#519 Glue movies

Neil Pasricha

What’s your glue movie?

For me, I’m completely sucked in anytime I accidentally stumble on A League of Their Own while flipping channels. Yes, watching Tom Hanks and Geena Davis scratch out wins on the ball diamond always hooks me like a fish ’til the credits roll.

See, glue movies are any movie you can’t stop watching whenever you see them on TV.

Nope, don’t matter how many times you’ve seen ’em, don’t matter if you own ’em already — just forget the laundry, skip the dishes, and make your lunch tomorrow, people. You’re stuck in a glue movie so start popping corn and pouring Pepsis because you ain’t going anywhere.

Now, I was chilling in my friend Nick and Julie’s basement apartment the other night when we started chatting about glue movies. After I spent five minutes spilling potato chip crumbs all over my T-shirt while describing Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell’s on field chemistry, Nick started up a rant of his own.

“You know, you would think my glue movie would be The Usual Suspects,” he began. “I can pick it up anywhere and knowing the twist makes every scene more interesting. Like, what’s true, what’s made up? I’ve seen it twenty times and I still don’t know. But then again, it’s completely unwatchable when edited for television. In the police line-up scene they say something like ‘Hand me the keys, you giant cockroach.‘ It’s awful. So… now that I think about it my glue movie is definitely Heat. Long movie, understated performance by Deniro, the best bank robbing scene in history, and enough relationship stuff so Julie gets into it.”

It was a good argument and Nick was satisfied with it. He took a long swig of his drink and nodded his head a little bit as he came to terms with his glue movie selection. Then I performed a classy Thumb & Index Finger Pre-Lick, we let a minute pass in silence, and Julie went off like a rocket:

“My movie is definitely The Mighty Ducks 2,” she started, excitedly. Nick and I looked at each other but she ramped up. “Look, I’m smiling just thinking about it. I had a crush on all the boys from the first movie, but I can only responsibly love them closer to the legal age of consent. Plus, they had a girl on the team and I always dreamed of being that female hero. And I generally love movies with kids because they remind you of actors before they were big. I mean, I loved Joshua Jackson in Dawson’s Creek because of the ducks,” she finished.

Nick shrugged and nodded, I furrowed my eyebrows and gave a dramatic thumbs up, but Julie wasn’t quite done.

“Oh yeah!” she beamed. “And the movie taught me everything I know about hockey which can be summarized in three words: Ducks fly together. This is what I yell whenever Nick’s watching hockey.”

We smiled and laughed because it was clear these movies really do hold a special place in our hearts.

Maybe you’re glued to the screen waiting for the redemption in Shawshank, nervous for the courtroom drama in My Cousin Vinny, or eager for the trip home in Adventures in Babysitting.

But no matter what, watching your glue movie is like hanging out with an old friend who pops by for an unexpected visit. After pouring a drink and settling into your couch dent, the memory pops and nostalgia drops start sparking and sizzling in your brain. Suddenly you’re reminded of drives to the movies in mom’s minivan, crashing on the couch with friends, or sharing an old fave with a new flame.

So stick with your glue movies, everybody.

They’ll be yours forever.

AWESOME!

— Email message —

“Hi Neil, I think toilet-top literature is awesome. It’s the casual games of reading. You can pick up where you left off… read it short bursts. Hello old friend… Come here often? An important consideration is whether the book has natural breaking points because sometimes we need cues to get up and rejoin society. Toilet-top literature is also a window into the lives of your friends. What are they going to have in there for you? Ikea catalog? Mad Libs? Or if you’re lucky The Book of Awesome?” – Ryan
Photos from: here, here, here, and here

359 thoughts to “#519 Glue movies”

  2. Singin’ in the Rain!!!

    all together now…”Moses supposes his toeses are roses but Moses supposes erroneously but Moses he knows he toeses aren’t roses….” (segue into a fantastic song and dance number)

    My sister and I started doing this once at a family gathering to the absolute horror of her 14 year old daughter. I ended up giving my niece the DVD for Christmas and now she joins in.

    It’s such a fun movie – they must have had an absolutely blast making it. The joy and good natured humour just pour out of it.

