Hello, reader!
I've been playing around with this idea for a long time - 'movies to watch on a Sunday night or an airplane' is such a specific category in my mind, yet it's hard to articulate what makes a film belong to that specific group. After a lot of thought, I've come to the conclusion that it's a mixture of a) being a 'people-pleaser' film that isn't too much of anything so that most people will enjoy the film, b) being at least somewhat lighthearted (whether in the context of a laugh-worthy comedy or just a not-too-dramatic drama with some nice life lessons), and c) being the sort of film that often misses out of my lists as they don't tend to make many all-time-top-10's despite being very solid. These are the understated films that aren't the best at anything, but make for perfectly fine viewing when one's brain isn't up for analyzing Inception (2010) or investing oneself in Schindler's List (1993).
Here are my honorable mentions: Catch Me If You Can (2002), Easy A (2010), Jerry Maguire (1996), Superbad (2007), The Simpsons Movie (2007).
10. We're the Millers (2013)
"Listen to me, I can explain..."
"You are making five hundred thousand dollars and giving me only thirty?"
"You're getting thirty grand?? I'm getting a thousand!"
"...You guys are getting paid?"
In this perfectly fine and extremely watchable comedy, Jason Sudeikis plays the role of a pot dealer who hires a fake family in order to create a cover for a dangerous smuggling operation. Jennifer Anniston, Emma Roberts and Will Poulter are very amusing as the members of the pretend family, and hearts will melt amidst all the raunchy humor as they eventually find themselves actually bonding with one another. There's nothing mind-blowing about We're the Millers, but it's an entertaining comedy that fits the 'Movies to watch on a Sunday night or an airplane' category with brilliance.
9. Speed (1994)
"Well, I should probably tell you that I'm taking the bus because I had my driver's licence revoked"
"What for?"
"...Speeding"
Not all action films fit the 'Sunday night or plane' aesthetic, and most 'Sunday night or plane' films aren't action films. But there most definitely is a sweet spot where these two meet: action films that aren't of the highly choreographed and especially cinematic variety, while still being good enough to not be trash, and actual violence is delightfully lacking in favor of fun-to-watch suspense. And the king of these sorts of movies is undoubtedly the 1994 flick that Homer Simpson once described with these eloquent words:
"I saw this movie about a bus that had to speed around a city, keeping its speed over fifty, and if its speed dropped, it would explode! I think it was called, "The bus that wouldn't slow down"".
That pretty much sums it up. Speed manages to be top-of-the-line intense in the "oh boy, this flick is keeping me on the edge of my seat!" way, without having to be intense in the more dark and real way. Another thriller that fits any given Sunday night or airplane journey well is Phone Booth (2002), in case you're looking for more examples of this variety.
8. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
"What is this guy's deal?"
"He's, what was it, an NPC? A non-playable character. He has a limited number of things he can say"
"My friend Carl is the same way"
Another Top 10 that 2017's Jumanji reboot (and its 2019 sequel) would make would be 'Top 10 films that are better than you'd expect'. When you have a reboot of a semi-classic-ish 90's film, which now takes place inside a video game instead of a board game, with a cast including Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, you expect it to be a specific level - entertaining and watchable, but most likely quite lazy and cringey.
Instead, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle surprises you by being clever and wholesome in all its entertainment value! The sequel is every bit as solid, making for two adventure-comedy flicks very much worth watching and even re-watching when feeling like some nice, light blockbuster entertainment destined to please most viewers.
7. The Bucket List (2007)
"Three things to remember when you get older: never pass up a bathroom, never waste a hard-on, and never trust a fart"
"I'll keep that in mind as I approach decrepitude"
With its critical acclaim, somewhat heavy themes and main cast of Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, The Bucket List is certainly more 'serious cinema' than most of this list's offerings. Its still makes into today's top 10, because at heart, it is very much a 'Sunday night or airplane' film, even if it has better writing and production values than most such movies. While this Rob Reiner flick has 'quality cinema' written all over it, it isn't quite good enough for Oscar nominations, 'masterpiece' -shouts, or any of my regular top 10's, as there are many films like this one but better.
But The Bucket List is so wholesome, entertaining and thoroughly worth watching, that I have to give it a shout-out somewhere in this blog of mine, and what better place than the list of these overlooked and perfect-for-a-certain-mood films? The Bucket List is a great film to watch with your family if you find it difficult to find a compromise movie fitting everyone's taste, and I appreciate how it represents my general love for various lists.
6. Night at the Museum (2006)
"Some men are born great - others have greatness thrust upon them"
Like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, this one most definitely fits the category of films that are better than you expect/remember, even though it's not exactly Citizen Kane (1941). What sets Night at the Museum apart from many superficially similar fantasy-comedy blockbusters is that while it is silly, corny and made to be entertaining in a fairly basic and all-pleasing manner, there is a striking level of authenticity to it. Alan Silvestri's mysterious and whimsical soundtrack makes it feel genuinely magical when the museum figures start to come to life.
The cast ranges from plain hilarious (Owen Wilson as the cowboy Jedediah, Steve Coogan as Octavius) to surprisingly decent acting in such a goofy film (Rami Malek as Akhmenrah, the late great Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt). Night at the Museum has enough heart to make it into one of the best 'watch this on a Sunday night or airplane (or a sick day, or with a large group of friends, et cetera)' flicks out there.
5. Mamma Mia! (2008) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
"Typical, isn't it? You wait 20 years for a dad and then three come along at once"
I'm a big drama nerd, and I remember one time I was thinking out loud about the age-old question: "I wonder what would happen if there was a movie with no real stakes? Where no real problems occur and fun things just sort of happen? It sounds like a fresh and neat idea on paper, but could it really work?" The friend I was talking to replied with this: "I don't know if a movie 100 per cent like that would work, but I reckon Mamma Mia! is the absolute closest one can get".
