# What is the most entertaining movie you've ever seen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [May 25, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897 "2021-05-25T17:49:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/41 "2021-05-26T12:30:42Z")
I agree with a lot named here, _Airplane!, The Princess Bride, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Casablanca,_ but the first one that popped into my mind was _Amelie_. It’s just thoroughly delightful and charming. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/42 "2021-05-26T12:33:10Z")
The Princess and the Pirate starring Bob Hope. I was not a big fan of his and those Road To… films with Bing Crosby were a bit repetitive but the Princess and the Pirate was very entertaining considering I went in totally oblivious. It just happened to be on TV one lazy afternoon. Crosby features in a tiny cameo. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/43 "2021-05-26T12:34:28Z")
I also cannot pick just one. “Horse Feathers” with the Marx Brothers. Christmas movies deserve a category all their own. A Christmas Story, _including the sequels_. But I always return to “Bachelor Mother” watching Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn. Watch the scene just after Charles Coburn says “Thanks for that at least” when Ginger Rogers and David Niven slowly realize what he means. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/44 "2021-05-26T12:50:41Z")
Here are some movies I find entertaining that others haven’t mentioned yet. Three Amigos Top Secret Little Shop Of Horrors Back to the Future Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Labyrinth ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/45 "2021-05-26T12:53:48Z")
The Sting ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/46 "2021-05-26T13:08:08Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > (as an aside: the original title for the movie was going to be “Brian of Nazareth”, which would have been far more appropriate–but the marketing people were afraid of backlash.) I believe Michael Palin suggested “Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory” Anyhoo, some great suggestions in here and plenty that I’d have listed but one recent release that I find myself coming back to for sheer entertainment value is “The death of Stalin” ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/47 "2021-05-26T13:12:20Z")
Another vote for _Airplane_. I was young enough when I first saw it to find slapstick and wordplay humor deeply entertaining. And it’s hugely quotable, even now: “Guess I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.” "I am serious, and don’t call me ‘Shirley’ ", “Do you like gladiator movies, Timmy?” _Hero_ was another one that knocked my socks off the first time I saw it. I realize it’s propaganda for the Chinese Communist Party, but it’s visually stunning, well-acted, with a compelling story and interesting characters. Another such is _A River Runs Through It_. I lived near a second-run theater when it came out, when it came there, I took a chance on it, since it only cost me five bucks. Went back to see it again four more times. I even convinced my roommate to see it by telling him that Brad Pitt had a nude scene. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/48 "2021-05-26T13:13:35Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > **Toy Story** “This is the perfect time to panic!” has to be one of the top ten lines ever written. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/49 "2021-05-26T13:19:00Z")
I’d have to agree. My 13 year old self was completely absorbed for the duration of the original Star Wars film back then. Time disappeared. I was enthralled. Keep in mind, people were waiting in line for hours to get tickets to see this film 35 times back then. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/50 "2021-05-26T13:23:59Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > Christmas movies deserve a category all their own. I agree. Let’s put Die Hard on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/51 "2021-05-26T13:25:20Z")
wrong thread ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/52 "2021-05-26T13:25:38Z")
It would be a tossup between The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction (both enjoyed with great friends) and The People Under The Stairs (horrible movie torn to shreds with live sarcastic commentary - movie itself was beyond awful). ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/53 "2021-05-26T13:36:10Z")
I will add another “Airplane!” vote and also throw in the following: Rat Race South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut The Simpsons Movie ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/54 "2021-05-26T13:47:10Z")
**The Big Sleep** (1946) **Dr. Strangelove** (1964) **Ocean’s Eleven** (2001) The thing that’s brilliant about all three of them is that, by the end, the plot doesn’t matter. I’m not sure if Bogart solved the case in _The Big Sleep_. I don’t even remember what crime was committed. Listening to Bogart trade quips with everyone, especially Lauren Bacall, was enough to make that movie awesome. The bombs going off at the end of _Strangelove_ was inevitable. And I almost didn’t care if Danny Ocean and his friends got the money; it was just so damn much fun watching them figure out how to do it. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/55 "2021-05-26T13:50:13Z")
What a great yet impossible to answer question. For the purposes of this thread, my criteria is a movie where I had a great theater experience and I still watch and enjoy the movie as much as the first time I saw it. Since Airplane! has been mentioned a few times (who didn’t love the hell out of Airplane!?) I will say _The Ring._ At the time it was the best horror movie that had come out in years. You could feel the collective fear in the theater and everybody gasped at the same times. I had / have seen a lot of horror films and I don’t recall an audience all screaming and shrinking back into their seats as when Samara comes out of the tv near the end. The cinematography and score are absolutely hypnotic and then you get these small bits of disturbing visuals. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/56 "2021-05-26T15:08:20Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I believe Michael Palin suggested “Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory” Eric Idle, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/57 "2021-05-26T21:38:00Z")
I don’t know what it says about me and Mrs. Charming and Rested that seemingly 3/4 of the movies in our Pandemic Outdoor Film Festival are somewhere on this list. Film festival movies included, in no particular order: Jurassic Park ET A League of Their Own Jaws Star Wars (Han shot first edition) Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark Knives Out The Princess Bride Tombstone Casablanca Audience was anywhere in age from young Millennials to our wizened Boomer neighbors and all the movies were all crowd pleasers. . ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/58 "2021-05-26T22:08:19Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > **Simply the one that gave you the most flat-out joy while you were watching it for the first time**. > > Mine would be _Pulp Fiction_. I don’t even think it’s Tarantino’s best movie, but its combo of dark humor, crazy violence and bizarre plot twists had me gaga from first minute to last. Mine would be _Inglourious Basterds_ — for pretty much the same reasons you’d said, and then some. ---
**Author:** ![Happytree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happytree/32/3555_2.png) [@Happytree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happytree)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/59 "2021-05-26T22:52:33Z")
Big Trouble In Little China. Think about it. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897/60 "2021-05-26T22:55:33Z")
I’m always entertained by movies I consider the greatest (Casablanca, It’s a Wonderful Life, North by Northwest). But the OP is asking for _purely_ entertaining movies, which aren’t necessarily _great_ movies. I would nominate Ocean’s Eleven (1960) and The Birdcage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-entertaining-movie-youve-ever-seen/942897.md?page=4)