50 movies you have to see in your lifetime
There are movies, and then there are the movies that change your life. Some just have the power to do that. Whether they’re visually arresting thrillers, profoundly relatable indies, campy horror flicks that defined an era, high school comedies that spoke to our inner teenager or glorious dreamscapes we wanted to climb inside and nest in forever, movies are great, big, colorful feeling-monsters.
Because we believe in the power of movies at Hello Giggles and we also believe in doing that annoying thing when someone hasn’t seen a particular movie we loved (“Wait, you’re telling me you’ve NEVER seen The Godfather?”), we decided it was high time we shut the front door and made up a definitive list of films we couldn’t live with out.
We asked a handful of contributors and editors to submit their five favorite movies and collected them for a list so all-encompassing and truly unique, we could barely pull this thing together without taking constant Netflix breaks to catch up on the films we’ve yet to see. So without further throat-clearing, here’s our round-up of the 50 best movies you should watch in your lifetime, according to us.
1. Heathers
Heathers is basically the original Mean Girls, but arguably fiercer. Winona Ryder’s attitude and outfits were on point, and Christian Slater was a total babe (even though he was a psychopath and not good boyfriend material IRL). —Gina Vaynshteyn
2. Together
This movie is about Swedish hippies living together in a commune, I’ve seen it about 50 times and there are scenes in it that still make me laugh harder than almost anything else. (Also, if you want to go down a Lukas Moodysson rabbit hole, check out his incredible—and more recent—film We Are The Best) —Jennifer Romolini
3. When Harry Met Sally
All bow to the amazing writing skills of Nora Ephron. When Harry Met Sally might have a reputation for tackling the question of whether men and women can be “just friends,” but it’s so much more than that. It’s a fantastic character study that also examines the lies we tell ourselves and features whip-smart dialogue. Perfection. — Kayleigh Roberts
4. The Big Lebowski
Is this the best Coen brothers movie? Yes, yes this is the best Coen brothers movie. And there have been so many great ones. But The Big Lebowski gets extra credit for basically inventing the Southern California lazy crime noir (or maybe I just invented that). —Gina Vaynshteyn
5. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
If you haven’t re=watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit as an adult, you’re missing out. Long before Pixar became the epitome of “fun for the whole family” movies, Roger Rabbit was delivering something for all ages. When I was four, I wore out my family’s VHS copy by rewinding to all of the cartoon sequences. In college, I wrote analysis papers on it for film studies classes. All ages, people. — Kayleigh Roberts6. The Cabin in the Woods
