Absolute Favorite Movie
Posted by Sunshine2625@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 234 comments
What is your absolute favorite movie of the GenX Era. We all have serious favorites, but what is THE ONE you will always pick to watch, quote, pine over the actor or actress…or the story just hits so deep. Which movie is it for you?
CajunAsianTexan@reddit
Pulp Fiction. You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?
indicus23@reddit
They don't call it a quarter pounder with cheese?
CajunAsianTexan@reddit
No man, they got the metric system, they wouldn’t know what the F a quarter pounder is .
elpollodiablox@reddit
The Royale.
MK_ULTRA2point0@reddit
The Princess Bride
MatrixRecycled_2015@reddit
I came here to say this - love this one.
Stupor_Fly@reddit
Inconceivable!
QueenBBs@reddit
Don’t judge me…Girls Just Want to Have Fun.
keirmeister@reddit
The Empire Strikes Back. It still holds up to this day, even without the “Special Edition” nonsense.
A close runner up: Airplane! It’s screwball, dark humor, inappropriate behavior with children, making fun of everybody and everything. I just love watching Gen Z reaction videos to that movie…seeing them shocked by just how little we gave a fuck back then.
WiseIndependent1077@reddit
AIRPLANE has always been my favorite 🤣
Low-Chain2913@reddit
The_Led_Zephyr@reddit
No. It’s not!
Samazonison@reddit
Raiders of the Lost Ark.
ThoughtfulCocktail@reddit
The Breakfast Club
NateNMaxsRobot@reddit
Mine are The Breakfast Club and also Sixteen Candles.
My friend and I and my brothers would act out the scene on the school bus with the bus nerds and also farmer Ted. We did this scene on our actual school bus , on the way home from school. We all lived out in the country so our ride was long.
I loathe the bus lol.
Academic_Island_3183@reddit
The Big Lebowski
buckeyehuhwhat@reddit
True Romance
sexyonpaper@reddit
Scrolled till I found this. Flair checks out!!
buckeyehuhwhat@reddit
Legendary casting, Tarantino writing, and Tony Scott directing.
TeaVinylGod@reddit
You must be part eggplant.
buckeyehuhwhat@reddit
That scene still gives me chills. Just the sheer pissoffness that Dennis Hopper portrays is unforgettable.
Odd_Policy_3009@reddit
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
EyelanderSam@reddit
Big Trouble In Little China
VashtiVoden@reddit
French Kiss, The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Odd_Policy_3009@reddit
“Bub Dylan”
lovelylynda@reddit
Dirty Dancing
philemonslady@reddit
This right here. I was fifteen. I had pretty much never seen a young woman taken deadly seriously by a film before that. Revelatory.
mltrout715@reddit
Star Wars
angie50576@reddit
Back To The Future
Sassydemure@reddit
Rocky series
lionbacker54@reddit
The Hobbitt 1977
ACABIDC@reddit
Little Shop of Horrors
lovelylynda@reddit
Showed this to my 8yo and he loved it!
Bomdiggitydoo@reddit
This needs another remake. It’s a classic story that should be retold every generation.
I_am___The_Botman@reddit
Contact
Odd_Policy_3009@reddit
Zakkrazy@reddit
Die Hard
Gen7Malibu@reddit
Caddyshack
Fletch
Blues Brothers
Ghostbusters
darthjazzhands@reddit
Blade Runner
Nearby_Belt9997@reddit
Stand by me
Interesting_Debate57@reddit
Reality bites.
lalacourtney@reddit
Trainspotting
SoCalDogBeachGuy@reddit
Shawshank redemption best movie best actors and we can all relate to climbing thru shit 💩
CoddiewomplerDLT@reddit
The World According to Garp 💜
yeahwellokay@reddit
If 1999 counts, the The Mummy. If not, then Spies Like Us or Stripes.
beezerweezer@reddit
If 1999 counts, it’s The Matrix for me.
If not, then River’s Edge, Heathers, Drugstore Cowboy
lovedontfalter@reddit
The Blues Brothers, The Empire Strikes Back, and Airplane! are my absolute favorite movies of all time
ranchoparksteve@reddit
Princess Bride
Selenth-101@reddit
Was looking for this answer before posting it myself. Also, I don’t mean to pry, but you don’t by any chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand?
LadyNorbert@reddit
Do you always begin conversations this way?
TrevaMarx@reddit
“Oh, you’re that little Spanish brat I taught a lesson!”
SmokedLimburger@reddit
This.
