Movies That Grew On You

Has there ever been a movie you disliked at first, but grew to love and appreciate? I have a few, myself:

Titanic. I used to think it was awful and trite, but the chemistry between Leo and Kate eventually won me over. Plus, it is visually stunning, and the all the pretty costumes! *swoon*

Pretty Woman. I know, I know. It's completely unrealistic, which is why I didn't give it a chance for so many years. Again, the chemistry between the two main characters is what won me over. I can't say I like Julia Roberts as a person, but damned if she doesn't sparkle onscreen. Now, I watch it whenever it's on Oxygen. Don't judge me!

When Harry Met Sally. Wow...all of the movies that have won me over are chick flicks, which makes me realize I may be prejudice against the genre itself, LOL. I avoided this movie like the plague until about five years ago, when I finally broke and watched it. I don't like Meg Ryan at all, but Billy Crystal is great. Very well-written, too.

The first time I saw Tropic Thunder I thought it was funny but not, like, the epitome of hilarity. I ended up seeing it a couple of more times and seriously, it is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. I was CRYING by the time they got to the stage performance of Simple Jack.

I too have developed a shameful tolerance for Titanic. I am totally going to see the rerelease. Yeah, I said it.

I felt the same way about Drowning Mona. Stupid movie, but it had a lot of funny moments and lines I didn't appreciate the first time around.

The live-action version of Josie and the Pussycats that came out about ten years ago. I went from hating it to loving it over the course of two viewings. I was pissed about having to go see it the first time and refused to have any fun with it at all. The second time I was in a much better mood and fully realized its hidden greatness. Du Jour means crash positions!

The first time I saw Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, I thought it was incredibly silly and stupid. But when I saw it again, it was so much more entertaining and funny. Of course, this could also be due to the fact that I first saw it with my mom and the second time with a group of friends.

There are many movies that I enjoyed on the first viewing, but liked even more upon seeing a second time and noticing more things that escaped my attention the first time, like Inception, Stranger Than Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption and Memento. The first time I saw The Graduate, I liked it mainly due to the comedic and awkward aspects, but now that I'm older I appreciate the depth of the story more.

Rocky Horror was an acquired taste. The first time I saw it, it made me go "WTF did I just watch?" But I felt strangely compelled to watch it again, and then again (not in immediate succession, over a reasonable amount of time) until I finally loved it. Same with Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

I never "got" A Christmas Story until a few years ago, maybe because I'd only ever seen it in bits and pieces over the course of TBS's yearly marathon, and one of those bits was invariably the "tongue frozen to the pole" scene (augh augh augh cringe). Once I saw ACS in its entirety, all at once, though, it clicked. I still don't have massive, unconditional love for it, but I'll happily watch it once on Christmas Eve/Day.

The first time I tried to watch South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, I turned it off about ten minutes in. The next time I tried to watch it, it was about 3AM and I thought it was one of the funniest movies I had ever seen. Since then I've kept enjoying it.

Same with Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

My dad loves to tell me how he and my mom went to see this in theaters and considered it the worst movie they had ever seen. Years and years later, my best friend showed it to me and I loved it, and I got my reluctant parents to watch. After that it became a regularly watched movie in our house - like at least once a month.

Miss Congeniality, which is a by-the-numbers rom-com that Sandra Bullock should have been past at that point in her career, IMO, but on first viewing I did get a kick out of the scene where she wrestles with Benjamin Bratt, not to mention the whole "You liiiiiiiiiiike me, you want to kiiiiiiiiiiiss me." But then I found myself always watching it whenever it came on the TV, and now I keep thinking that I should just buy the damned thing already.

Oh man, I love that movie. I always wanted to learn how to twirl flaming batons.

The 40-Year Old Virgin seemed so overhyped when I first saw it, but once I watched it on TV, it totally grew on my and now I adore it! Andy is probably one of the most amazingly sympthetic characters that I've ever seen in a film, and there's just such incrdible heart in amongst the dirty jokes. All the characters are so hilarious in their own ways, and you feel like you actually know them or people rather similar to them.

The Big Lebowski. I absolutely love it now, but the first time I saw it, I got so annoyed by Walter being such an asshole that I couldn't enjoy it. For some reason, the second time around, his douchery seemed more ridiculous than anything else and I finally got the humor of it.

I was disappointed in Monsters Inc. when I saw it for the first time in the theaters. The commercials and ads for the movie focused mainly on Mike and had me convinced that it was going to be light and full of laughs. But when I saw it again, I realized how incredibly strong and and lovely the story is. Now it's one of my favorite Pixar movies.

Doubt. Actually, I liked it a lot the first time, but after buying a used copy at the video store and watching it a few more times, I starting realizing just how many layers are actually in that movie (and the play itself I'm sure). Also, for a movie that is basically long conversations cut only by shorter symbolic scenes, it's really tense. I could watch Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman all day.

I had a similar reaction to Monsters, Inc. I saw it when it came out, and was mostly "meh" about it. But I picked up the DVD, watched it again, and it really started to click for me. The whole Monster world is so well-developed, and the characters are fleshed out and feel real. I think I was expecting something different the first time I saw it. I had the same reaction to The Emperor's New Groove. That's become one of my favourite Disney movies, and when I first saw it in theatres I didn't care for it at all. But watching it a second time, I saw how great it is, and it's such a nice departure from the usual Disney formula (not to knock the formula, I love it, but not every movie has to be the same). Maybe I only react like this to John Goodman Disney movies.