I love watching movies, and just like everyone else, I have my favorites.  But then there are favorites and then there are the favorites, the films you can not pass up the chance to re-watch.  I’m talking about the movies that you pull out to watch every few months or so (or at the very least, once a year) and the ones that make you stop dead in your channel surfing tracks.  The ones that, should you be lucky enough to catch a re-run on cable, you can’t do much else than to put down the remote and sit through it until the credits.

Here’s my top five weaknesses, movies that I’ve seen countless of times, mostly because they’re being shown on cable constantly and I am powerless to resist.  Most of them are oldies and feel-good but because I grew up watching them, they hold a special place in my heart.

1. You’ve Got Mail (1998). Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, what else can you ask for from a movie? This is my standard for all romantic flicks and I’m lothe to say that very (very, very, very) few pass the bar.  Hell, even the soundtrack is perfect.  Before all you When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle fans start with the lynching, it’s probably just that I saw this movie first and is thus irreplaceable.

2. Mean Girls (2004).  I don’t think we can thank Tina Fey enough for bringing into the world this precious little gem.  It doesn’t matter how old you are or how “totally over” you are of your high school trauma, whenever you see this, you’ll always be transported to those locker lined hallways.  This movie also totally transcends generations, I think, becuase both of my parents (who saw it at separate occasions) actually sat through the whole thing with me.  It’s probably the humor, which is sharp as a tack.  Each line is so quotable that they should (and probably already do) exist on a t-shirt somewhere.

In my head, no other movie captures just how vicious teenaged girls can be.   The sabotage scene of Taylor Wedell’s love life in the mall is my favorite scene in the entire thing because damn, that was ruthless and efficient.

3. Clueless (1995).  If human society collapses and a bunch of aliens attempt to study our culture through movies, I’m totally fine with them assigning this to represent the teens of the mid-90’s.  Most of the lines in this are quotable as well and those outfits are just too cute!  Who knew that the plot was lifted from one of the classics?

4. The First Wives Club (1996).  The first film to introduce me to the concept of “girl power”, this movie is very close to my heart.  Not only does it have three of my most favorite actors, who just happen to have incredible chemistry together, it also reminds me of a time when movies were made just because they’re fun.  Sure, it was very formulaic, what movie didn’t follow a formula in those days?  Also, most of the actors in the “little roles” in this movie were shot into stardom and it’s always great to see them so young and so green.

5. Easy A (2010).  I’ll probably never grow out of watching high school/college flicks and this movie took me by surprise because in my head, it can actually stand up against the ones from the late 90’s to the early 2000’s.  Okay, so the plot was more than a little bit ridiculous, but Emma Stone is so adorable that she makes it work.  Also, I sit and wait for the crap that Stanely Tucci and Patricia Clarkson say, because man, those lines are all pure gold.

So that list probably provided a little more insight as to how I spend my time at home – parked in front of the television, watching re-runs.  But they’re all feel-good movies, and really, who can pass those up?

What’re the movies you can’t resist?