"I Don't Know, You Pick" - Movies to Watch when Neither of you Want to Choose

A common occurrence in my relationship, in my family, with my friends - even when I'm by myself - is not being able to decide on what to watch. Whether someone's already seen it/doesn't want to rewatch, can't agree on a genre or runtime, or are simply overwhelmed with options (the typical one for myself) -- few people enjoy being the decision-maker when it comes to choosing the movie. Or going out to eat, Good Lord do I suck at choosing a place to eat. So I decided to throw together a list of ones that I love in different categories that will hopefully help in your next dilemma. These aren't movies you've never heard of from the 1940s - you'll probably have watched several if not most from this list - but are all movies that:

I like a lot, obviously
Are easy watches - not putting 3-hour epics or tragic stories on here
Are entertaining and engaging
Can be fun for all types of people (I would say all ages, but definitely a few that won't work for the little ones on this list)

Rewatchable Comedies

Wedding Crashers - Netflix

Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are weekend warriors who crash weddings pretending to be a long lost cousin or relative in order to get in a bridesmaid’s pants by the end of the night. But when Rachel McAdams is the mark for Owen Wilson's character, it’ll take some extra legwork. Add Christopher Walken and Bradley Cooper to the mix plus a few more side role all-stars — you got one of the funniest comedies of the 21st century. Most quotable movie ever.

The Nice Guys - Netflix

An under-appreciated comedic banger featuring Ryan Gosling (a private investigator) and Russell Crowe (a hired enforcer) as an unlikely duo trying to solve a mystery of a missing woman. Gosling sneaky has the best comedic timing, and Crowe matches him in every way as they form a hysterical duo. Movie has a good plot, side characters, and ending. Nice Guys 2 please Shane Black!

Theater Camp - Prime Video

Probably lesser-known then a lot of movies I’ll mention here, but well worth the watch. Jimmy Tatro (a Bean’s Blog favorite) takes over his mom’s theater camp where Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, and a very unprepared Ayo Adebiri are counselors getting their campers ready for the end of summer performance. In all honesty, I wouldn’t have watched this movie if it wasn’t for Tatro, but I was genuinely entertained and laughed a ton throughout the whole movie - and it’s got a lot of heart as well.

Catch Me if You Can

This is kind of cheating because it’s not a true comedy by any means - but it's incredibly rewatchable and the movie fucking rips, lay off. A young Leo DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale - a 17-year old con-man who’s as charming and deceiving as they come, portraying himself as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer without the credentials. Tom Hanks plays the FBI agent tasked with tracking him down - but Frank isn’t an easy man to find. This movie hits all my criteria: incredible leads, awesome side characters played by great actors, and an unbelievable plot (that’s based on a true story).

Tommy Boy - Tubi / Pluto TV

This was THE quintessential movie in our house growing up, so I definitely have a bias. Chris Farley, David Spade, Rob Lowe Farley plays the titular character - son of an auto parts factory owner - is thrust into the head honcho role and must go on a sales trip around the Midwest to bring the company out of the hole they’re in. David Spade plays Richard - wise-cracking right-hand man of Tommy’s father who accompanies him to try and make a salesman out of him. If you like Chris Farley, you’ve probably already seen this one. But this is your sign to watch again because it’s hysterical.

Rom-coms

The Fall Guy - Prime Video

Watched this one on a plane on my iPad — the exact way it was intended to be watched I’m sure. (it did real shitty at the box office if you’re unaware). But I thought it was fun and think for what it is -- a goofy, entertaining, very funny action-comedy -- it does a good job. Ryan Gosling is hilarious even when he doesn’t try to be. Emily Blunt rocks. All the side characters have their moments. It’s just colorful, exhilarating, has an interesting enough story, good ending -- 2 thumbs up from me.

Palm Springs - Hulu

If you’ve seen seen Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, then this premise will sound familiar. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are guests at a wedding in Palm Springs — only problem is every morning they wake up and it’s the same wedding day as before. Nyles (Samberg) sees it as an opportunity to impress Sarah (Milioti) and start up a romance, while she’s more concerned with getting out of this loop. Very funny movie with great supporting characters/actors, and had way more heart than I expected. Highly recommend.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Starz

Jason Segel you big-hogged Rascal you! I didn’t see this one until several years after its release, but it’s become one of my favorite comedies. Jason Segel’s Peter winds up getting dumped by long time girlfriend and TV Star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). To try and get over his grief, he takes a trip to Hawaii where - you guessed it - Sarah is staying with her new boyfriend (Russell Brand who is hysterical). Again, it’s the supporting cast - Mila Kunis, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer (to name a few) are great. From the Dracula Musical to surf lessons with Rudd, this movie makes me laugh beginning to end.

