Whether it is watching “The Notebook” as a high-school freshman after a breakup, quoting every line of Disney’s “Hercules” while seeing it for the 47th time, or crying as (spoiler) William Wallace died in “Braveheart” — these memories, and many more, are vivid and precious to me. Because of this, watching movies is one of my very favorite things to do. However, if you ask my friends, they will tell you that I almost always say no when asked to watch a movie with them. This may be understood as unnecessary rigidity, but I think my discriminating movie-watching method has merit.
At one extreme, you find those who refuse to watch movies because they have better things to do; they feel themselves to be above the average Netflix-worshipper. Although this seems a noble abstinence, watching movies, in certain cases, can be an inherently enriching activity.
Much more common, though, is the other extreme: those who will watch any movie at almost any time. Watching movies has become an aimless and haphazard activity. We don’t choose movies intentionally based on their potential value, but instead they become mere time-fillers when one can’t decide what to do. We flood our minds with a multitude of purposeless movies, and in doing so we miss the possible value in certain ones. This attitude toward movies dilutes the goodness of movie-watching, an activity that, like many others, is worth doing, but only worth doing well.
Watching a movie well? Yes; although it sounds like a trivial diversion, watching a movie is a worthwhile endeavor, and it requires selectivity, discernment, purposefulness. If we are going to engage in this activity, we should do so as well as can be done.
When choosing a movie, selection is required in the following things: whether to watch, what to watch, and with whom to watch. Being lazy in these choices diminishes the goodness of those movies that really are worth choosing. Being intentional with these choices will improve your experiences and allow you to love the movies that are worth your love.
The first decision in the movie-watching process is choosing whether to watch one. Although it seems trivial, this choice is perhaps the most important. When people watch an overabundance of movies, quantity overpowers quality — if you watch one movie per night, you lose the ability to distinguish between the good experiences and the bad ones. Deciding to watch a movie should be a deliberate choice, not an inactive acquiescence to laziness or boredom.
After choosing to watch a movie, choose your movie purposefully. In saying this I am not suggesting that some movies are always good and others are always bad. Indeed, one of the beauties of movie-watching is the fact that different movies reflect the abundance of differences in people. You may have a classic film buff roommate who wouldn’t move a muscle during “Lawrence of Arabia” — except during the intermission. And you may have another friend who grew up on “Space Jam” and loves every minute of it. There are chick flicks for women, “Fight Club” for men, and “The Shawshank Redemption” for absolutely everyone. Each person should choose her own movie preferences, and then make standards for valuable movie-watching time in accordance with them.
Finally, be selective about whom you watch movies with. Sharing movie time with others is a community activity that brings you together in a way often unnoticed. However, this communal experience only happens if the movie is actually being watched. If you and your friends want to talk instead of watch a movie — perfect; do so. Good conversation always trumps movie-watching. But conversation during the movie detracts from the experience; unless, of course, it is appropriate inter-film comments or banter — in which case it increases the communal atmosphere.
Movies are like friends. Or favorite hobbies. Or great food. Or fun adventures. They’re diverse, they’re sometimes shallow, they’re sometimes dumb, but they’re sometimes wonderful. And it’s the wonderfulness of movies that should make us keep watching them — not the mindlessness associated with them. Movies are special: They can thrill us, depress us, excite us, inspire us, teach us. When you watch the right movie at the right time with the right people, it becomes an occasion of bonding and learning — and will be a lasting memory. I know this from experience, and I wish more people would have this delightful experience. So the bottom line is: Be purposeful when making choices involving the gift of movie-watching.