"We're the middle children of history. We've got no great war, no great depression. Our great war is a spiritual war, our great depression is our lives"
I sat on the wood floor of my freshman apartment and heard that line for the second time. As Kurt Cobain, my cat, watched the snow fall outside, I began to relate to Tyler Durden. Today, Fight Club is my timeless classic, the movie that brings me the most comfort, and yes, I know it's weird.
I don't know why I needed Edward Norton to tell me that my collegiate, family, personal struggles were not what defined me. For some reason, it felt more personal between punches in Leo's basement. All the jigsaw pieces fell into place, even though nothing had changed, I felt better when Where is My Mind played during the closing sequence.
Everyone has a Fight Club; everyone has their own timeless films, the ones they return to when everything is falling apart. But what makes these movies feel timeless?
When you love a piece of art enough, a photograph, painting or movie, it stays with you, walks with you through your day and is there when you need it most. A movie that you love often stays in your memory forever because of a joke, a plot twist, or a character that touched your heart in a specific way. Movies that transcend time and become instant classics are often known for their extreme relatability and universal themes. Even though the Oscars and box-office numbers deem movies successful or not, the genuine tell of a successful film is in the number of times that someone can return to that film in their lifetime.
But what is the difference between a timeless film and one that fades?
A movie such as Lady Bird or Barbie will stay with a daughter or a mother forever. While a film like Big Fish will be a picture that young men flock to for generations. At the end of the day, film is a moving picture, and a picture is worth a thousand words; a movie bridges the emotions that we may never outwardly share with others. A movie that feels timeless creates human connection in a space that was once unexplored.
These movies also build on universal ideas: love, grief, loss, joy, etc. These universal simplicities and challenges of life, give timeless films a strong foundation to fall back on, even if a film approaches these topics in a complex way. Both of those examples are human-focused films; they follow the ups and downs of very normal relationships between a parent and child. While a franchise like Spider-Man may break box office records, it most likely won’t be a timeless classic. It is a loved superhero classic, but it doesn't approach these at-home feelings. Jurassic Park, on the other hand, studies human behavior and explores the choice to play God. This will always be a relatable topic, as it is something that people see themselves and others deal with on the daily. The Jurassic films will always be considered epics because of their core argument – man will never be bigger than the natural world.
A classic film really has to pull off one thing: talk to the soul of a viewer. Our connections to our most re-visited films is deeply personal.
The Big Lebowski was always my dad’s favorite movie, and I never understood it, not until I realized that he saw himself as the "Dude". He wasn't a stereotypical chiller from LA and he doesn't habitually smoke joints to the roach, but I think in a way he always saw himself as having the qualities that Jeff Bridges has in that movie. The viewer sees themselves in a film, whether they are 18 in college or married with kids, a timeless film will stay iconic.
A timeless film also stays relevant through social change, no matter what it may be. Whether it’s a different presidential term, season of the year, or social setting, these movies stay loved.
As social media grows and media becomes easier to consume and discard, viewers are beginning to go back to films that remind them of familiar feelings. As it becomes easier to make and destroy art, the draw of nostalgia seems to grow stronger. There is a comfort in knowing the end and beginning of a story.
And that's okay!
It's important to return to timeless films, no matter what they may be because,
"Rewatching a familiar movie allows us to revisit an old memory with a new perspective."
So be it if someone judges you for watching the same movies that you love over and over. It's therapeutic, somehow in a new way each time. You never know what you'll get when you rewatch a film you love... or do you?
