# What is your idea of the perfect movie?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 12, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705 "2016-03-12T01:40:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/1 "2016-03-12T01:40:55Z")
I just watched Groundhog Day (1993) and it seemed to me to be just about the perfect movie.
> **[Groundhog Day (1993) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/)**
>
> Groundhog Day: Directed by Harold Ramis. With Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky. A narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day, and the day keeps repeating until he gets it right.
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.
🙂
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2016, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/2 "2016-03-12T03:05:57Z")
Singin’ in the Rain.
Nobody leaves the theater without a smile on their face.
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### Author:  [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/3 "2016-03-12T04:20:48Z")
It may not be a “great” movie, but “Murder by Death” is very close to “perfect.” It accomplishes exactly what is sets out for: a bunch o’ laughs!
I won’t say it is “the best” movie…but it is my absolute favorite.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/4 "2016-03-16T19:13:33Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/5 "2016-03-16T19:15:35Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Singin’ in the Rain.
>
> Nobody leaves the theater without a smile on their face.
I’m glad you (and others liked it) Don’t say “nobody” though. I can’t watch it to the end.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2016, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/6 "2016-03-16T19:21:28Z")
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.
And I’ll throw in a contender or two.
Fifth Element (my fav for this topic).
Brazil.
The Zeroth Theorem.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/7 "2016-03-16T19:36:16Z")
Throw this out as well.
2001 A Space Odysessy.
Star Wars…episode what the fuck ever “episode” it was called…the first on that actually was shown in theaters
Pyscho.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/8 "2016-03-16T19:48:14Z")
A classic example: _Casablanca_
“How can that be a perfect movie? It’s just a bunch of quotes strung together!” 😉
A not-so-classic example: _Fast Times At Ridgemont High_
Great music, great performances, Phoebe Cates’ boobs…
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### Author:  [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/9 "2016-03-16T19:48:38Z")
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.”
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/10 "2016-03-16T20:08:31Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/11 "2016-03-16T20:22:22Z")
**Back To The Future** is like the platonic ideal of a movie.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/12 "2016-03-16T21:37:21Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2016, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/13 "2016-03-16T21:41:39Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Singin’ in the Rain.
>
> Nobody leaves the theater without a smile on their face.
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. 😛
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2016, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/14 "2016-03-17T00:11:53Z")
If you want a movie that will have everyone leaving the theater smiling, then _Amelie_ is another good choice.
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### Author:  [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/15 "2016-03-17T04:49:14Z")
_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.
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/16 "2016-03-17T17:04:16Z")
_Bride of Frankenstein_. Scary, funny, irreverent, stylish, gets the job done and doesn’t take all day doing it.
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### Author:  [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/17 "2016-03-17T17:54:17Z")
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).
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### Author:  [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2016, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/18 "2016-03-17T18:03:20Z")
St. Vincent
Guardians of the Galaxy
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### Author:  [@Willcross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Willcross)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/19 "2016-03-17T18:10:26Z")
Saving Private Ryan may be the perfect war movie?
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### Author:  [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-idea-of-the-perfect-movie/748705/20 "2016-03-17T18:42:53Z")
_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.
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