I was struggling to come up with something to write a review on. It’s not like I haven’t seen a lot of movies lately, I have; one is even an Oscar winner of this year (The Holdovers). However, whenever I sat down at my li’l keyboard on my thousand year old laptop to concoct a li’l old review, something in my brain brought me to a screeching halt — I don’t know if it was a new insecurity, just exhaustion from daylight saving time, or maybe a little bit of both–but suddenly branching into new things felt absolutely terrifying. All I wanted to do was curl up in my bed and watch the same movies I always watch and feel that sense of security and warmth I always felt when I watched them.
And that’s when it hit me; as an attempt to be vulnerable, as well as a need to push content, I thought I would share my list of comfort movies — or movies that bring you comfort, for those otherwise unacquainted with the term. There are some people with more traditional comfort movies (usually romcoms or comedies), but a lot of us find comfort in the bizarre or the uncomfortable, with horror being one of the most popular genres of ‘comfort movies’. And while I certainly have a few in that category (you need only look at the title of this website), there were a lot of titles that I don’t know would be in many people’s lists. And that’s the beauty of comfort movies, they just have to be of comfort to you. Like an old, beat up stuffed animal, or a pair of lucky socks, comfort movies bring you joy even if no one else understands it. And no matter how bizarre some of these titles might be, maybe some of them could bring you the same relief they bring me.
Anyway, onto the list (these also are in no particular order).
10.) I, Tonya (2017)
Plot: I, Tonya is the biographical film about ice skater Tonya Harding, her tumultuous life, and the violent scandal that ruined her and simultaneously made her a household name. Harding is portrayed by Margot Robbie, who is giving the performance of a lifetime, with Sebastian Stan playing her husband Jeff Gillooly and Allison Janney playing her abusive mother, LaVona Golden. This can be a hard sit through, with abuse and violence being one of the main narrative focuses, but the film manages to balance this darkness with lots of humor that makes it such a compelling watch. This is a bizarre and contradictory story, but I think that’s what makes it such a human story. Fucked up people fucking up, just like the rest of us, can be comforting, and I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a black comedy.
9.) The Menu (2022)
Another black-comedy-slash-horror for the list is 2022’s The Menu. Starring Anya Taylor Joy, Nicholas Hoult, and Ralph Fiennes, this tells the story of a dozen rich people paying visit to a restaurant on a private island. However, the night takes a dark turn as the chef reveals that no one is making it off the island alive. This movie is a fucking riot — genius commentary on what it means to be an artist in today’s society, with the wealthy cheapening and dismantling artistry at it’s very core. It’s also a very (pun intended) eat the rich kind of film, which I definitely can resonate with. The performances are brilliant, with my personal favourite being Peter Grosz as ‘sommelier’, and the twists are fun. For a horror film in a kitchen, it’s not exceptionally gory, which I appreciate. This is a movie I watch right after an anxiety attack and it always brings me right back to normal, which I think is due to it’s love of artists. It’s one of those movies that makes me feel seen, and heard, in a world that increasingly pushes artists away.
8.) The Breakfast Club (1985)
Yes, before you even start, I know some aspects of this movie aged like milk and yes, I know kids don’t actually talk like that. Now that we got that out of my way, The Breakfast Club has been one of my comfort movies before I even really was on the internet. Every sick day since I was 13, I always find comfort in watching this movie, and I think that is heavily due to the performances. There really is no story here, a group of kids with nothing in common have Saturday detention. You’ve probably seen it parodied a million times over, even if you’ve never seen the original. The ’85 classic depicts youth well, even if some of the monologues are really over the top, the movie really shines with the dialogue. There are so many quotable scenes that still make me chuckle to this very day — and Judd Nelson is a tour de force in that movie, he is so naturally charming and charismatic. While I know this film doesn’t hold up in a lot of ways, the performances and chemistry between the cast really do take me back to the comforts of being a kid.
7.) The Crow (1994)
I have already raved about The Crow in my little rant about the reboot, but I will keep this brief. The Crow stars Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, a man who comes back a year after his death to seek revenge for the people who killed him and his fiancee. The performances, the soundtrack, the cinematography all tie together and make The Crow the perfect film, one that somehow both is a perfect fossil of the 90s while still holding up as a relevant and impactful film. The subject matter of The Crow is dark, and deals with violence and assault regularly, however the overall message of the film is love never going away, even when the people we care for leave us. This movie is just beautiful, with no other word to describe it, and there is such comfort in that beauty.
6.) Scream (1996)
Again, I already talked about this being a perfect film, so I will keep it brief. This slasher tells the story of Sidney Prescott, who is being stalked and tortured by the anonymous Ghostface, a masked serial killer who taunts their victims by phone before ‘slicing and dicing’. While I understand that horror movies aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, any horror fan with a comfort movie list definitely has the original Scream on there. This is one of my favourite horror comedies, with a stellar cast and impeccable direction, Scream is both an homage and criticism of the horror genre. This movie genuinely feels like you’re hanging out with friends, even as they’re being horribly butchered, and the second it ends, you want to experience it all over again. Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, and Jamie Kennedy in particular give some of the best performances I have ever seen and the perfect example of lightning in a bottle. This is a movie I have on in the background as I cook in my kitchen, or clean up my closet, or heck, even write a list of my top ten comfort movies…
5.) Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
For the third time, I know I have already written a review about this so blah, blah, blah, I will keep it brief. Lisa Frankenstein tells the story of Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) a loner growing up in the late 80s in a town where no one understands her. It isn’t until The Creature (Cole Sprouse), a man from the 1800s whose grave Lisa tended to, comes back from the dead, and the two go on a bloodied and romantic rampage to show that love conquers all. This movie, despite only being out for under a month, is an absolute staple on the comfort movies list. Dark, funny, edgy, aesthetic, romantic, this is truly the only romcom that made it to my comfort movie list. Newton and Sprouse play off each other so well, you can’t help but to root for these crazy kids as they collect body parts. This is somehow bizarre and heartwarming, and that feels like what I want on my epitaph when I die, as it so perfectly defines me. Thus, a comfort movie!
