Remember when you went to the movies as a kid? You always went with your buddies and choosing a film was never a problem; you effortlessly came to common agreement nine times out of ten. Now, as a 50 plus male, it’s a whole different story. We generally no longer attend movies with just our buddies; we go as a twosome with our wives or (for the single guys) whomever we’re dating; anything more than a twosome means joining other couples.
This change of venue has brought about a conflict for many 50 plus males: we tend to get the short end of the stick when decision time comes for movie choices. Our “better halves” most times dictate that we attend a “chick flick” as opposed to a “guy movie.” My wife, Neets, is not one who even enjoys going to the movies, as she hates the lack of cleanliness found in many theaters along with the frequently noisy audiences. But on the odd occasion that we do go to a movie, violence, sports, and silly comedies aren’t on the table for discussion. “Lighthearted,” “romantic,” and “anything with Meryl Streep” define the boundaries of the OK-to-see list.
The upshot of this discord is that the 50 plus male’s principal means of watching guy movies is limited to when they’re shown on television. All of this got me to thinking about my next top ten list for The 50 Plus Male (see My Top Ten post from August 7 for the first list): Favorite Guy Movies of All-time. This, admittedly, is totally subjective, but the name of the game is to encourage thought and discussion for all of you. So, without further adieu…
10. Thief (this is a sleeper pick, but is possibly James Caan’s best movie other than The Godfather)
9. Predator (OK, Arnold isn’t the greatest actor, but admit it, this was an intense film)
8. The Wild Bunch (no guy’s list would be complete without a Sam Peckinpah movie, and this was one of his best)
7. Deliverance (Burt Reynolds did quality work as Lewis Medlock, and after the “squeal like a pig”/ “weee” scene I never looked at bacon the same way again)
6. Wall Street (power, greed, corruption, ego…what else do you need?)
5. Dirty Harry (Clint’s introduction of one of cinema’s all-time great characters along with his alter-ego, the .44 Magnum)
4. The Godfather (other than chick flicks, is there a top ten movie list that wouldn’t include this one?)
3. Slap Shot (lewd humor, sports, camaraderie, lewd humor…in short, everything most women would not want to see)
2. Cool Hand Luke (Paul Newman at his best, the egg-eating scene, the chain-gang/car wash scene where George Kennedy in his Oscar-winning role as Dragline says “Anything so innocent and built like th
at just gotta be named Lucille.”)
1. The Dirty Dozen (Lee Marvin and an all-star cast providing the ultimate in bravery and lunacy)
The chief quality these films have is that you’ve probably seen each one at least five times, yet would watch them another five times…they never lose their appeal. Ultimately, if Neets lets me watch these classics over and over, I guess I can endure the intermittent chick flick. That’s our current understanding with one another; no need to express “what we’ve got here is…failure to communicate.”
-Neal
I suppose this is true, from a man’s point of view. In my case, being female, I usually watch MOST movies with my husband. Unless they are slashers, that’s where I tow the line. Give me a good story, whether it is comedy, drama or silly, as long as it is STUPID. We compromise and I think that should be the biggest recommendation here between the sexes. One picks 1 time, the other picks the 2nd, or in our case, we see 2 in one day, so we decide ahead of time. It works out.
Neal –
How about The Great Escape??? This list can’t even exist without!!! ….sp
Glad to see that the Predator has made your list. It’s in my ‘Top Two’. I’ve seen it over 150 times.