  3. Coming to America – Easily the funniest movie ever and maybe the only movie that I know ALL the words to.
    StepBrothers – Maybe the silliest movie ever
    When Harry Met Sally – Best romantic comedy of all time
    Goodfellas – Awesomeness
    A Little Mermaid – I know all the songs

  4. Mine are:

    Hoosiers
    Apocalypto
    Love Actually
    The Four Seasons (oldie but goodie with Alan Alda and Carol Burnett)

  5. My glue movies are movies that are guaranteed to make me cry every time. I love a good cry movie, but most of them make me cry one or two times, then it wears off. There are a few that will get me every time though. My Girl and Pay It Forward. It doesn’t matter if I turn it on in the last scenes, I still cry.

  7. The Wedding Planner.
    My Best Friend’s Wedding.

    Always good. Always on TV.
    Always awesome!

  8. I’ve got two glue movies – Back to the Future and Fried Green Tomatoes. Both are tolerable with commercials and don’t have much to cut.

    BttF was the one time when my parents would let me and my brother yell “SHIIIIIIIIT!” over the dubbed word when Biff crashed into the manure truck. So it’s actually a novelty to see that movie in its real form.

    1. I had first seen this movie only like a month ago. Loved it!! I haven’t seen it on tv since, but I’m sure this will end up being one of my glue movies.

  10. I have far too many glue movies… but here’s a start…
    13 Going on 30
    Anything by John Hughes (except Curly Sue)
    Legally Blonde
    Serendipity
    You’ve Got Mail
    Love Actually
    Four Weddings and a Funeral
    It’s a miracle that I ever make it outside at all! :)

  11. I agree with many of those already listed (Wizard of Oz, The Princess Bride, A League of Their Own….) but I don’t think anyone’s mentioned this classic yet….”Overboard”

    How can you not watch this one?? : )

    3. That was the first one I thought of. Truly the only movie that I absolutely CANNOT change the channel on! Kind of ridiculous, when you think about it…but I absolutely love it!

    1. Ah yes….Independence Day….always a must.

      “You got me out here draggin’ your heavy ass through the burnin’ desert with your dreadlocks stickin’ out the back of my parachute” Lol

  13. How about the morning after the night before glue movie.

    When I was in undergrad, our house always enjoyed watching Adventures in Babysitting and Monster Squad while quietly hydrating.

    No one leaves here without singing the blues.

  14. So many…

    Boondack Saints
    Open Season
    Forrest Gump
    Finding Nemo
    Over the Hedge
    P.S. I Love You
    Second Hand Lions

    So many more…

  15. Field of Dreams. I own it, I watch it all the time, but every time it’s on TNT or CMT(??? I know, but it is), I have to watch it. And not only do I tear up in the obvious “Catch” scene at the end, but also when the old man talks about when they cleaned out Doc Graham’s office, they found boxes of blue hats he’d never gotten around to giving his wife Alisha. “I bet you didn’t know that…”

    1. Haha, I know, CMT plays such random movies. I watched part of Captain Ron on CMT the other day.

      Field of Dreams is great.

    1. I really like this movie.. (Actually, I really like almost all of Matt Damon’s movies).. but while I’m normally a big sap, and get sucked in and teary at at movie’s emotional scenes, for some reason I just don’t get into the “It’s not your fault” scene. It just doesn’t ring true for me.

      Otherwise, great movie.

  17. Just realized I hadn’t added a movie of my own. Yesterday, my wife and I got sucked into watching almost all of Pretty Woman on TV.

    “Big mistake. Big. HUGE!”

    I turned it off just before Jason Alexander’s character is a total jerk to her, and then the movie goes off the rails until Richard Gere shows up at the end with the flowers in the limo, and climbs up the fire escape.

    1. I watched that yesterday, too! That’s my favorite part, I think (vengeance in the store). And when he snaps her hand in the jewelry box.

      1. I know of someone that has never watched a single episode of Seinfeld because of how offended she was of how Jason Alexander’s character behaved in Pretty Woman.

        1. That doesn’t even make any sense – they’re two different FICTIONAL CHARACTERS.

          But yeah, he was a real jerk.

    2. Good movie, but one of the worst last lines uttered in a movie by Julia Roberts ever. Hate that fire escape scene.

    2. gifitting: This doesn’t even make sense! What do window displays have to do with glue movies? I mean, if you’re going to spam about window displays, you should at least do it in a post that’s relevant.. think:
      http://1000awesomethings.com/2009/05/11/769-when-the-thing-you-were-going-to-buy-is-already-on-sale/

      But this is just laziness. Personally, I hold this site’s spammers to a higher standard than your average site. You’ve got to raise your game if you want to make it around here!

        1. We’ve got to be vigilant. We can’t just let them get away with this lazy spamming anymore!

          Thanks for helping me keep a watchful eye.

