# Name a movie you think EVERYONE should see at least once in their life. Everyone! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [February 13, 2025, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287 "2025-02-13T22:19:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/61 "2025-02-14T17:28:43Z")
And everyone who clerked for Clarence Thomas had to watch **The Fountainhead**. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/62 "2025-02-14T17:38:05Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > _Or maybe I’m overthinking a thread that’s just an opportunity for people to name their favorite movies?_ I think the topic is just too broad. I mentioned _The Grapes of Wrath,_ which is not my _favorite_ film. However, the story of the Okie migrants in 1930s America has parallels throughout human history, in every nation including this one, and continues today. It’s the story of people being forced from their lands by war or oppression or greedy interests. Look what we did to Native Americans in the name of Manifest Destiny. It isn’t called the Trail of Tears for nothing. Does the idea being floated about Gaza have a similar ring to it? Forced migration of oppressed or poor people has been a constant throughout the history of the world. I’m finding this to be an interesting topic. My only objection is when I see a title thrown out with no reason given for why _everyone_ or _anyone_ would benefit from seeing that particular film. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/63 "2025-02-14T17:46:21Z")
“Abandon Ship!” (also known as “Seven Waves Away”), 1957, stars Tyrone Power…It also takes place in a life boat and seems to be forgotten. Maybe because it’s too much like “Life Boat” and everyone slavering over Tallulah Bankhead. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/64 "2025-02-14T18:17:33Z")
I’ve always said that every red-blooded American male should watch _ **FATAL ATTRACTION** _. Temptation. It’s a thing. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/65 "2025-02-14T18:39:19Z")
Erin Brokovich. It’s so necessary to understand what corporations can and will do for naked profit. Now more than ever. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/66 "2025-02-14T18:47:33Z")
That was going to be my choice. In its place I will suggest a movie of a similar vein, [Baraka](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKGpHu9IONc&ab_channel=HDRetroTrailers). ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/67 "2025-02-14T19:34:35Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > _[All the President’s Men](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_President%27s_Men_(film))._ > > Forget “lifetime”. Everybody should watch it ASAP. Well, if we are going with Redford, I think people should watch [_The Candidate_](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068334/): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BOQPI6ykCqA/maxresdefault.jpg "'The Candidate' | Critics' Picks | The New York Times") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOQPI6ykCqA) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9RTIQWXzexU/hqdefault.jpg "The Candidate - Original Theatrical Trailer") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RTIQWXzexU) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/68 "2025-02-14T19:54:32Z")
This may be unpopular and a bit controversial, but _Gone With The Wind_. In addition to being an iconic film, it reveals some insight into the persecution complex and romanticized self-concept of white southerners. Not that any of it is justified, but it’s useful to understand why some people inhabit the fantasy worlds that they do. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/69 "2025-02-14T21:18:47Z")
Well, if we are onto political films, _ **Bulworth** _ is classic. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/70 "2025-02-14T22:02:18Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > _I’ve always said that every red-blooded American male should watch **FATAL ATTRACTION**._ > > _Temptation. It’s a thing._ Along the same lines, I’ve always thought that anyone, male or female, who is interested in working as a radio DJ should be sat down and made to watch **“Play Misty For Me.”** Believe me, there are listeners like that, and it’s no laughing matter. I knew of a woman who had an obsessive listener who stalked her to the point that she had to take out a restraining order against him. He responded by coming to the station and smashing all the windows on her car. And that’s only half the story, which ended extremely tragically. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/71 "2025-02-14T22:27:13Z")
I think everyone should see _Atomic Cafe_. It’s a collection of interviews, public information films and cartoons that were made at the beginning of the development of nuclear weapons. It is both hilarious and chilling to see just how clueless everyone was then about the realities of what could happen in a nuclear war or even a nuclear accident. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/72 "2025-02-14T23:49:07Z")
_Duck Soup_. Just because it’s so damned funny, and it’s the Marx Brothers at their best. Not to mention, _“if you think this country’s bad off now, just wait 'til I get through with it”_ has a certain contemporary relevance. Also in the “just because they’re so damned funny” category, _Blazing Saddles_, _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_, and _Monkey Business_. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/73 "2025-02-14T23:51:52Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I’ve always said that every red-blooded American male should watch _ **FATAL ATTRACTION** _. Seen it. Didn’t make much of an impression on me then, and can barely remember it now. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/74 "2025-02-14T23:53:55Z")
Our local theatre group will be performing _12 Angry Jurors_ (will have jurors of more than one gender) later this year. I’ll be looking forward to it. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2025, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/75 "2025-02-15T00:58:08Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Blazing Saddles I thought that was a valid choice also. ---
**Author:** ![cieskokid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cieskokid/32/5374_2.png) [@cieskokid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cieskokid)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/76 "2025-02-15T01:09:11Z")
Indeed! I read it in the late '70s, after I (and everyone else around town) had seen the film. A great novel with a surprising change of the narrator’s POV. Ken Kesey was a great writer, he had a strong sense of how a story should flow organically; it was very engaging for me despite knowing how it would end. Thanks 4the Idle Thought 🕶. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/77 "2025-02-15T02:06:14Z")
_Sometimes a Great Notion_ (the book) is a far superior work of art next to Cuckoo’s Nest. And I thought Cuckoo’s Nest was really good. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/78 "2025-02-15T02:54:11Z")
Man, too hard to name ONE film, others mentioned, I agree with. To Kill a Mockingbird is always first for me, Princess Bride, magnificent. Jaws is my suspense film vote because anyone who wants to make a motion picture, this is it. Psycho, as well. Comedy goes to AIRPLANE! Musical goes to The Blues Brothers. Possibly my favorite film. For animated? That’s a tough one. I’d go with The Lion King. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/79 "2025-02-15T04:53:52Z")
I’m adding _ **Patterns** _ to my list. Written by Rod Serling, it’s a refreshingly adult drama. It’s not funny, touching, or inspirational; in fact, it’s tense and downright depressing. But it does teach the naive a lot about life and what they should expect once they’re out in the real world. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287/80 "2025-02-15T10:58:08Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > For animated? That’s a tough one. No, it really isn’t. _Spirited Away_ is it. Way better than some _Kimba the White Lion_ knock off… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-you-think-everyone-should-see-at-least-once-in-their-life-everyone/1014287.md?page=5)