DepartmentNatural@reddit
People forgetting about anything Mel Brooks
at_work_I_am_free@reddit
Excuse me while I whip this out!
It’s good to be the King!
Last-Relationship166@reddit
The INQUISITION: What a show!
mp3bear@reddit
Jumpin' Jack Flash…One of Whoopi's finest imho…
devi1duck@reddit
I feel like this is SUCH an underrated movie - I almost never hear about it. It was fun, suspenseful, funny, romantic. A great movie overall.
mp3bear@reddit
Totally agree...I can't believe on The View…whenever her birthday rolls around…no one has given her a blue sequin evening gown… 😉
sageguitar70@reddit
Fletch
Last-Relationship166@reddit
Clerks
Dada2fish@reddit
“In a row?”
Last-Relationship166@reddit
...and on the way through the parking lot.
genghis_Sean3@reddit
Shaun of the Dead
&
(if it counts) Kung-Fu Hustle
ExcellentHorror9025@reddit
I vascilate between Empire strikes back and raiders of the lost ark as my 1A and 1B. They came out a year apart and I was a huge Harrison Ford fan growing up but those two movies really defined my childhood
LadyNorbert@reddit
The Princess Bride. I can literally quote the entire movie, and I at one point could recite the entire first chapter of the book from memory (although now I can only do the first couple pages). It's just a happy place for me.
VashtiVoden@reddit
Just watched this with my 32 year old daughter and we quoted the whole movie!
allmykitlets@reddit
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
devi1duck@reddit
True Romance
hemmingnorthcutt@reddit
Broadcast News
CommissionFeisty9843@reddit
Repo Man, Wild at Heart, Blue Velvet
tovasfabmom@reddit
LOTR
VashtiVoden@reddit
I bought my husband "the ring" for his wedding ring. A replica from the same jeweler who made the ring for the movie. They're based in New Zealand...middle earth!!!
lippoli@reddit
Huh? Do you mean the Ralph Bakshi animated version from 1978?
GaryNOVA@reddit
Point Break
Crocodile Dundee
Die Hard
Alien / Aliens
Predator
Bladerunner
Heat
The Shawshank Redemption
LA confidential
teachthisdognewtrick@reddit
Had to scroll way too far for Blade Runner
delldarlin@reddit
Mannequin. Hollywood Montrose is the goddamn superhero we all need right now.
Grouchy_Vet@reddit
I forgot about Mannequin. I loved it
Swiftiefromhell@reddit
Scary movie
ScabieBaby@reddit
Dada2fish@reddit
“Do ya wanna paaaar tay!”
Araneas@reddit
Logan's Run
Blade Runner
The Mad Maxes
However a massive shout out to all the old 1930's-60's horror, adventure sci-fi, and war films that were in endless rotation on the three channels we could get on our TVs
Cominghome74@reddit
KISS Meets The Phantom of the Park
Grouchy_Vet@reddit
Terms of Endearment
Labyrinth
Independent-Dog5311@reddit
Conan the Barbarian ⚔️
AngleRa@reddit
Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, hear the lamentations of the women
beegsyboo@reddit
Valley Girl Last American Virgin Revenge of the Nerds Sixteen Candles which doesn't hold up at all
VashtiVoden@reddit
I loved Some Kind of Wonderful way more than Sixteen Candles. Kinda loathed Pretty in Pink.
Infinite-Lychee-182@reddit
Big Trouble in Little China
discocoupon@reddit
Correct
Jonny4900@reddit
I’m amazed how many times I’ve felt like rewatching this and how it never gets old. So much to appreciate about how it works.
oboingadoing@reddit
Escape from New York
Comedywriter1@reddit
So good! This and The Thing are my favourites from Carpenter.
Significant-Water227@reddit
Shawshank Redemption
ForeverFlannel@reddit
Tonio775@reddit
IF! ya want ma bawdy, AND! ya theenk ahm segggsy...
Comprehensive_You42@reddit
Withnail and I
Endlessly quoteable, poorly shot, beautifully acted.
Terrible-Mind-5414@reddit
Office Space
AngleRa@reddit
You know what? I do want to express myself and I don't need 37 pieces of flair to do it!
Teaspoonbill@reddit
Fearless. Peter Weir directed, and a cast of Bridges, Rosie Perez, Isabella Rossellini, among others. it was a flop upon release and has not (yet?) had its rediscovery. One helluva powerful film.
prettykitty1973@reddit
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
DigItCanU@reddit
daLdrawyaW@reddit
daLdrawyaW@reddit
daLdrawyaW@reddit
What?