10 Things I Hate About You - Disney+

This is an older one compared to others on the list, but it’s an absolute classic. Starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger (RIP), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are the big dogs, but the whole cast is good. Specifically with Kat and Patrick (Stiles and Ledger) there are a few pretty iconic movie moments -- especially the serenade scene. I remember watching it a good amount growing up and into high school/college, and as far as true romantic comedies it doesn't get much better.

Crazy, Stupid Love

Ryan Gosling rears his head once again, but in a more supporting role this time. Steve Carrell and Julianne Moore star as Cal and Emily Weaver — married couple turned divorcees at 40+. They have a family, house, life together — and Cal is scared to lose it. He meets Ryan Gosling’s Jacob, who offers his services in re-teaching Cal the dating scene. The cast is unreal and is filled with heart and laughs (hilarious realization/fight scene). Kevin Bacon, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei are just a few side characters that help make this one of the better rom-coms in my lifetime.

Feel-Good and Family Classics

School of Rock - Paramount +

This is probably a waste of a spot because if you grew up in the 2000s like I (and most my readers) did, you’ve seen this double-digit times. Jack Black is a guitarist who’s thrown out of his band and down on his luck. He poses as a substitute teacher at a fancy shmancy school to make some cash. He teaches his students to channel their “inner rock n roll animals” and appreciate the freedom of music. A common theme on this list is movies with kid actors that are hilarious and heartfelt, and this has no shortage. And Jack Black is the perfect force at the center of a movie with heart and great tunes.

Instant Family - paramount +

Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne play a couple who, after years of not wanting kids, find themselves looking into the foster care and adoption route of parenting. Thinking they’d adopt one, they wind up drawn to 3 siblings and take them in. They quickly learn the ups and downs of parenting and the foster care system as a whole. Wahlberg and Byrne are terrific — I didn’t think Marky Mark would be great at this role but I liked him. Tom Segura is also my favorite comedian and has a hilarious side part. This movie will make you laugh, cry (unless you’re heartless) and gives a lot of valuable perspective.

Kicking & Screaming - Peacock

Grew up on this one. Will Ferrell’s character Phil is thrust into action to coach his son’s soccer team after his father (Robert Duvall) boots him. While his players lack talent, they make up for it by being hilarious, and after he finds a couple Italian kids to join his team - Phil goes on a warpath to take down his Dad (with the help of Mike Ditka assistant coaching, of course). Cheesy 100%, but one I always loved.

Big Daddy - Netflix

One of my favorite Adam Sandler movies of all time not called Happy Gilmore. He plays Sonny Koufax who realizes he needs to grow up after his girlfriend leaves him for an older man. Opportunity presents itself to adopt a 5-year old kiddo, thinking it would help him win back his girlfriend, but no dice. And while he doesn’t know the first thing about parenting, he develops a true bond with little Julian through episodes of Scuba Steve, McDonalds breakfasts, and Hooters dinners. It’s not the greatest quality movie, it changes tone pretty quickly (and severely), but it’s also charming, goofy, and heartfelt.

Easy to Watch blockbusters

Top Gun: Maverick - Paramount +

Getting more into the action for those of you that aren't interested in the comedies and feel-goods above. The first Top Gun movie came out in 1986, but its sequel didn't see theaters until 2022. And while I think seeing the 1st will help tremendously, I don't think it's entirely necessary to have watched it before this one. (you'll need a Youtube recap at the least, but get the key points and you're fine). Tom Cruise is one of the biggest movie stars ever, playing one of his most iconic roles in a sequel that lives up to (and exceeds) its predecessor to me. Bring in Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell (King), Jon Hamm and more -- and you're off to a great start. This film absolutely hums, never misses a beat and is chock full of great scenes. No need to get plot heavy -- it's Military aviators doing sick shit in jets.

