I just watched Groundhog Day (1993) and it seemed to me to be just about the perfect movie.
Some films may put across a very serious and important message. Something like this:
What is life? Life is an adventure where you get to live over and over again. And every time you fail to become a good person, you have to come back and try it again. Sort of the idea of some Eastern religion that includes the concepts of Karma and multiple lives and eventually achieving Nirvana.
But, IMHO, Groundhog Day is perfect because it puts across that message in a completely light hearted and humorous way and that makes it just about perfect!
How about you? Do you know of a movie that you would call “perfect”? If so, please tell us why you feel it is perfect.
Thank you.
So … we all keep trying but we just keep getting Pitted until we get it right.
Likewise, it’s not the greatest movie, but GalaxyQuest is a perfect movie: they knew exactly what they were shooting for, cast the roles flawlessly, and tossed in throwaway lines that were more interesting than a number of films.
I’ll throw my hat in with that OtherWaldopepper dude. It’s NOT so much WHAT the movie actually is…it’s that the movie is a nearly perfect version of what it is.
And IMO Waldo is right. Galaxy Quest hits the mark in that regard.
How’s this for an outlier. A Million Ways to Die in the West It was well received by the critics, but I saw it as a nearly perfect parody of the Old West and of “heroes.”
My nomination goes to The Incredibles, which was not only a very good example of what it was, but what it was was many different things. It was an excellent superhero movie, and an excellent spy movie, and an excellent family-dynamic movie, and an excellent kids’ movie.
For an old movie: Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Great story line about greed and comeuppance, with some damn fine acting.
Newer: Raiders of the Lost Ark. A real swashbuckler of a story: romance, adventure, Nazis, classic good vs evil in the tradition of H. Ryder Haggard.
Even newer: Nobody’s Fool, with Paul Newman in one of his absolute best roles. Working man’s blues at it’s best; humor and pathos, and even brief boobies (courtesy of Melanie Griffith in a non-annoying role), with a terrific supporting cast that included Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis (not hamming it up for a change), and a very early role for Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
All three of these are films that I will watch whenever I see them on demand.
Not only did I have that experience when I first saw “Babette’s Feast”, EVERYONE was raving about the movie. Never had that experience before or since.
As an aside, when I was in college, I carpooled with a male classmate whose idea of the perfect movie was 2 hours of nothing but car chases.
Noises Off. Anyone who has ever worked on a play/musical will certainly recognize exactly how different the performance aspect is from the chaos behind the scenes. The audience generally is unaware of this, and the show can appear smooth, while backstage, the stress level is so high that most people couldn’t handle it. It’s like a marriage; no one sees the “behind closed doors” stuff until it’s too late to do anything about it.
Also, I recall reading an article as a teen, where they were talking to bands/musicians, and a majority of the people interviewed said that “This Is Spinal Tap,” while meant as a comedy, is entirely too close to real life for them. It’s almost not a mockumentary, but an actual documentary.
Love all the films listed so far (aside from the two or three I haven’t seen).
I’ll nominate The Muppet Movie.
Innovative and at times stunning puppetry/cinematography. Great soundtrack. A universal story told through humor and with a cast of great performers. And a level of kindness and honesty rarely achieved in art (some might call it saccharine, but I say that those people are just uncomfortable with simple sincerity).
Babette’s Feast is an exceptionally good film. I sniffle through the first hour and ugly-cry through the last 45 minutes every time I watch it. I have been watching it since I was a child, though, so I suspect that some of its emotional impact is sentimental.
My first thought for “a perfect movie” is Home Alone. The nearest it comes to a mis-step is that Kevin doesn’t get to eat even one bite of that macaroni and cheese.
Never had that experience before or since.