This list is neither complete, nor conclusive. The films listed are merely examples that, for me, fit the description of a rewatchable film. Off the top of my head I could think of several other films that could suit this list: Withnail & I for the sheer hilarity factor and the brilliant performance of Richard E. Grant, Beverly Hills Cop III for memories of when I first watched it, or perhaps The Italian Job (original, naturally) for its classic quotability. And speaking of quotability, why not add Pulp Fiction for good measure. There are many others that I could probably have included, many that I’ve watched more often, many that provide better example of the type of film that revels in repeated viewings. None of these films even particularly appeals as one of my favourites; it might even be fair to state that many of my favourites would fail to live up to the remits of this list. That’s not because I wouldn’t watch them again, and many of them I would, but because they don’t have that requisite something to make you want to sit down and watch them time after time.
So just what makes a film worthy of this list? Does it need the suavity of Alan Rickman playing the bad guy? A ripping great soundtrack from the likes of Hans Zimmerman and Kenny Loggins? Colleen Camp in a revealing French maid’s uniform? All of things help, of course, but they alone aren’t what make these films so rewatchable. It would be a lie to say that watching a film a second time can conjure up the same feelings as the first viewing, and it’s hard to imagine that watching any film that provoked enjoyment the first time round would fail to produce even some shadow of that former feeling a second time. Nevertheless, the films on this list all have something about them that is more than just about their content, and I wouldn’t lightly pass up an opportunity to watch any of them again.