Already mentioned movies that I liked but will never see again:
Schindler’s List
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
American History X
Reservoir Dogs
Donnie Darko
The Sweet Hereafter
some others looking at my top raters at IMDB:
25th Hour
Deliverance
The Boys
The Elephant Man
Sexy Beast
Boogie Nights
Most of the above plus two from last year, an unusual occurrance: No Country for Old Men and There Might be Blood.
Soundtrack is pretty awesome, though. I kept that in my car for years.
Oh, yes, I want to add this to my list. I know that it probably needs repeated viewings. I’m sure I missed something the first time. And I really was powerfully moved by it, so I’d definitely rank it as a favorite. But I won’t seek it out, either.
I forgot about No Country for Old Men. Me too.
There Might Be Blood is one I could watch again if they updated the soundtrack to include hits by They Will Be Giants. 
I just ordered a copy of *The Young in Heart *from Daedalus. It is an absolutely delightful comedy about a family of con artists who move in on an old lady and find themselves going straight against their will. I saw it once on TCM and can’t forget it. Can’t wait to see it again.
Agreed. It was a wonderful movie on every level and someday I hope to summon up the courage to watch it again. Not soon, though.
Twelve Angry Men Outstanding look at groupthink and social cohesion, but I don’t know if I could watch it again.
Requiem for a Dream. The mother’s monologue on what it feels like to be old is not something I could ever see again. Brilliant, utterly heartwrenching stuff.
This. I recommend it to friends, but I don’t think I could ever watch it again myself.
I am a list lover and made a list of my favorite movies off the top of my head several months ago. I ended up with about 20 favorite movies and over a third I’ve seen only once. They are M, Ikiru, Battle of Algiers, Cinema Paradiso, Spirited Away, The Great Dictator, Seven Samurai and Network. Since I made the list I’ve seen The Passion of Joan of Arc and I am tempted to say that is one of my favorites too.
[quote=“E.Thorp, post:1, topic:466365”]
Looking over my self-proclaimed “Favorite Movies” on my Facebook profile, I was struck by how many of my “favorites” I’ve seen only once. Usually when I have a favorite movie I watch it many times, as I suspect most people would. But the following movies, though they made a great impression on me at first viewing, I still haven’t gotten around to seeing a second time:
On my list is Roberta Starring Irene Dunne & Fred Astaire. Irene Dunne had a classically-trained voice as shown by http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoY_1SItKHg
Also Follow the Fleet also with Fred Astaire. I like this movie because a very young Lucille Ball (look for the the lady who shows Harriet Hillard, aka the later Mrs Harriet Nelson how to dress).
I’ve seen both of these only once, on TCM. I look forward to seeing them both again.
Love, Phil
Gandhi
Diabolique
Ordinary People
The Usual Suspects
The Doors
How did I forget 3 movies by the same director:
Million Dollar Baby
Unforgiven
Mystic River
I’ve got to be honest…I don’t recall what was so rough about that movie. The torture scene was the worst part, and even I didn’t think it was that bad.
Awesome movie though.
Yeah, there are many qualities that make a movie worth watching, acting, action special effects, mystery, plot, immersion in another life or time, etc. Rewatchability doesn’t always have to be one of them. And in some cases, although ideally it’s nice to have a film be highly rewatchable, it’s better to enhance the other qualities, especially in films that involve mystery.
My one timers:
On the other hand I find these films to be highly rewatchable:
Serenity, The Big Blue, Galaxy Quest, The Princess Bride, The Dark Crystal, Time Bandits, Neverending Story, Creator, Love Actually, Fight Club, Donnie Darko, Rocky Horror Picture Show and Mouin Rouge (actually I find most musicals that I like to be highly rewatchable do to the musical aspect), Young Einstein, Fried Green Tomatoes.
There’s also films that aren’t necessarily rewatchable in the sense of that watching them again won’t be fresh or as enjoyable in the same way that they were the first time, but they are worth rewatching just to catch certain things that you didn’t notice the first time, or that you realize were a set up for the surprise ending:
Memento, The Sixth Sense, Primer, Run Lola Run, Minority Report
And then there’s some films that I love to watch again, but only when in a specific mood for them, usually they are a bit slower and long:
Color Purple, Home at the End of the World, Electric Dreams, The Pillow Book, Shortbus, Se7en, Gattaca
Seconded, although technically I’ve seen this 1.5 times (I came in on my roommates halfway through watching it and was repeatedly warned not to sit down. Should have listened.) I’d sit through it again, but only with someone who hasn’t seen it before.
Miracle Mile. A wonderfully tragic story that pegs the “too intense to sit through again” meter for me.
For me, two words: Wine bottle.
Hmm, I don’t even remember…can you refresh my memory?
Primer.