          1. Sorry, I though that is a positive place for everyone expose its opinion and links that make them feel full and happy. What does my link to do with glu movies? The featuring, the colourful and that was the last post seen and I was wondering to share with all of you that amazing beautiful vision. Sorry again, I never though I would be treated like that in that place. Great disappointment. Please, the master can void my posts, the last I want is to disturb. And sorry for my english, I am naturally spanish speaker.

            1. Oh, sorry! It really looked like a spam comment because it didn’t relate at all to the post, and promoted your own blog.

              But if you are truly making a suggestion for the site, the best place to do that is on the page called “The Top 1000”. You click on the tab at the top of the page.

              (who knew spammers were so sensitive?)

            2. My apologies as well, gifitting. All types of awesome are obviously welcome here, but it just seemed as if your post was more interested in self-promotion than “sharing the awesome”, as it were.

              For example, imagine if a McDonald’s marketing person started posting comments in each thread about how awesome the McChicken Sandwich is (with links to the McChicken website). It would obviously detract a little from the quality of the dialogue about “Glue Movies”, even if in their mind they REALLY did think that the McChicken is an above average poultry-based sandwich product.

              Hopefully this experience didn’t deter you from coming back here!

              Btw: You never told us what your favorite Glue Movie is! Let us know! :)

              1. Thanks, I understand the rules now!!! I never really meant to akt either look like a spammer! The reason of my appearance in that blog is because in an spanish newspaper wroten an interesting promotion about that blog and book and they suggest us to come there to share with all of you our awesome moments, that´s all. I wrote it on the last post I didn´t know the rules. Thanks again, regards

                1. Now that we’ve cleared that up, please visit my site if you need some discount Vi@gara.

  19. omg ALL of the movies people have listed here are awesome!!!!!!! I love A League of Their Own – SO GOOD! Also, anytime a classic Disney film comes on, I have to watch it. It’s such a rare occurence for the good Disney movies to be on TV.

  20. For me it’s..

    Sliding Doors
    Splash
    Wildcats – “U-G-L-Y. You ain’t got no alibi! You ugly!”
    Moonstruck – “Ya, got a love bite on ya neck”
    Uncle Buck
    So, I Married an Axe Murderer
    Bridget Jones

    And more I can’t think of right now.

  21. I will ALWAYS watch Groundhog Day, Big and The Parent Trap. Essentially, any movie I watched with my dad when I was little. Groundhog Day will always be my declared favorite movie.

    1. I seriously just read through all the comments to see if anyone called out Groundhog Day!

      That’s my main glue movie… which is weird, because it’s kinda repetitive. Gotta love Billy Crystal though!

  22. How are there 150 comments on here and not ONE person mentions “Goonies”?! I swear, no matter the time of day or what I’m doing, I will drop everything to watch it. My dad has the same handicap. There’s just something about those kids that gets me every time.

    I get almost as sucked in with Princess Bride, Willy Wonka, Dazed and Confused, Spaceballs, and lots of the other ones that have already been mentioned. But Goonies is the clincher…

  23. my glue movies are, legally blond 1&2, sandlot, miss conginiality, breakfast at tiffany’s, and stand by me. I get stuck every time and always learn something new. they’re like a pick me up. Awesome.

    1. SANDLOT!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!
      I haven’t seen that movie in years, but yes…it would definately have to be on my glue movie list.

    2. aw you are like my twin. just throw in remember the titans. stand by me/sandlot are my favorite movies.

    1. Great one!

      “You have to have carnal knowledge, of a lady this time, on the premises.”

    2. Charlie: “And what were you doing up there, Lieutenant?”
      Maverick: “Communicating. Keeping up foreign relations. Giving him the bird.”
      Goose: “You know, the finger!”
      Charlie: “Yes, I know the finger.”
      Goose: “I’m sorry, I hate it when it does that!”

      Awesome! :)

      1. “The defense department regrets to inform you that your sons are dead because they were stupid.”

          1. “I said to Hollywood, “Where’d he go?” and he says, “Where’d who go?””

            Hmmm.. the quote really only works when you can hear Wolfman saying that in his accent..

  25. My glue is RUDY….just cant help it! Love that story so much! Also soo much fun to see Vince Vahn, John Favreau soo young! Pre Swingers!!

  26. I have three and most of my friends can not relate to the meaning of “glue” movie. Mine are Shawshank , Apollo 13 and Con-Air.

