James tackles the dreaded movie question

“Whats your favorite movie?”
   
Not a day goes by where I don’t discuss movies, and I’ve been asked the above question more than all others combined. It’s an obvious one, but flawed and virtually impossible to answer well. I’ve made a point of never giving a straight response, instead demanding the questioner either narrow or widen the parameters of the query. This has doubtlessly ensured that I’ve been passed over for promotion and missed out on a number of lovers, but a man has to draw a line in the sand somewhere.
   
Consider the shortcomings of that question. What does one movie say about anyone? How does one account for idiosyncratic choices, or ones born of fond childhood memories? One’s favorite movie might be “The Notebook,” but what if their second favorite is “Ghost World?” How to judge the splatter film fanatic who adores “Forrest Gump” above all else?
   
But this problem is trivial compared to the real issue: I don’t have a favorite movie. Once you’ve seen several dozen masterpieces, how is it possible to consider one to be a cut above the rest?
   
There’s a better version of the question that the merciful and the thoughtful employ instead: name your five favorite movies. This one is significantly better, eliminating the difficulty posed by idiosyncrasy. Pick a person, any person, and their answer to this one will tell you something about them, even if just a little bit.
   
Imagine three people. All of them list “Star Wars” as their favorite. Expand the question to five movies instead of one. The first then says “Star Wars,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “Tombstone and Groundhog Day.” The second says “Star Wars, Juno,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Empire Records” and “Clueless.” The third says “Star Wars,“ “Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi,” “Evil Dead II” and “Fight Club.” Looking through these selections, three very different people come to mind, even though their initial answer is identical. Isn’t the answer much more telling?
   
But I’ve got one that’s even more indicative of one’s personality and tastes, at least if you really love movies. When I want to learn about someone through their taste in cinema, I ask “what do you recommend to people?” Think of all the different sorts of people you know, with a seemingly infinite range of tastes. Think of the films you love, the ones that speak to you when they unfold, the works that by loving say something meaningful about you. Then consider the questioner: what might a particular film say about you to them?
   
Who knows, think about it long enough and you might even learn a bit about yourself.

Friends: “Blue Velvet”
Male Strangers: “Hard Boiled”
Female Strangers: “Blade Runner”
Women I Have a Romantic Interest In: “Sideways”
Professors: “Sling Blade”
Older Kids: “Welcome to the Dollhouse”
Cinephiles: “Casino”

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