DadofJM@reddit
Roxanne and My Favorite Year
Squirrelishly@reddit
An American Werewolf in London -Whereas I am a victim of your carnivorous lunar activities
jerrymac12@reddit
Real Genius
delldarlin@reddit
Michelle Meyrink was wonderful in this. Why on earth wasn't she cast in more things?
ZZoMBiEXIII@reddit
My all time favorite movie is Night of the Living Dead, but that's not really a Gen-X movie.
Of the films I saw in the Gen-X era, I'd list things like the Friday the 13th movies, the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, some of the Halloween movies, Star Wars of course, Back to the Futures, and there are plenty of others like Ferris or Karate Kid or Breakfast Club or maybe Poltergeist.
I'm a big fan of slasher films, so if I could only choose one it would have to be one of the Friday the 13th movies. Probably 6 as I love the undead Jason era. 4 is a good one too.
Winterdeep@reddit
Return of the Living Dead would count unless you're anti campy
ZZoMBiEXIII@reddit
Love that movie. It ranks in my top 3 zombie films beaten only by two of the big three Romero films, Night and Dawn.
But I didn't want the post to be a full list of great stuff. I already felt like I went on too long.
Comedywriter1@reddit
By the way, did you know Romero’s director’s cut of Martin (3 hours, black and white) is now safely stored at the University of Pittsburgh?
I just listened to a podcast on Season of the Witch where a professor was talking about it.
ZZoMBiEXIII@reddit
I hadn't heard that. Cool stuff!
Thanks for telling me. Ive seen Martin (years ago, seems like it was on VHS) and like it a lot, but ive never seen that version. Ill have to get it.
Comedywriter1@reddit
I don’t think there are any current plans to release the longer version commercially. But hopefully that will change in time.
The film professor said he’s seen the longer version and it’s not necessarily a better film (and most of the “good stuff” is in the theatrical cut), but it was interesting.
Cold_Ad_6743@reddit
Notting Hill
Medical-Literature50@reddit
Processing img tbm6sel3gx0h1...
general-illness@reddit
Vision Quest
sisterhavana@reddit
3toeddog@reddit
I loooove the Mad Max movies.
profmoxie@reddit
Stand By Me Pulp Fiction The Breakfast Club Heathers
For kids: Annie, Labyrinth, Goonies, The Neverending Story
OldBrownWookiee@reddit
We were speaking about this at work the other day. It’s a real tough call.
I was explaining to some younger co workers that movie quotes were essentially the memes of our generation.
Obviously I’m into Star Wars with the moniker I use online but there are so many flicks to choose from!
First choice would be 3 movies kinda equally…
Empire Strikes Back.
“Which did you like better, Jedi or the Empire Strikes Back?” ”Empire…” “blasphemy…” “Empire had the better ending. I mean… Luke gets his hand cut off, finds out Vader is his father, Han gets frozen and taken away by Boba Fett, it ends on such a down note. I mean that’s what life is, a series of down endings… all Jedi had was a bunch of Muppets.”
Second would probably be Clerks 😂😂
Followed by the Sausage King of Chicago, Abe Froman’s movie about his day off.
Last-Relationship166@reddit
Clerks is my favorite.
Caloso89@reddit
Probably Star Wars. But Star Wars as I saw it in the theater when I was 10, not the versions where Lucas keeps adding CGI crap to each scene.
Skyne@reddit
My library had a vinyl copy of the soundtrack from Return of the Jedi. I would borrow it and listen to the Ewok celebration song from the end of the movie over and over. When Lucas re-released rotj and got rid of that song, I was PISSED.
Fuzzteam7@reddit
Dirty Dancing
boilersnipe@reddit
The__Relentless@reddit
Empire of the Sun
Dry_Ad687@reddit
I don't have an absolute favorite movie but there are about 10 movies that I watch ever year
digawina@reddit
Dazed and Confused.
Grease 2
Adventurous-Fee-8158@reddit
Grease 2 needs more love!
digawina@reddit
It's sooo much better than Grease.
Appropriate-Idea5281@reddit
Shawshank Redemption
Fercobutter@reddit
My answer too
Eastern_Habit_5503@reddit
ONE? Can’t do it. Besides, it changes depending on my mood.
I’ll give you these two: 1-Weekend At Bernie’s for the comedy ; 2-Say Anything for the storyline & music.
