Why you shouldn't ask this famous question, "What is your favorite movie?"
Now, how many times in your life have you been asked "What is your favorite movie?", or perhaps, "What is your favorite musical artist?". Most likely more then once, right? It's often used as a conversation starter, and while it's a handy question to have in one's pocket, it dose stop and make you think. Can you even have one single favorite movie?
The first thing your brains gotta do is filter through all the genres. Horror, Action, Drama, Thriller, Western, Science fiction, Romantic Comedy, which one to choose? Which genre is the superior one? The answer to that is, there is no superior one. The reason we have different film genres is that each one has it's own mood and vibe. So what do we do when we are asked what are Top Five movies are? Do we pull them all from the horror genre because we were in a horror binge yesterday, or the comedy genre because we like to laugh? You could most likely name five recent films you seen that you remember, but then later that day you remember another great film and go, darn it! Why didn't I say that?
So many genres, so little time.
There is something strange and oddly personal about the reveal of your favorite movie, almost like finding out about a skelton in your closet. We might be afraid of being judged by our favorite movie, so most of the time people might give one answer, while in reality they will keep secret what they really think. For example, you might say an arthouse film like "The Tree of Life" or "The Whale" is your favorite movie, which might be an amazing, brilliant made film. The answer gives off a sense of fine taste and class. But that might be a film you've only seen once and have no real desire to put it on again soon.
Army of Darkness (1992)
Now take a movie like Army of Darkness or Hocus Pocus, it might not be the perfect movie but it might be one that you've seen countless times due to it's odd sense of humor and fun. It puts a smile on your face every time you see it. You wouldn't put Army of Darkness or Hocus Pocus in the Top 10 best films ever made with the likes of Citizen Kane and 2001: A Space Odyssey, but you've most likely seen it more than those other films. So maybe there is a difference between the best movie you've ever seen and your favorite movie. I would hope that people would not be scared to share what they really think. But it would be hard not to judge someone if they said "Super Mario Bros the 1993 version" is their favorite movie.
The other main issue with that question is when you stop and think about all the movies you have ever seen. According to research by Redbox, the average American will watch MORE THEN 5000 movies over the course of a lifetime. Now you're only suppose to pick one out of 5000 films. Let's hope this question does not get asked to use in the afterlife.
Spirited Away (2001) How it feels when someone ask’s the question.
So next time you dealing with awkward small talk and the room is silent between you, maybe try asking "What is your favorite movie genre?" or "Do you watch movies?" to get that ball rolling instead. The other person will have to stop and put a few second's thoughts into it.
And oh, if you're wondering what some of my favorite movies are? Well, here are a few of them.
Kiki's Delivery Service
Army of Darkness
The Matrix
Alien
Sinister
Coraline
Spirted Away
Encanto
The Descent
Mad Max Fury Road
Now don't ask me "What is my video game?". We'll be here all day.