Baby Driver

I don't hear many people talk about this movie, so maybe it should've been placed in the category after this one. But I remember being eager to see it on the Big Screen in 2017 and have, conservatively, logged 15-20 rewatches since. I fucking love this movie so much. Ansel Elgort is a hearing-impaired getaway driver that can escape any police chase - leading the criminals Kevin Spacey (better actor than person) sends with him to riches. But it's not the life he wants, and when it begins to threaten his loved ones, he must find a way to escape the dangerous situation he's in. Lily James, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Eiza Gonzalez, Jon Bernthal (legend) make up what is one of my favorite supporting casts in a film. I love the action, the heartfelt stuff works for me even if it doesn't for others, and I love the pace the story moves at.

Oceans 11

Another one of my all-time favorite films, and similar to the previous, has arguably my favorite cast of all time. Brad Pitt and George Clooney at the lead, Julia Roberts and Matt Damon, Bernie Mack, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould -- the list goes on. If you haven't seen it, or somehow haven't heard about it, this is a heist movie about a group of individuals trying to rob a casino. Pitt and Clooney put together this team of misfits to pull of the ultimate job. This is a hilarious movie - I don't think it get's the credit it deserves for how many great jokes and bits there are. It's far and away my favorite Clooney role, and it's in contention for Pitt. Both are so witty, likeable, charming, funny, and I absolutely love the banter they have. 10/10 no notes movie for me -- where as 12 and 13 get a little abstract but are still fun.

Molly’s Game

Been awhile since I watched this one, but it used to be in a constant Netflix rotation for me in college with Moneyball and Thor: Ragnarok (Idk why I'm weird). Sometimes you just don't want to risk watching a shitty movie and would rather settle in with a classic that you know will get the job done. That's Molly's Game - starring Jessica Chastain as Molly Bloom and is based on a true story. It's about a high-stakes poker game she runs before the FBI gets involved and includes so many actors I love from the big names to the small. Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, and Michael Cera are the biggest names, but the Jeremy Strong's, Bill Camp's and Chris O'Dowd's are the supporting cast that make me love it. While I think it could probably be 20 minutes shorter, I really like the plot and performances.

Margin Call

This is one of the films that I will recommend to anyone that asks because I think it is incredibly effective entertainment. What I mean by that is it's really efficient (hour and 47 minutes), it's exciting because it puts the characters on a time crunch, and is about a world that I know nothing about (investment banking) but have always been intrigued by. And at it's core, it's an extremely simple premise: analyst discovers major risk, key players try to control the damage. I know I've been banging the cast drum this whole blog, but here's yet another incredible cast - Kevin Spacey (both of these movies were before the allegations, it's not my fault the guys a good actor, I don't support his actions off-screen), Paul Bettany, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, Penn Badgley, Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci. If you like corporate thrillers, this is one of the best.

Under-Appreciated Bangers

Hit Man - Netflix

I wrote a full blog about this one that's here on the site and I'll link to the bottom (along with some other movie reviews -- check them out) (please) so I'll try to keep this brief. But this is a recent release that came to Netflix that I absolutely loved. Glen Powell is probably my current favorite actor, and this is all Powell beginning to end. He plays a college professor who moonlights as a fake hit man for the NOLA PD, helping them with sting ops. He creates all these different personas to cater to their targets, but when one of these targets is a beautiful woman (Adria Arjona, WOWZA) trying to find a way out of a bad spot, the lines become blurred. I think this movie is wildly fun and entertaining, driven by a great Powell performance, that ties in dark and comedic elements. The very end isn't my favorite movie ending - but I enjoyed the first 100 minutes so much I can forgive a weak final 5-10.

Burn After Reading - Prime Video

Another plane watch (one of my most consistent ways to watch good movies for me is getting on flights to see my gf) of a movie that I had heard the title of but didn't know a single thing about. I downloaded based on name alone and rolled the dice, and boy am I glad I did. Because if I read that the premise was 2 moron gym workers find a disc containing CIA secrets and try to blackmail the owner to get plastic surgery, I probably wouldn't have watched. But then you find out that John Malkovich is the CIA agent, Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand are the morons, George fucking Clooney goes on dates with said-female-moron, and there's legends like Richard Jenkins, JK Simmons, Tilda Swinton, and David Rasche (Karl from Succession - KING) running around - I was hooked. It's also laugh out loud funny and ridiculous. Go in with an open mind and you'll leave satisfied.

