Is that really your favorite movie?

Asking a person his or her favorite movie is a pretty common way to get to know someone better. I personally hate this question because I take it very seriously and I could never narrow such a thing down to one film. The best I can answer with is a handful of various movies that I am currently really digging at the time, as my moods and phases are ever changing. This drives people nuts. What drives me nuts are the answers which I receive.

Just about the most common answer right now is The Dark Knight. Really? A movie released last July is their favorite movie of all time? I will often press for what their favorite movie was BEFORE The Dark Knight. A common response? Iron Man, a movie released several months before The Dark Knight.

If I try to rake their brains for their favorite movie before the existence of Iron Man – before Summer 2008, I often get someone like the Bourne Ultimatum, one of the previous summer’s biggest blockbusters.

I’ve found that the latest Will Ferrel, Adam Sandler, or Ben Stiller are equally used as answers to peoples’ favorite films as action flicks are. It’s just that The Dark Knight is extraordinarily popular at the moment.

Why is this? What meaning, if any, does “favorite film” have if you just give that title lazily to the latest summer popcorn flick?

I think it is sadly because people just don’t care. They have short memories. They live for new thrills and highs. The latest big name comedy or action movie is just their latest high.

To me, a movie has to have been out for a while (at least a year but likely more) before I even consider it to be one of my all time favorites.

If you now or ever have listed movies such as The Dark Knight, Step Brothers, Don’t Mess With The Zohan, or Iron Man stop and ask yourself: “Is that really my favorite movie?”

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