My Favorite Comfort Movies – Part 3

November 27, 2020

As we wind our way through this unprecedented year and reach the beginning of the holiday season, I find myself reflecting on the year that was, as I normally do at this time of year.  Usually I am thinking about what I am thankful for, what went well (and what didn’t), and goals for the coming year.  Well, needless to say, that’s a lot to unpack for a year like 2020, so it will take me some time to truly process this year before I share my thoughts at some point.  Instead, we’re going to revisit one of my favorite topics – comfort movies.  We’ve all gone through ups and downs this year and sometimes a good comfort movie can help you get through a tough day.  If you missed my previous suggestions, you can find them here and here.  Ok, here’s part three.

Say Anything… (1989)

The 1980s saw a large number of teenage comedies – some very good (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), some that haven’t aged very well (Revenge of the Nerds), some that were more dramedy (The Breakfast Club), and some that were romantic comedies with a heart that still hold up more than thirty years later and that’s where Say Anything… fits into the picture.  Perhaps because it was made at the end of the decade that Cameron Crowe was able to bring forth a story about kids, but with adult themes, instead of slapstick comedy.  As I have written before, I am a long admirer of Crowe’s work and this one is near the top of the list, primarily because of the performance by John Cusack, one of my favorite actors of his generation.  Many of us can relate to the awkward teenage years that Lloyd Dobler is experiencing – at times fitting in with his close friends that he has a kinship with, and at other times feeling anxiety when asking out his dream girl, Diane Court (played by Ione Skye). 

I particularly like this film because it feels real, especially the dialogue.  The scenes between Lloyd and Diane – during their courtship, through their intimate scenes, and the messiness of their fights – have a genuineness that you rarely see with teenage characters.  There are iconic scenes (Lloyd trying to win back Dine by blasting the boombox with In Your Eyes, by Peter Gabriel), and iconic lines (“I gave her my heart.  She gave me a pen.” and “The world is full of guys.  Be a man – don’t be a guy.”).  The cast features a number of great supporting actors including  John Mahoney as Diane’s father, Lili Taylor as Lloyd’s friend Corey, and quick cameos from Eric Stoltz, Jeremy Piven, and Phillip Baker Hall.  It’s often said that to make a great movie, sometimes you need a little luck and I think we’re lucky we got Cusack and Skye as Lloyd and Diane.  While the script from Crowe is outstanding, I think in the hands of two different lead actors, it might not work as well.  Fortunately, we have a wonderful movie that is still rewatchable after all these years.

Rear Window (1954)

This one takes me back to my childhood, when I was introduced to the classic films of the 1950s and 1960s, especially the work of Alfred Hitchcock.  I have no idea how many times I have watched Rear Window over the years – it’s too many to count, but settling down to watch this one feels like a warm blanket.  Jimmy Stewart, a frequent collaborator with Hitchcock, stars as LB “Jeff” Jeffries, a photographer holed up in an apartment during a sweltering summer while recovering from a broken leg.  In between occasional visits from his girlfriend (the marvelous Grace Kelly as Lisa), his nurse, and his close friend (who happens to be a detective), Jeff passes the time by observing his neighbors across the courtyard through the rear window of his apartment.  While some of the observations are cute (the couple who lower their dog in a basket down several floors to go outside), funny (the honeymooners who rarely open the shades), sad (the lonely woman Jeff nicknames “Miss Lonelyhearts”), or distracting (the dancer who he dubs Miss Torso), the substance of the story focuses on a mysterious man named Lars Thorwald, played by acting legend Raymond Burr.

Over the course of the film, Jeff and Lisa start to wonder what has happened to Thorwald’s wife, who seems to have disappeared.  They piece together clues based on what they observe through the windows, but soon realize that it’s hard to see the full story with only bits and pieces of the plot.  While the film is a nice murder mystery, it’s also a reminder that you can’t tell everything about someone’s life through a partial examination through an open window, just like they don’t know everything about you based on what they see from their side of the glass. 

While a few aspects of the film are a little dated (especially one “special effect” at the end), I’m inclined to give a lot of leeway since this film was made in the 1950s.  The winners here are Stewart and Kelly for fantastic chemistry as a couple who are very different (a world-traveling photographer and a high fashion socialite – a Beauty and the Beast if you will).  Despite their differences, you can tell the characters have genuine feelings for each other and are in love.  I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the excellent filming by Hitchcock, who presents the story in a way that doesn’t feel claustrophobic, despite the entire film emerging from the vantage point of Jeff’s apartment.  It’s a perfect combination of mystery, suspense, comedy, and romance that makes it one of my all-time favorites.  It’s safe to say Hitchcock will make another appearance in a future Comfort Movies post.

Fargo (1996)

I’ve had this comfort movie post on my list of topics for a while now, but initially I had a different movie pegged in for this slot.  But, this past week my son and I decided to sit down for a movie and he mentioned that he had never seen Fargo and it kept popping up on his Netflix recommendations, so we jumped in and watched it.  So, I’ll save that other movie for a future installment of comfort movies, because I could always use ideas for topics.  Have any?  Please send them my way!