4.) Serial Mom (1994)
Finally, some fresh meat on this list! Serial Mom is a 1994 John Waters black comedy about a doting, suburban mom Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner) turned serial killer as she targets people who disparage her family, break fashion rules, or really she just doesn’t like. The film also stars Sam Waterston as her loving husband, Eugene, Ricki Lake as her daughter, Misty, and Matthew Lillard as her son, Chip. This is one of my favourite movies of all time — from the bizarre methods of killing (leg of lamb, anyone?) to the over the top performance of Turner (she deserves an Oscar for this movie, I swear) and just the overall dark but zany tone, Serial Mom has it all. Waters never fails as a director, and I’ll say it — forget Hairspray, this movie is his triumph. One of the funniest commentaries on suburban housewives to exist, Serial Mom is Stepford Wives meets Child’s Play, but the one where the robot doll just had his switch dialed to ‘E’ for Evil or whatever happened in the reboot. So imagine that, if the robot Stepford Wives just snapped and started killing people — that sounds amazing right? If so, check out Serial Mom.
3.) Scooby Doo (2002)
Matthew Lillard makes it onto the list for the THIRD time, making him officially my comfort actor. There’s something really cool about Lillard, that feels so approachable yet aspirational, but we can save this for another day. Scooby Doo tells the story of the beloved Mystery Inc, who have since broken up, coming back together to solve a mystery on Spooky Island, a theme park where the rowdy teenagers are leaving…differently than when they arrived. Lillard plays Shaggy, and is joined by Velma Dinkley (Linda Cardellini), Daphne Blake (Sarah Michelle Gellar), and Fred Jones (Freddie Prinze Jr) — and of course, the titular Scooby Doo. I have stories about this movie — this was one of those movies my parents had to buy a second DVD of because my sister and I watched it so much. We would put it on at night and go to sleep to it, only to get woken up by the Outkast song on the DVD menu and play it again. We used to listen to the cast commentary so often, we still reference it as if it were lines in the movie (in particular, the part where Matthew jokingly says he hates a scene because his character doesn’t get to say anything). Every line of dialogue, every performance, every moment in this film is pure and unadulterated fun. When I think of definitive comfort movies, Scooby Doo is what comes to mind first. That movie is one I return to time and time again; it’s funny, it’s heartwarming, and it just is filled with such nostalgia and warmth that even thinking about watching it makes me feel cozy on the inside.
2.) Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Josie and the Pussycats tells the story of the Riverdale trio, The Pussycats — Josie, lead vocals and guitar, Val, bassist, and Mel, drums — as they are discovered by music agent Wyatt (Alan Cumming), who works for Mega Records, run by Fiona (Parker Posey). The band struggles with their growing fame, and realizes there are some dark secrets going on at Mega Records. The film stars Rachel Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson, and Tara Reid as Josie and the Pussycats, and holy shit, this movie is the best. A brilliant critique on consumerism, the toxic music industry, and what it means to be a rock star, Josie and the Pussycats is also one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in my life. The dialogue is brilliant and witty, with characters almost breaking the fourth wall as they realize how truly bizarre their new world is (Alan Cumming does break the fourth wall, and he is the only one, which I think adds so much to the whole tongue in cheekiness of the film). My sister and I often quote the “White Ass Wally” bit from the end, which I will give you no further context on if you haven’t seen it. The music in this film rocks, the costuming rocks, the scene where Carson Daly is an assassin and they have to kick his ass rocks. Josie and the Pussycats says fuck you to the music industry and pop models of the early 2000s and really is so punk rock in it’s full steam ahead into the nonsense. One of the most fun films I have ever seen, Josie and the Pussycats is just a feel good romp and sometimes that’s what you need.
1.) Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Not necessarily a feel good romp, but a romp that explores the dynamics of dysfunctional families, Little Miss Sunshine is my final entry on this list. It tells the story of the Hoover family as they travel cross country so youngest daughter Olive can participate in a beauty pageant. The film stars Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Steve Carrell, and Abigail Breslin as Olive. The dynamics of this family are fucked, with dad Richard Hoover (Kinnear), a failing but desperate motivational speaker, pushing his ‘winner’ ideologies onto his children, and honest but exasperated mom Sheryl Hoover (Collette), who is trying to hold her family together by the seams. She has a son from a previous marriage, Dwayne (Dano) who is deliberately not speaking until he can join the airforce, inspired by the works of Nietzche. The family are also joined by Richard’s father Edwin (Arkin) an overly honest and gruff grandfather (though he is sweet with Olive), and Sheryl’s brother Frank (Carrell), an award winning professor who recently tried to kill himself. These people are all stuck in a bus together as they make their way to this beauty pageant, and while this film can be brutal, there’s some comfort in the brutality. I don’t know anyone exactly like the people in this film, but I do know what it’s like to be present for a family fight, or to feel like the people who you live with don’t understand you in the slightest. Dano and Carrell have performances and characters that, in particular, really resonate with me and only do so more as I get older. This movie is funny, but it also brings up very important issues and tackles them in a realistic way — messily, but well intentioned. Little Miss Sunshine is one of my comfort movies because it feels familiar, no matter how gross it gets.