS OF PREY today, which is weird because I never got around to watching SUICIDE SQUAD.
Throwing on some “Cheers” from Netflix or whatever “Jeopardy” episodes we have stockpiled on DVR is our usual go-to move.
Definitely, The Big Lebowski and Clue. Sometimes, I watch scenes from these movies on youtube to cheer me up. Both have perfect timing, so fast dialogues full of humor. I am always discovering new jokes or small details that make me appreciate it even more.
My wife has showing me Star Trek TNG for the last two years, because I've never seen more than a few episodes (I'm a TOS kid myself). We're in season six now, and it's the ultimate comfort food, like being tucked in under a warm blanket.
Is it weird that I tend not to comfort-watch of my own volition? I never feel like I have the time, so everything I watch, film or show-wise, is for a reason (something to review, something I've never seen before, something I want to show my partner, etc). The closest equivalent I have -- because they're my partner's comfort shows, so they tend to become mine, too -- are UK panel/comic game shows like WOULD I LIE TO YOU?, THE BIG FAT QUIZ and TASKMASTER.
My number one comfort show, or type of show, would be any long running Shonen Anime, such as Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, or One Piece. I for me the reason why these are such easy watches for me is because of the large amount of episodes, generally light tones, and very colorful and pleasing art styles. I also love to go back and watch these because more often than not, the worlds are just fun to be in. This goes double for One Piece, which honestly might have might be the greatest example of great fictional world that I could think of.
When I think of movie or tv comfort food Raiders of the Lost Ark and Seinfeld come to mind.
And to answer your other question, earlier this evening I saw Portrait of a Lady on Fire by writer-director Céline Sciamma. It is an excellent film.
I tend to lean on stuff that was airing when I was in High School. FRIENDS and The Batman Animated Series are lovely little "unplugs" when I just want nostalgia fuzzies.
Red Dwarf series 1-6 is a definite go to for me. It’s the little asides, like the crew finding themselves in a universe where “Ringo was a really good drummer”, or that moment with the ai toilet in series 1, “sorry sir, I misunderstood”. For the mid eighties to early nineties it was sublime stuff.
There are certain movies that I’ll always think of as Saturday Matinees — the ‘50s and ‘60s stuff (much of which was sci-fi and adventure) that used to play repeatedly on cable tv when I was a kid, and that repeated viewings of which formed the backbone of my love of film. 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad,’ ‘The Time Machine,’ ‘The War Of The Worlds,’ ‘Treasure Island,’ ‘The Thing From Another World,’ ‘Swiss Family Robinson…’ I watch those childhood favorites endlessly. There are also latter classics mixed in there, too; I’m fairly certain I’ll never get enough of ‘Local Hero’ or ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’ or ‘Help!’. But my all-time favorite comfort food movie is Cary Grant in ‘Father Goose.’ I bet I’ve seen it 40 times, and it never fails to put a smile on my face.