Truer words were never spoken.
If you want to watch a film that won't stress you out or make you one bit invested in fictional problems and hardships, but rather will only entertain you in a positive manner with its elements of fun and whimsy, then this is the musical for you. Mamma Mia! is quite simply a blast, and its sequel is every bit as good. There's good music, decent humor, an assortment of iconic and lovable actors, and an overall chill atmosphere that makes for excellent entertainment.
4. Due Date (2010)
"Why are your father's ashes in a coffee can?"
"Because he's dead, Peter"
While it didn't quite make it to first place, I had to rank Due Date quite high as it was the hands-down first film to come to mind when I started to map out ideas for this list. I can't imagine any other top 10 blog topic where Due Date would come up, yet it is a film thoroughly worth discussing. I would never watch it in a context that calls for thought-provoking quality cinema, but it is one of the quintessential films to have around when your brain isn't working at full capacity and you want some mindless entertainment.
Due Date consists largely of Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis' characters reluctantly joining forces for a road trip, with the latter being just as wonderfully and hilariously annoying as one could imagine, and the former being just as frustrated with his travel companion as you'd expect (and then some). It's a hilarious and ultimately semi-heartfelt comedy, just a tad better than most similar films while still being very run-of-the-mill at heart.
3. The Intouchables (2011)
"Where do you find a paraplegic?"
"I don't know"
"Where you leave him"
(Trust me, the joke quoted above is very okay and even wholesome in the film's context).
It's always stressful when people ask me for movie recommendations. This happens quite regularly, as I often find myself being 'the movie guy' in most of my social circles. The thing is, just asking for a good movie to watch is a terribly difficult question. Sure, if you ask me to recommend an under-two-hour slasher horror flick from the 1970's, a feel-good romcom to go with a certain ice cream flavor and cheer one up after a bad breakup, or a highly choreographed and intense action flick for diehard fans of the genre to appreciate during a fancy movie night, then I got you covered - specific requests are easy to fulfill. But just "Hey, I feel like watching a movie, can you recommend a movie?" by itself is an absolute nightmare.
I mean, there are so many variables - what is this person's movie taste? What streaming services do they have at their disposal? Do they have preferences or limits on how long the film should be? What kind of mood are they in? What have they already seen, or how do they feel about re-watching films? What did they eat for lunch today? Is the presence of Nicolas Cage a dealbreaker? The list goes on and on.
Therefore, nine times out ten, I'll simply recommend The Intouchables.
I've found this heartwarming comedy-drama to be the ultimate people-pleaser for pretty much any given mood or scenario. It's funny enough to work as a fun comedy for people not wanting anything too serious, but it's also dramatic enough to have substance for people who don't want a mere mindless comedy. It's long enough to kill two hours of your time, but it's not too long for people who still have dishes to do and places to be. It's French enough to make you feel all cultured and civilized, but subtitled and easy-to-follow enough that it won't feel too international unless you're a racist or something. And, while nothing stays on Netflix forever, The Intouchables has been there for as long as I can remember, and Netflix is usually the one platform nearly everyone seems to have at their disposal.
2. 21 Jump Street (2012)
"Do you even know the Miranda rights?"
"It obviously starts with...you have the right to...remain an attorney..."
"Did you just say you have the right to be an attorney?"
"Well, you do have the right to be an attorney if you want to..."
Silly, enjoyable feel-good entertainment at its best. This reboot of the 1980's television series of the same name has jokes that'll make you chuckle even when viewing the film for the 8th time, a plot exciting enough to make you invested and feel like you're watching a real movie instead of a braindead comedy (even though it is very silly), and characters you'll fall in love with.
While most of today's offerings are films that have never appeared on my blog previously, 21 Jump Street actually has appeared a few times (the "Top 10 Party Movies" post I did in the wake of Trump losing the 2020 Presidential election, and the "Twosday Special Double List: Top 2 Movie Franchises that Have Only 2 Movies, and Top 2 TV Shows that Have Only 2 Seasons" list I did on Tuesday 2/2/2022). In addition, it actually made it very close to being in my all-time top 100 movies, only barely missing out! That is quite something for what is ultimately a goofy high school comedy, but it's just that good in its own category. 21 Jump Street is good enough to be watched in any number of contexts, but at its heart it is the kind of film that truly reaches its element when watched on a Sunday night or an airplane - just better than most such films.
1. Tag (2018)
"What's the difference between Episcopalian and Lutheran?"
"Episcopalians don't eat fish"
"That's...pescatarian, that's...not a religion"
"They're all fanatics, I don't know"
I've actually seen Tag twice - the second time was on an airplane, and I had to do some frantic detective work with old calendars to check if the first time had in fact been on a Sunday night. Tragically, it wasn't - but it was in the August of 2018, and isn't the end of summer vacation the calendar year's equivalent to the Sunday night?
Anyways, this ultimate hijinks movie features the hiest of jinks, the mother of all shenanigans - a group of childhood friends who play an ongoing game of tag, so ongoing that it is still going on deep into their adulthoods despite all of them living their own lives far from each other. For the month of May each year, this group of adult men drop all other priorities and put their focus on continuing the game of tag they've been playing since they were kids. The most amazing part? This is based on a true story.
The film is hilarious, adventurous, and amidst the crude jokes and occasional dark-ish humor, extremely full of heart and some hard-hitting life lessons. That being said, it is all about one big game of tag, so you can't take it too seriously (even if some of the lessons stay with you more than you'd expect). My #1 movie recommendation for any given Sunday night or airplane flight just has to be this absolute gem.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my list of the top 10 movie drinking games!
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