# Movies, TV shows, books, or plays that grew on you \[original title: Movies that grew on you\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 8, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737 "2021-12-08T21:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/1 "2021-12-08T21:50:16Z")
I was so excited to see Millers Crossing the first time. I was SO disappointed. I was ready for tough guys, blood and, well, The Godfather. It seemed watered down - I mean, they didn’t cuss… not really, ya twist. It was many years later I re-watched it. Holy shit! It’s amazing. I’ve come to regard it as one of the greatest scripts ever written. It’s one of my top ten movies of all time. I had watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail several times (or should I say, started) before I “got” it. I just didn’t understand what all the hubbub was about. Then one night I was at a party and it came on. The party was dragging so I plopped down and it just clicked. The line, “It could be carried by an African swallow. Oh, yes! An African swallow, maybe. Not a European swallow. That’s my point.” sank the hook. Now I can recite most of the lines. What movies or shows (or books!? - Hello ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’) didn’t impress you the first time but you’ve since come to appreciate? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/2 "2021-12-08T21:59:06Z")
Pulp Fiction. First time I watched it I was totally confused at what and when things were happening, but the action was great. Took me several viewings to really appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/3 "2021-12-08T22:08:09Z")
_The Big Lebowski_. I didn’t get it at first. It seemed to be aimless and pointless, and Walter was getting on my nerves with his assholishness. Then one day I was channel-surfing and paused on the movie for a few minutes. For some reason, now it clicked - it was a Raymond Chandler mystery, except instead of Philip Marlowe we have The Dude. My husband came downstairs to me laughing helplessly at the “fight” scene outside the bowling alley and saying, “this is the funniest movie I ever saw.” Nowadays, it’s in my top ten list of favorite movies. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/4 "2021-12-08T22:18:14Z")
It’s hard for me to think of examples; it’s vastly more common for me to re-watch something and find out that it hasn’t held up for me over time. One show I can think of is New Girl. I think I watched an episode once or twice when it was originally airing and I didn’t think it was very funny. A couple of years ago I binge-watched it starting from the first season; I found the first season hilarious and that goodwill was enough to carry me through to the end of the series. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/5 "2021-12-08T22:28:17Z")
_Bad Lieutenant_ (the original, with Harvey Keitel). When I watched it, I hated it. But afterward, I found myself thinking about it a lot. I would not watch it again, but I don’t regret seeing it. _I am Curious._ This is one of those films that is more fun to talk about, than to watch. Put on a black turtleneck, sip your cappuccino, and smoke your Galois cigarettes, and spend hours discussing the Art, and the politics, and the social consciousness. The 2019 version of _A Christmas Carol_ (the one with Guy Ritchie as Scrooge). It’s hard to watch. You have to sit through two and a half hours of grimdark before you get to the payoff. But I love the ending. I don’t want redemption. Forgiving me would be hypocrisy. But I want Tiny Tim to live. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/6 "2021-12-08T22:35:11Z")
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. I fell asleep, unimpressed, shortly into it the first time. Since I hadn’t gotten very far in, I thought, “well…let’s give it another try.” I lasted longer, but still wasn’t impressed and fell asleep halfway through. I’m not sure why I even gave it a third try, but when I did I was like “HOLY SHIT THIS IS A FANTASTIC MOVIE.” I’ve watched it two or three times more and now it never fails to resonate. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/7 "2021-12-08T23:22:49Z")
It’s still isn’t quite top rank Coen’s Bros., but **Burn After Reading** improved on the 2nd and 3rd view. In another thread a poster quoted someone that it was the most realistic espionage film ever, which I can accept as true on a some level. (The film is a farce, with idiotic main characters, but the characters are no more ridiculous than, say, Rudy Giuliani, Roger Stone, Sarah Palin.) Also, yeah, **Miller’s Crossing** is magnificent. It’s hard to say exactly what Tom Reagan believes in, but he has enough _Ethics_ to function as the hero. “… _He’s still alive_ .” “You expect me to believe you?” “… _No_ ” ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/8 "2021-12-08T23:28:06Z")
Raising Arizona. I remember having a tiff with Mrs. L v1.0 just before going to see it. But actually, Fargo and O Brother also seem to me like movies that are great if you’re in the right frame of mind. I didn’t love any of them the first time I saw them. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/9 "2021-12-09T00:01:30Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > I am Curious. Which one? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/10 "2021-12-09T00:16:03Z")