  27. I forgot about Adventures in Babysitting until now!! I’m going to go rent it tonight. Also, saw your article in the Globe & Mail!! Awesome

  30. Breakfast Club
    The Princess Bride
    Adventures in Babysitting
    Pretty Woman (was on last night, delayed my bedtime by almost 2 hours – totally worth it!)
    Beauty & the Beast <3

    1. Caught myself watching this for the upteenth time just the other day. Actually, anything they re-run with Health Ledger is a glue movie for me
      :(

  32. It’s amazing to me how many things you post that I’ve recently discussed with friends . . .

    Glue movies: Gosford Park, Meet the Parents, Sixteen Candles, the Breakfast Club, Caddyshack, and Bridget Jones’ Diary, Best in Show

  33. 172 comments and no one has named the Best Movie of All Time…

    The Man from Snowy River

    It was on at 1 o’clock this morning in fact, and I watched it, again. The soundtrack is fabulous, the whole movie is just… gluey perfection!

  34. Great post! I was just thinking about this the other day as I watched National Treasure! My other Glue Movies would definitely be The Sandlot and Hocus Pocus, in fact, any one of the those movies they show on the Disney Channel at Halloween I can’t help but sit down and watch :)

  36. Okay, everybody — how could you overlook Airplane! Such a goofy movie that I’ve seen about 40000 times. (and don’t call me Shirley!)

  40. terms of endearment! always tears – no matter if i turned it on with 5 minutes left in the movie!

  41. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off!! Thank you TBS for all those reruns! I cannot get enough of this movie! Also, Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club get me EVERY dang time…so lovely.

  42. My true-glue movie is Home for the Holidays with Holly Hunter and Robert Downey, Jr. Every single moment of that movie is funny and sad and awesome. However, it is a rare Thanksgiving movie, and is usually not on the rest of the year.

    Lately, I have been catching Hamlet 2, which I thought was going to be completely offensive, but instead it is a spectacular, amazing and awesome story.

  44. Stick It. I can’t loving those epic gymnastics and cheesy Fall Out Boy soundtrack. :3

  45. Adventures in Babysitting
    Legally Blonde
    Mean Girls
    First Wives Club
    Office Space
    Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
    Mrs. Doubtfire
    Hook
    Any Harry Potter
    The Sandlot
    Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
    ….no wonder I never get anything done.

      1. SJP is so awesome in Girls Just Want to Have Fun, and Helen Hunt! Oh goodness I love that movie! I get stuck on that one every time.

        Also, Karate Kid, Hello??? Karate Kid is great and if there is a marathon I get completely sucked in to the rest of them even though I don’t think they are as good.

  47. I’m new here, but I had to join in!!

    Some of my glue movies that have already been mentioned:
    The Goonies
    The Notebook
    Any of the Lord of the Rings movies
    Pretty Woman
    The Breakfast Club
    The Parent Trap (either version)
    The Wedding Planner
    Armageddon (“Someday, when you’re all growed up”)
    Independence Day (“I have GOT to get me one of these!”)
    Back to the Future series
    Love Actually
    Almost any Disney or Pixar movie.

    Others that haven’t:
    Annie (the old version)
    The Sound of Music
    Any Pirates of the Caribbean movie
    How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
    Sweet Home Alabama
    The Nightmare Before Christmas
    A Knight’s Tale
    Pretty in Pink
    King Kong (the new one)
    Any of the Jurassic Park movies (there’s just something that always sucks me in)

    and my favorite all time movie, that I will watch any time that it is on tv (and I own it) and can recite almost line for line….
    The Princess Bride!!

    Good thing I’m on the internet more than I watch tv. lol

  48. Oh and sorry, but I have to add this one….

    Bring It On (but only the first one) lol

    1. Definitely only the first one, but it is a goodie!

      Torrance: “Courtney, this is not a democracy, it’s a cheerocracy. I’m sorry, but I’m overruling you.”
      Courtney: “You are being a cheer-tator Torrance and a pain in my ass!”

  49. Ah I have so many! But one in particular is The Wizard of Oz. I am obsessed when that movie comes on! That and School of Rock, and The Parent Trap (both old & new). Man I love when I’m flipping through the channels and nothing looks good and then BAM one of my old favorites comes on :)

  50. I’d say my Glue Movie is definitely Pirates of the Carabbean! It has everything, heroines, comedy, action, adventure, a little horror? I mean, it has a bunch of walking-skeletons in the near end! I think it is the awesomest movie ever. But I still haven’t seen the sequels. :(

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