Movies to watch while sick?
December 21, 2009 10:50 AM   Subscribe

I'm home sick today and probably tomorrow too. What are your favorite guilty pleasure movies to watch while incapacitated?

Yesterday I watched "She's the Man" and "Not Another Teen Movie", but don't limit yourself to just teen flicks (though those are of course welcome).

Thanks for making my stay at home much more bearable!
posted by kylej to Media & Arts (73 answers total) 34 users marked this as a favorite
 
Kingpin
posted by ian1977 at 10:52 AM on December 21, 2009


Brain Candy, the Kids in the Hall movie. Especially fun with all the healthcare debate going on right now.
posted by electroboy at 10:53 AM on December 21, 2009 [1 favorite]


Not guilty as I'll happily admit to loving it while not ill - Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Sparkles and pretty colours for your fever, actual good plot if your brain's still working!
posted by Coobeastie at 10:53 AM on December 21, 2009 [3 favorites]


It's not a movie, but all of Strangers with Candy is up on Hulu.

And because it's that time of year, Love Actually.
posted by oinopaponton at 10:55 AM on December 21, 2009


Super Troopers
The Big Lebowski
Almost Famous
Wonder Boys
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
posted by elmer benson at 10:58 AM on December 21, 2009 [2 favorites]


Empire of the Sun OR
Adventures of Buckaroo Bonazi
posted by bleucube at 11:00 AM on December 21, 2009


Best answer: I love She's the Man! Though, in my opinion, that is more of a giggly sleepover movie than a sick one. Anyway, if you're looking for something similar to that, I'd suggest Legally Blonde. For something a little darker, try Grosse Pointe Blank. And Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is always fun.
posted by Gotham at 11:01 AM on December 21, 2009


Ok, this is a deep, dark confession: On two different occasions, while I was home sick, I watched The Game Plan. It's terrible, but somehow perfect when you're sick. Other go-tos when I'm home sick include Ryan Reynolds movies and Daria. And The Cutting Edge.
posted by amarynth at 11:06 AM on December 21, 2009 [2 favorites]


Sick? Then I'm putting Proof of Life, The Fugitive (movie w/Harrison Ford version), Gladiator, or Terminator 1 or 2 in the DVD slot. Ahhhh.
posted by bearwife at 11:07 AM on December 21, 2009


My guilty pleasures (especially when sick) are cheesy 80's movies.

The Secret of My Success
Can't Buy Me Love
Sixteen Candles
Overboard
Weird Science
Some Kind of Wonderful
The Goonies
Real Genius
Cocktail
Teen Wolf

A lot of these movies are available for instant download on Netflix if you have an account. I think they have a super cheap download only account if you don't. Hope you feel better!
posted by Kimberly at 11:08 AM on December 21, 2009 [3 favorites]


Or if confined for quite a while, the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings movies.
posted by bearwife at 11:08 AM on December 21, 2009


Not necessarily guilty pleasures, but I'm partial to Bringing Up Baby (this movie is a great screwball comedy -try it), The Sure Thing and Groundhog Day.
posted by gudrun at 11:10 AM on December 21, 2009


The Saint is my favorite guilty pleasure movie. The use of science in that movie never fails to crack me up. And Val Kilmer's disguises.
posted by cali59 at 11:11 AM on December 21, 2009 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Legally Blonde, French Kiss, Bowfinger, The Princess Bride, Grosse Point Blank, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Babe, Like Water For Chocolate, Clueless, Ocean's Eleven, The Apartment, Pretty Woman, The Odd Couple, Bringing Up Baby, Shop Around the Corner, Marnie
posted by ifjuly at 11:13 AM on December 21, 2009


Ohohoh, Goonies reminded me--The Sandlot, Stand By Me.
posted by ifjuly at 11:14 AM on December 21, 2009


Love Actually - and it's seasonal.
posted by mdonley at 11:17 AM on December 21, 2009


Bill and Ted, both their Excellent Adventure and the most Bogus Journey
Back to the Future (plus II and III)
Clueless
Down With Love

And seconding the John Hughes and Big Lebowski suggestions.
posted by smallvictories at 11:17 AM on December 21, 2009


Minority Report.
posted by effluvia at 11:18 AM on December 21, 2009


Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
posted by sunshinesky at 11:19 AM on December 21, 2009 [1 favorite]


Clueless*
Dave
Roxanne
My Blue Heaven
Before Sunrise / Before Sunset
First Season of Veronica Mars

Full disclosure, I don't feel especially guilty about any of these. But they do please me!

* In honor of the late Britney Murphy. "You're a virgin who can't drive." RIP
posted by messica at 11:20 AM on December 21, 2009 [2 favorites]


Adventures in Babysitting
Maverick
Independence Day
Titanic
any Harry Potter
posted by peanut butter milkshake at 11:21 AM on December 21, 2009


I actually tend not to prefer overt "guilty pleasure" movies when I'm sick just because I equate "guilty pleasure" with "turning off my brain," and that ends up making me feel more yucky.