They are two parts of a single story. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/11 "2021-12-09T00:22:21Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > _The Big Lebowski_ . Same here. About ten years ago my coworker was going on and on about how funny it was, and that I should watch it. So I did. I thought it was stupid. So a few months later I watch it again, and it was _ **much** _ funnier the second time around. Since then I have seen it at least a dozen times, and it’s now at the top of my “funniest movies” list. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/12 "2021-12-09T00:27:07Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. > > I fell asleep, unimpressed, shortly into it the first time. Since I hadn’t gotten very far in, I thought, “well…let’s give it another try.” I lasted longer, but still wasn’t impressed and fell asleep halfway through. Hmm, same here. Maybe I should give it one more go. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/13 "2021-12-09T00:32:11Z")
Moulin Rouge. The first time I saw it, I wasn’t feeling too well, couldn’t follow the plot, didn’t get the musical choices. Next time I saw it: Wow! So moving and pretty! Books (yes, the OP said they count): Jane Eyre. The first time, I was too young to enjoy the prose, maybe. But I went through a period when new reading material was hard to come by, so I read it again and again. Now it’s one of my all-time favorites. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/14 "2021-12-09T00:35:38Z")
I missed the OP’s mention of books. In high school, I was forced to read _A Tale Of Two Cities_, and I hated it. All I could remember about it afterwards were that people climbed some flights of stairs to peer at a crazy shoemaker through a crack in a door. Fah! Then I read it again when I as fifty years old, and now I think it’s one of the finest pieces of fiction ever written. I’ll have to get it out and read it again soon. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/15 "2021-12-09T01:32:32Z")
_A Christmas Story_. Was unimpressed the first time. Saw it again and decided it picked up after the frozen tongue segment. Saw it a third time an realized that was in the very beginning of the movie. Now it’s a favorite. I didn’t care for _2001_ the first time it came out (I saw it in the first week or two). Watched it again years later and realized it was far better than I remembered. Watched it a third time and . . . well, I didn’t like it as much as the second time, but it was an interesting failure and shouldn’t be blamed for what came after it. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/16 "2021-12-09T01:38:43Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > They are two parts of a single story. There are a number of different movies called something like _I Am Curious_, and I don’t know which one or ones you’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Skunkdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@Skunkdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skunkdog)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/17 "2021-12-09T02:10:16Z")
Lawrence of Arabia was certainly a movie that I grew into. The first time I saw it in my late teens, it was a 4 hour slog with a lot of intertribal politics. Ten years later, I rewatched it and was blown away. Seinfeld was the TV show that grew on me. I watched the first two episodes of _The Seinfeld Chronicles_ (precursor to the show’s more well-known title), and found it pretty bland and Jerry couldn’t act. I didn’t give it another go until it became a water cooler topic. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/18 "2021-12-09T04:06:16Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > There are a number of different movies called something like _I Am Curious_ , and I don’t know which one or ones you’re talking about. The funny thing is, at first I thought the post was about _I Am Curious Yellow_, and then I realized it was missing a color. But his description of kicking back and smoking French cigarettes did seem to fit. Plus, there is also I Am Curious Blue, so maybe that’s what is meant? ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/19 "2021-12-09T05:08:36Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Hmm, same here. Maybe I should give it one more go. A prerequisite for enjoying _The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou_ is at least a little familiarity with _The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau_. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737/20 "2021-12-09T05:12:30Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > There are a number of different movies called something like _I Am Curious_ , and I don’t know which one or ones you’re talking about. Two Sewdish movies, [_Yellow_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Curious_(Yellow)) and [_Blue_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Curious_(Blue)). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737.md?page=2)