Anyway, back to Fargo.  It’s hard to describe this film – it’s part crime drama, part film noir, and part absurdist comedy.  Brought to us by the Coen brothers (directed  by Joel, produced by Ethan, and co-written by both of them), it’s one of the best movies of the last thirty years.  The film features outstanding performances from William H. Macy, Frances McDormand (who won the Oscar for Best Actress) and Steve Buscemi, in a hysterical performance.  The plot centers on what seems like a simple idea from a simple man that quickly spirals into disaster for everyone involved.  While there are a few violent scenes, there are comedic aspects to them in which you may wonder why you are uncomfortable laughing with a bloody scene on the screen.  As an example, you’ll never think of a wood chipper the same way after seeing this film. 

In addition to an Oscar-winning script, the film features brilliant cinematography from Roger Deakins, who received the second of his fifteen Oscar nominations for his work on Fargo.  The snowy landscapes are a thing of beauty, but the most compelling scene to me is early in the film when Buscemi’s partner chases a car down a dark snowy road.  We view the scene from the vantage point of the car’s headlights, an unusual choice for a filmmaker.  The combination of script, performances, cinematography, and a haunting score make this for a terrific rewatch.

One last thought on Fargo – I was surprised to realize this film is only 100 minutes.   Most films these days (really good ones anyway) are rarely less than two hours, so to be able to watch a brilliant film in a crisp 100 minutes was very nice.  After the film was over, I thought to myself “Well, if they made that movie now, there is no way it would be less than two hours.  It would probably be almost three hours, or maybe a limited series.”  Then I stopped and said “Of course, they’ve done that already!”  If you’ve never jumped into the Fargo universe, I highly recommend watching the film first.  The television series consists of four seasons that ran in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020, with this year’s season wrapping up this weekend.  The first and second seasons were excellent and I think the third and fourth seasons are good, but not as great as the first two.  While the television series is not a sequel to the film (so you technically don’t need to watch the film first), I think of them as being part of the same family, with the same DNA – similar themes, storylines and styles, but different enough to stand on their own.  Do I recommend diving into the Fargo universe?  You betcha!  (And if you don’t get that joke, you should really stop what you are doing and watch the film.  Consider that a public service announcement.)

Back to the Future (1985)

I’ve had this film on my comfort movie list for a while now, and it only seems fitting to be writing about it shortly after Michael J. Fox announced that he is no longer pursuing acting roles.  After forty years of acting, his struggles with Parkinson’s disease (which he has been battling for the last thirty years) have become too much for him to continue acting on a regular basis.  I hope we’ll still see him in a recurring role from time to time, as it’s always nice to see a friendly face who we watched grow up and become a wonderful actor.  From the early days of Family Ties, through a successful movie career, back to television with Spin City, and quality performances in recent years, especially in a recurring role on The Good Wife, Fox has done it all.

I remember as a teenager being obsessed with Back to the Future, seeing it many times, wearing out the cassette tape of the soundtrack (with The Power of Love, an all-time 80s soundtrack hit), and trying to dissect and figure out the plot.  Remember debating certain aspects of the film and whether there were plot holes in how time travel could work?  Of course, this became even more complicated with the two sequels where Marty and Doc traveled back and forth from 1985 to 1955 and even back to 1885!  It was enough to make your hair hurt.  Although, if we think of movie plots now, understanding Back to the Future was child’s play.  I can see Christopher Nolan saying “Back to the Future was nothing.  Let me tell you a little something about dream sharing and extracting information from people’s dreams.”  Um, what?  The funny thing is that ever since we saw this movie 35 years ago, it’s still a reference point for any time travel movie or television series.  Think about it – every time you see time travel, don’t you think “Wait, is this how it worked in Back to the Future?”  As an example, the recent NBC series Timeless included aspects that definitely made me think of Marty’s adventures.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the film almost never came into our lives.  It was a tough sell around Hollywood and when it eventually got the green light, the filmmakers had a tough time getting their leading man.  In fact, they actually started filming with Eric Stoltz in the lead role because they couldn’t convince NBC to let Fox take a break from Family Ties to make the film.  After weeks of shooting, the filmmakers realized that Stoltz wasn’t working in the role and decided to start over.  Luckily, they had Spielberg on board who had the clout to get the extra money needed for filming.  With the change in timing, they were also able to get Fox to work around his Family Ties shooting schedule to make the film.  He spent weeks playing Alex P. Keaton by day and Marty McFly by night, a grueling shoot that left him exhausted.  Here’s another fun fact – the role of Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer was also recast when Stoltz was let go.  The original actor?  Melora Hardin, who was deemed too tall to star alongside Fox, so she was replaced.  Don’t recognize the name?  She would later played Jan on The Office.  It’s amazing the facts you can learn about a film after all these years. 

With a wonderful cast and one of the cleverest scripts we’ve ever seen in a blockbuster, I love how the film works on so many levels.  You have the tender moments among characters who care for each other, the comedic moments among Marty, Doc, George, Lorraine and Biff, the action sequences and tension of getting Marty back to 1985, and the clever Easter eggs when you compare 1955 to 1985, especially the little details like the Twin Pines Mall turning into the Lone Pine Mall.  As many times as I’ve seen Back to the Future, it still holds up after all these years and maybe that’s why it makes such a great comfort movie. 

That’s it for this week.  I hope you enjoyed the latest edition of my favorite comfort movies.  Next week I’ll be back for the first part of my winter movie preview.  Despite this very unusual movie season, we have some great films on the way in the next few months.  Thanks again for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe here.