SuspiciousMeat6696@reddit
So many to choose from, all great. But if I have to choose 1:
Better Off Dead:
Honorable Mentions:
Back to School
Trading Places
Caddyshack
Blues Brothers
To Live & Die in LA
They Live
OldNorthBridge@reddit
Jaws, for sure.
crosseyedsquirrel@reddit
Highlander
Comedywriter1@reddit
I just saw it again at a film festival. Beatie Edney (Heather) did a Q&A. So much fun!
Independent_Sock_213@reddit
3 O'clock High
jnp2346@reddit
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. It’s a David Bowie film no one has heard of.
Comedywriter1@reddit
I love this film. Great music, too.
bigmedallas@reddit
Kicking and Screaming the 1995 Noah Baumbauch movie about 20 somethings in college hit so damn hard.
MrDTB1970@reddit
Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it isn't even close. But don't let that take away from how perfect a movie I think Jaws is, or the coming of age movies from John Hughs. And you can have the Star Wars trilogy and the entire Star Trek franchise when you pry them from my cold, dead hands.
SuspiciousMeat6696@reddit
No time to argue...
capncortex@reddit
Blues Brothers
TeaVinylGod@reddit
Raising Arizona. I quote it all the time.
Few-Honeydew2676@reddit
When my kids were little, I was sitting in the pediatrician's waiting room and another mom came in with her baby. She said Babyname is here for her DPT and all I could think was "gotta get her dip-tet" and I damn near bit my tongue off trying not to laugh at the poor woman.
Bartlaus@reddit
The Big Lebowski though.
SweetsMurphy@reddit
“Slacker”
If any of your offspring, ask you what the 90s were like, queue up this movie.
Pre-mobile phones. Pre-social media, obviously. You had to literally walk around and go to the places where your friends hung out and if you happen to see them, great. Maybe something fun would happen. Maybe it wouldn’t.
You really had to entertain yourself and be bored for a long stretches of time. And it was fine.
Reynardine1976@reddit
Great movie, few are talking about it here but I totally understand why you like it. I saw it right after I managed to graduate art school.
tiger_knots185@reddit
Reservoir Dogs, Thelma and Louise.
HPMcCall@reddit
Blade Runner. And, I'm sorry, but The Keep is a work of art, and I will die on that hill.
Comedywriter1@reddit
Absolutely agree.
meemaleem@reddit
Stand By Me
Comedywriter1@reddit
John Carpenter’s The Thing
Formal_Plum_2285@reddit
Karate Kid
drew_almighty21@reddit
Legend
Same_Lack_1775@reddit
Fletch
5crostyolips@reddit
Full Metal Jacket
SalusaSecundus@reddit
Point Break
Inkblots2000@reddit
The Princess Bride
nighmeansnear@reddit
Repo Man
cholaw@reddit
I'm embarrassed to say .... Footloose
Affectionate-Desk699@reddit
Raiders of the lost ark and later it's Trainspotting (my favourite movie of all time)
wmmforbes@reddit
id have to say sixteen candles
TrevaMarx@reddit
I think that I can quote the whole movie!!!
Nazz1968@reddit
Valley Girl. The cast was excellent. It has my favorite 80’s soundtrack and it introduced me to the Plimsouls, who became one of my favorite bands.
WarpedCore@reddit
High Fidelity
I think it counts as it is about as Gen X as it gets at the age in our 20's.
Others that we grew into or movies that raised us:
Beagleguy26@reddit
My two favorite movies are Goodfellas and Boogie Nights.
Although Cannonball Run II is also an absolute masterpiece.
TrevaMarx@reddit
“No one’s perfect…except for HIM.”
niff007@reddit
Trading Places hands down.
Event Horizon is up there.
andthenshe78@reddit
Clue or The Burbs
atomxv@reddit
definitely the burbs
tbonecf@reddit
Processing gif qxzvpsp0ax0h1...
jefx2007@reddit
Tombstone
tej1967@reddit
Jaws
yourskrewely@reddit
PCU
penguinwasteland1414@reddit
At this exact moment? Night of the Comet. But that could change in a couple hours
Alfred12321@reddit
Hackers.
Shawshank.
The Mummy.
nessiealex@reddit
The Neverending Story - always loved that movie even though it scared and made me cry me as a kid.
mfk_1974@reddit
Swingers. Became the cornerstone movie for my buddies and I, all single guys in our 20's. Then a few years later, I met a girl in a very similar circumstance to when Mike met Rollergirl, and we've been married almost 19 years now.
Will_McLean@reddit
I just said the same!