That being said, Star Trek movies all the way. Even the odd-numbered movies. You get to turn off your brain without feeling like you're turning off your brain.
posted by AugieAugustus at 11:21 AM on December 21, 2009 [1 favorite]


Nobody has mentioned Ferris Bueller's Day Off yet? I am shocked. Shocked!
posted by Cogito at 11:22 AM on December 21, 2009


Shirley Temple movies.
posted by Melismata at 11:22 AM on December 21, 2009


I love the cheesy '80's movies! Especially Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

I also love to do movie marathons when I'm sick. Back to the Future and Indiana Jones (but only the first three.)
posted by TooFewShoes at 11:25 AM on December 21, 2009


The New Guy.
posted by Cookbooks and Chaos at 11:26 AM on December 21, 2009


Best answer: If you have watched She's the Man, you must watch the best Shakespeare-inspired teen movie of the '90s, which is of course 10 Things I Hate About You.
posted by ilana at 11:28 AM on December 21, 2009 [1 favorite]


Mr. gudrun contributes Mystery Date and the series Wonderfalls.
posted by gudrun at 11:29 AM on December 21, 2009


Wonder Boys.

Especially at this time of year.
posted by fire&wings at 11:29 AM on December 21, 2009


The Fugitive (not too guilty) and True Lies (feel ashamed).
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:33 AM on December 21, 2009


Just whatever you do, for the love of God don't do what I did...watch Tommy.

And Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Back to back.

With a fever.

My wonderful, loving wife, whom I had entrusted with my safety and wellbeing while lying in a horrible Nyquil daze on the couch, leaned down to me and said, "Pfft. I told you so."
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 11:36 AM on December 21, 2009


Being discussed in another question ... which reminded me ... Something Wild.
posted by gudrun at 11:37 AM on December 21, 2009


Muriel's Wedding
Marie Antoinette
posted by WeekendJen at 11:38 AM on December 21, 2009 [1 favorite]


When I was a kid sick at home, I'd watch the original Star Wars trilogy back to back. I still break it out when I'm particularly miserable and it puts a smile on my face!
posted by Mouse Army at 11:46 AM on December 21, 2009


Best answer: Miss Congeniality hasn't been mentioned yet.

I don't even need to be sick to stop channel surfing whenever I notice it's on tv, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
posted by casualinference at 11:46 AM on December 21, 2009


Echoing elmer benson's list and adding a few more.

Super Troopers
The Big Lebowski
Almost Famous
Wonder Boys
both Bridget Jones's
Gosford Park
and any of Cary Grant's comedies but especially Arsenic and Old Lace, Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House, and The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer

I also really enjoy watching Firefly, Freaks and Geeks, and Northern Exposure when I'm sick.
posted by elsietheeel at 11:51 AM on December 21, 2009


I always watch The American President.
posted by decathecting at 11:54 AM on December 21, 2009


The Incredibles!
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 12:13 PM on December 21, 2009


I have a bizarre love for Can't Hardly Wait. The cast is full of people who went on to do other, better things and it's fun to spot them. (Hey...there's Marshall from HIMYM! There's Rico and Claire from Six Feet Under!)
posted by jrossi4r at 12:21 PM on December 21, 2009 [3 favorites]


The Blues Brothers, Caddyshack, Old School, Die Hard 2, Rocky IV, Tron...

I also watched a bunch of Mystery Science Theatre 3000's one weekend when I was a sick and that was a pretty good way to pass the time; my personal faves are Mitchell, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, Pod People and Cave Dwellers.

If my wife were here she'd probably suggest Desperately Seeking Susan, The Money Pit (any '80s Tom Hanks comedy, really), Showgirls or Road House.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:22 PM on December 21, 2009


The Notebook!
posted by lunit at 12:37 PM on December 21, 2009


Where the buffalo roam
posted by WeekendJen at 12:42 PM on December 21, 2009


Best answer: Mean Girls is great.
posted by cobain_angel at 1:12 PM on December 21, 2009 [2 favorites]


The Pixar shorts disc
Real Genius
Top Gun
Terminator 2 (as long as you're not hallucinating with a fever)
the Clooney/ Pitt Ocean's Eleven (and 12 and 13 if you're really masochistic)
the new Casino Royale
Sneakers
Iron Man
The Transporter
Crank (again, don't have a fever or hallucinations)
Under Siege
WarGames
Gremlins (seasonal!)
Die Hard (seasonal!)
Point Break

Also, all the Dirty Harry movies, because I've noticed that if Mr. F watches one, he has to watch all of them in order as quickly as possible so he can move on to watching other movies. This might hold you for a full two days depending on how much you sleep.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 1:17 PM on December 21, 2009


Fletch
posted by peep at 1:21 PM on December 21, 2009


I tend to go old school and hit up the old Cary Grant flicks, my faves being "The Philadeplphia Story" and "It Takes a Thief".
posted by elendil71 at 1:26 PM on December 21, 2009


I was coming in to recommend Can't Hardly Wait, but that's been done. So:

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Superbad
Zombieland (just saw this, actually, but it's being added to my sick day repertoire)
About a Boy
Slackers
While You Were Sleeping
Rushmore
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Life Aquatic
The Darjeeling Limited