Sicario - Netflix

I couldn't allow myself to make a movie recs list without including a Denis Villeneuve film. And while I love the Dune franchise, my favorite of his is easily Sicario. And I was late to the boat seeing it, so I'm not sure if this is actually a slept-on movie or if I just slept on it, but it's a certified banger. Emily Blunt is an FBI agent recruited to join a task force focused on taking down a drug cartel. Josh Brolin is her recruiter leading the team, alongside the mysterious Alejandro played by Benicio Del Toro. Daniel Kaluuya, Jon Bernthal, and Jeffrey Donovan fill out the supporting cast (and fucking rock). This film is perfectly-shot as we expect from Villeneuve, but it was written by Taylor Sheridan as the kicker. It's thrilling, gripping, intense, and full of great action scenes.

Collateral

You thought you were only getting one Tom Cruise rec? Grow up - he's the best movie star of all time. And I love his performance in this film particularly because it's so different than any of his others. Jamie Foxx is the lead playing a taxi driver who picks up Cruise one night. Unfortunately for Foxx, he doesn't realize until it's too late that Cruise is a murderous hit man who has enlisted him to drive him to all his stops for the night. This is a well-contained thriller that never gives you too much room to breathe -- it keeps you in close for the whole ride. Cast also includes Mark Ruffalo, Jason Statham, Javier Bardem and Jada Pinkett Smith.

The Prestige - Hulu

I wrote about this film the other day in my "What I'm Watching this Week" blog, so I won't ramble on once again. But this is a mind-bending, thought-provoking, marvelous film that kept me entertained for every second of its run-time. Will paste a blurb from the previous post below without spoilers.

I left this one without a single complaint. It was perplexing, exciting, intense -- all in all was a satisfying movie I thought. I'm not sure satisfying is the word many would use to describe it - being that the ending is fully-dependent on a twist that you either buy into or don't - but it made enough sense to me, I liked how it was carried out, and was surprised. The Major Magic Trick at the center of the movie - teleportation - is also amazing. Nolan is the best visual director to ever live and the way he portrays the trick is terrific. 10/10, highly recommend.

Animated Rewatachables trademark: Bill Simmons

How to Train Your Dragon - Peacock

Going to go through these animated films a little quicker because 1) I imagine most have seen all if not most of these and 2) I’m tired. How to Train Your Dragon teaches the message of embracing each other’s differences without judgement and the importance of compassion through the lens of Dragons and Vikings — entertaining, fast-paced, super enjoyable.

Shrek

If someone reading this hasn’t seen Shrek, they’ve likely stumbled onto the wrong webpage while researching chili recipes. Shrek is a movie I loved as a child, didn’t watch for years and years, and when I returned to it as an adult it was almost funnier picking up on jokes that went over my head as a kid. No complaints about either Shrek 1 or 2 — two different but great movies (leave the rest of the sequels on the shelf).

Ratatouille - Disney+

Similar to last, if you're reading a movie blog and haven't seen Ratatouille you may be in search of recipes not Bean's Blog. One of the best (if not THE best) Disney/Pixar movie of all time because it tells a complete story through an incredibly fun plot. It's a rat teaching a man how to cook, while also teaching him not to judge a book by its cover. What more are you looking for from Pixar, you greedy bastard?

Spider-Man Into the Spider-verse - Disney+

Even if you are adamantly against Marvel or Super-hero movies, I genuinely think there is something in this movie you can appreciate. It's beautifully-created and unique animation, and is kind of more so a coming-of-age story than it is a super-hero story. It's about family - the family you're born into, the family you choose (or that chooses you), self-belief. It just happens to teach those lessons through versions of Spider-Man from different universes ending up together in one. One of my favorite animated movies.

Wall-E - Disney+

And closing things out with a bang is everybody's favorite robot Wall-E. This is a movie that tackles major real-world issues like consumerism, environmental issues, AI reliance (movie was made in 2008 FYI - timely) in a creative, entertaining and endearing way. Show me a person who doesn't like Wall-E and I'll show you a person who makes the Earth a worse place.

PHEW. If you and your lady or man can't find something to watch from this list, then it's on you not me. Hope you enjoyed, and comment below your go-to movies. I tried to keep this to lighter movies that different personalities can get behind - but there's so many I left off that fit the description. And eventually I'd like to get into a list of movie recs for the more adventurous film fans.