Ipickthingup@reddit
It's a toss up between Rad, Star Wars A New Hope, Evil Dead, or Dead Alive. I love all of them
Will_McLean@reddit
Late Gen X, but pSwingers
lippoli@reddit
Heathers
Temporary_View_3303@reddit
What do you call the “Gen X era”? I’m a 1970 Xer and my favorite movies are all from the 90s. Shawshank is probably tops. If you’re meaning from when we were kids, probably The Outlaw Josey Wales
Naive-Jello428@reddit
Dream a Little Dream. Patton Oswalt stole my childhood crush.
SlapMySloth1@reddit
80’s Gen X movie I’d say Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and 90’s Gen X movie would be Fight Club if that counts.
bungle094@reddit
Jaws
ExtraAd7611@reddit
The Big Lebowski
Thirty_Helens_Agree@reddit
Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, ah, your opinion, man.
NewtonNott@reddit
Jurassic Park
SnoSlider@reddit
Singles. Story, soundtrack and cast are all excellent. Takes me back to my early 20s immediately.
Ill_Establishment406@reddit
Yup
disturbednadir@reddit
Love the soundtrack...never seen the movie.
LazAnarch@reddit
The crow
Thumper13@reddit
Star Wars. Defined my childhood and I've been a fan for life.
fbombmom_@reddit
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I will sing all the songs and quote all the lines.
Fuck you Grandpa Joe for being a lazy fuck and letting your widowed daughter, and grandson financially support you while you fart in bed all day with 3 other old people.
LadyNorbert@reddit
Right? I didn't care for the Johnny Depp version by most metrics, but I did think the Grandpa Joe in that film was a massive improvement. He was adorable. The original Grandpa Joe was just obnoxious.
Expert_Habit9520@reddit
From 80s Gen-X era: Predator
From 90s Gen-X era: Pulp Fiction
Favorite movie from that era that’s more of a retrospective of 1960s and ‘70s: Goodfellas
bluealien78@reddit
Back to the Future
Buzzbait_PocketKnife@reddit
The Thing
75artina@reddit
Princess Bride!
MsCattatude@reddit
Does Pretty Woman count? If not then She’s Out of Control.
badasschurchlady@reddit
Breakfast Club
Draterus@reddit
MeasurementStill5997@reddit
Karate kid or Hoosiers all day
upv395@reddit
Real Genius
cosmoboy@reddit
A Stephen King fan , I saw Shawshank when it first came out. I thought it was my little secret because nobody else had seen it. I'm glad that's no longer true.
Oiggamed@reddit
Blues Brothers 😎😎
Rungi500@reddit
"Hit it."
PainRevolutionary865@reddit
Fast Times at Ridgemont High!!
TheLastMongo@reddit
Blazing Saddles
mightyscoosh@reddit
'Scuuuse me while I whip this out.
baconismadefromcats@reddit
Better Off Dead
Drachenfuer@reddit
I want my two dollars!
Drachenfuer@reddit
Aliens
FLZooMom@reddit
Full Metal Jacket
PepperCat1019@reddit
Love Jones
montemason@reddit
The Warriors
Sorry_Survey_9600@reddit
I liked the Insiders because of the cast
Ray_The_Engineer@reddit
Outsiders?
Sorry_Survey_9600@reddit
Yep my bad. Duh.
TerpBE@reddit
Did any of those guys go on to do anything else?
Sorry_Survey_9600@reddit
Ha ha yes I would say so
donovanwheels@reddit
The Matrix
ohbroncofan@reddit
Smokey & The Bandit!!
abbagodz@reddit
'Looking For Mr Goodbar' with Diane Keaton and Richard Gere. Saw it for the first time on HBO back in 1982 and it's been my favorite movie ever since. Not sure what that says about me. lol
Yeastlord427@reddit
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.
The alley way scene when it's raining. Some thugs attempted mugging him.
https://youtu.be/7nksMrSQDZU?si=JcYNUTDA3TiS9BoL
La_Mano_Cornuta@reddit
Truly a sight to behold. A man beaten. The once great champ, now, a study in moppishness. No longer the victory hungry stallion we've raced so many times before, but a pathetic, washed up, aged ex-champion.
Flat_Demand_8341@reddit
Pump up the Volume
Ray_The_Engineer@reddit
For '80's ambience, I've always loved Vision Quest. It checks some kind of a box for me with a guy realizing his dream.
For quotability, I LOVE Big Trouble in Little China.
Bardamu911@reddit
Bikini Carwash Company parts 1 and 2. The entire franchise.
calrammer@reddit
Hot Dog the Movie