A favorite movie is one that is with you for days. One where you leave the theater with questions, but not too many.

One that months later, you can still quote your favorite scene.

A favorite movie can be watched 100 times and still feel new.

Movies where you can say one line in a crowd, and have a handful of people chant the next back to you, movies where phrases like "May the Force Be With You" and "We're going to need a bigger boat" enter the vernacular, where people know those lines even if they haven't seen the film.

Favorite movies are lampooned time and time again in cartoons, sitcoms, and other films.

They are the movies that you watch when you're sick, and need something as comforting as your childhood blanket. They are the movies you reach for when nothing is on TV but you want to avoid cleaning the house.

They are the movies that you stop at when you're flipping channels. The ones you buy on DVD even if you already own the tape. The ones you buy again when the special edition comes out, just to see the new interviews or deleted scenes.

They are the movies that make you remember certain times in your life. Your first trip to the theater, your first date, your first make-out session in the dark. They are completely intertwined in your own experience, your own memories.

Your favorite movies are you. They are your memories, your language, your way of life. They become part of your past, and you carry them with you to your future.

Learn more about this author, Mary Ratliff.
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