Actually, come to think of it: plunk Wes Anderson's collected works next to me and I'm a happy (albeit sick) girl.
posted by rebekah at 1:36 PM on December 21, 2009


If I'm too sick to go to work, I'm usually too sick to go get a movie. So I root through my DVD collection and usually wind up settling on a marathon of episodes from my favorite TV shows. To wit:

Veronica Mars
Arrested Development
Firefly
Wonderfalls
Kitchen Confidential
Action!
posted by magstheaxe at 1:43 PM on December 21, 2009


Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Yes. Also:

Wayne's World
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:47 PM on December 21, 2009


Blazing Saddles
posted by torquemaniac at 1:58 PM on December 21, 2009


A Fish Called Wanda

The Darjeeling Limited

Tin Men

The Buddy Holly Story (unless you have to travel somewhere by plane)

American Splendor

any Preston Sturges comedy, but especially The Palm Beach Story and Unfaithfully Yours
posted by motown missile at 2:09 PM on December 21, 2009


Seconding Mean Girls

And.. while it is not a movie, hulu has all twelve episodes of Community up until January 14.
posted by defragmeout at 2:13 PM on December 21, 2009


I was going to recommend "Support your local sheriff". But it's one of the funniest movies I've ever watched, and if you're sick it'll probably make you die of coughing fits.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:14 PM on December 21, 2009 [1 favorite]


The Great Race, with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. And Duck Soup!
posted by theredpen at 2:23 PM on December 21, 2009 [2 favorites]


THE FIFTH ELEMENT!

I feel no guilt, however.
posted by invitapriore at 2:25 PM on December 21, 2009 [1 favorite]


Go with the good stuff, for example:

Mr. Roberts
Some Like It Hot
A Night At the Opera
posted by KRS at 2:35 PM on December 21, 2009


Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
posted by Elsie at 3:13 PM on December 21, 2009


It's Christmas! Watch Scrooged. Or man, anything with Bill Murray would be great while you're sick - Groundhog Day, Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters.
posted by timepiece at 3:26 PM on December 21, 2009


Any Pixar: Wall-E, Toy Story, Incredibles, etc.

Mean Girls! Yes please.
posted by chronic sublime at 4:13 PM on December 21, 2009 [1 favorite]


I like long movies when I'm sick, like Brotherhood of the Wolf, or retro as in the original (Errol Flyn) Robin Hood or sugar rush movies along the lines of Starship troopers, Predator, or Aliens. Or catching up on my Monty Python. Damn I wish I was sick...
posted by Redhush at 4:33 PM on December 21, 2009


secondhand lion and october sky are both great movies, worth watching anytime
posted by cellar at 5:25 PM on December 21, 2009


Based on the ones you favorited so far, you might also enjoy Bring It On (not too guilty) and Can't Hardly Wait (pretty guilty). Also seconding Clueless.

My guiltiest of all movie guilty pleasures is La Bamba. If it comes on TV, I am physically unable to turn it off.
posted by stennieville at 5:51 PM on December 21, 2009


Princess Bride!!!

"Anybody want a peanut?"
posted by I_love_the_rain at 6:11 PM on December 21, 2009 [1 favorite]


Romy and Michele's High School Reunion - wish i'd seen it sooner. cute movie about high school / 1980s nostalgia.
posted by kuppajava at 6:31 PM on December 21, 2009


Oh, and for really guilty pleasures - Smokey and the Bandit. I was so amused to find out that my mom adores that movie. But really, who doesn't?
posted by timepiece at 6:32 PM on December 21, 2009


And in the vein of cheesy high school/dance flicks, can't beat Girls Just Want to Have Fun (so, so Eighties), and the more recent Save the Last Dance.
posted by timepiece at 6:36 PM on December 21, 2009


I love watching daytime soaps while sick. Last week I had some nasty head/chest crud--spent the whole afternoon watching "The Young and Restless", "The Bold and Beautiful" and "As the World Turns". What a hoot!
posted by I'm Brian and so's my wife! at 7:03 PM on December 21, 2009


I find Reality Bites to be the best sickness movie. I think a double header of The Net and Hackers might do nicely, as well. Or, on the soap front, Dark Shadows!
posted by quatsch at 7:12 PM on December 21, 2009


Not a movie, but when I'm sick I love People's Court and Judge Judy.
posted by kittyloop at 8:07 PM on December 21, 2009


For me it's gotta be the 80's John Cusack Double Feature: Say Anything/The Sure Thing
posted by naoko at 9:41 PM on December 21, 2009


Legally Blonde is great, but under no circumstances should you watch Legally Blonde 2 if you can avoid it. I swear that movie was written by some sort of unholy committee made up of coked-out studio execs and PETA activists.
posted by the_bone at 10:20 PM on December 21, 2009


Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood
posted by laumry at 1:32 AM on December 22, 2009 [1 favorite]


Mine are Star Wars, The Big Lebowski, Little Miss Sunshine and The Matrix. I usually watch series too though, Firefly, The IT crowd, Bones...
posted by jonesor at 6:13 PM on December 22, 2009


« Older Your fraternity has a chef? Are you kidding me?   |   Utterly butterscotch recipes! Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.