A film’s rewatchability factor has a great deal to do with its enduring success. Last year, I listed Bennett Miller’s gloomy, heavy “Foxcatcher” as my favorite movie of the year and, to a degree, it’s a pick I still stand by. But the glum solemnity of "Foxcatcher" doesn’t divulge any particularly new layers upon repeat viewings, whereas other films that I listed in my top five — mainly James Gray’s staggering American tragedy “The Immigrant” and Alex Ross Perry’s underrated and seriously funny “Listen Up, Philip” — continued to reveal new and fascinating layers with repeat viewings. Some flicks from 2014 seem less interesting when watched more than once (for me, it was Damien Chazelle’s almost universally-praised “Whiplash”) while others, like Paul Thomas Anderson’s wigged-out cinematic cornucopia “Inherent Vice,” are best enjoyed when you’ve had a chance to unpack their dense narratives more than once.
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For you list nerds out there, the good folks over at stats site Five Thirty Eight have recently conducted a poll, and assembled a list of the twenty-five most rewatchable films of all time. Not surprisingly, the films that made it to the top five are (mostly) loved by all, with the original “Star Wars” sitting pretty at the very top (though they fudged it a bit, and counted anything marked ‘Star Wars’ as the first film if it didn’t specify the series). There’s also “Gone with the Wind,” the first “Godfather,” and, not surprisingly, Frank Darabont’s much-beloved “Shawshank Redemption.” Newer, equally adored titles like “Pulp Fiction,” “Titanic,” and the first “Matrix” flick enter in near the middle. The list itself is almost exclusively comprised of films that are massively, undeniably popular, but every devoted film nerd probably has their own specific version of this list.
What’s the movie you can watch over and over again? Let us know in the comments section below. Here are the results of 4,362 entries from 1,169 respondents.
1 Star Wars 98
2 The Wizard of Oz 76
3 The Sound of Music 58
4 The Lord of the Rings (series) 56
5 Gone With the Wind 52
6 The Godfather 45
6 The Princess Bride 45
8 The Shawshank Redemption 42
9 Harry Potter (series) 36
10 It’s a Wonderful Life 35
11 Forrest Gump 33
11 Grease 33
13 Dirty Dancing 32
14 Pulp Fiction 29
14 Titanic 29
16 The Lion King 28
16 Pretty Woman 28
18 Casablanca 27
19 The Matrix 25
19 The Notebook 25
21 Star Trek 24
21 Finding Nemo 24
23 Goodfellas 22
24 Pride & Prejudice 19
25 Caddyshack 18
25 The Avengers 18