Blog: Desert Island Films
I’m not here today to talk to you about specifics. Usually I like to write about a single thing I watched the past week and tell you why you might love it like I did. To be honest, this last week has been a bit rough. I haven’t been feeling 100 percent. And no, it’s not COVID-19. My viewing game has been all over the place and I watched whatever the heck I felt like with no goal in mind to write about it. So today’s post is a bit of an open forum if you will, and I want to chat about Desert Island Films.
Do you know what a Desert Island Film is? If you’ve seen season 2 episode 4 of The Office, you probably know. Or context clues could give the concept away. Basically, if you’re stranded on a desert island and could only have 3–5 movies to watch, which would you choose? Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a movie lover and there are a plethora of movies out there but choosing one, let alone five, to watch over and over again isn’t so simple to figure out. Only one movie instantly popped into my head when asked: A League of Their Own.
I’ll break this movie down for you while we’re here. This 1992 sports film follows two sisters who join the first female professional baseball league during WWII. While trying to get this league to succeed, the sisters develop a bit of a rivalry due to Kit’s (Lori Petty) jealousy of her talented older sister Dottie (Geena Davis). You have iconic industry names in this movie like Tom Hanks, Rosie O’Donnell, and Madonna who really make their characters freakin’ shine. Have you ever heard the infamous line “there’s no crying in baseball”? Well, this is that movie. If you’ve never seen this gem, please please please do yourself a solid and go watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
I’m an avid lover of sports movies — Remember the Titans, The Sandlot and Friday Night Lights are among my favorites. But there’s just something about A League of Their Own that makes it more memorable. So God forbid if I’m ever stranded on a desert island and have to rewatch this one repeatedly, I’m more than cool with it. I think I’d have to add 13 Going on 30 to the list because I’d need a good romantic comedy in the mix. I’ve seen this film more times than I can even articulate. A young Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, and Judy Greer really make this 2004 flick stand out and who could forget that ridiculous Ice Ice Baby naked guy scene? So amazing.
Then, of course, we need an epic musical in there. As much as I love the soundtrack from The Greatest Showman, my love for Rent trumps all. The first time I ever saw this movie I instantly fell in love. Not to mention, all but TWO of the original Broadway cast returned to make the film. I commend theatre actors who can make the jump from the stage to the big screen and still kill it. It’s hard. I remember when I auditioned for my old agent, she told me immediately after I was done with my cold read that she could tell I was a theatre kid. Apparently I was very animated. Oops. Anyways, Rent is an intriguing story with addictive songs you can’t help but belt along to. Fantastic actors with fantastic, distinctive voices.
So I have three out of a possible five. There’s so much more out there that I need to sort through and a lot that I still haven’t seen. My two co-hosts from my podcast mentioned Pride & Prejudice and Independence Day as possible candidates and I’m sad to say I’m unfamiliar with both. You see, I grew up under a rock and wasn’t allowed to watch a lot of stuff. So I’ve had an ongoing need-to-watch movie list for the past few years that have included films like Pulp Fiction, Dirty Dancing, Harry Potter, Million Dollar Baby, and a hell of a lot more. I continue to add to it regularly and maybe one of them will make the cut for a Desert Island Film.
