Rant of the Week: Best Versus Favorite

I recently had a conversation with a guy at work where he asked me "what's your favorite movie?" and whenever someone asks me that question I always ask for clarification,  "do you mean my favorite or what movie I think is the best?" To me,  there is a clear disctinction between the two. I've come to find out,  through a few google searches,  that some people don't think there is any difference, so I felt like I shold rant a little on this subject.

I'm not really sure where to start,  so I guess I'll just start by giving my definitions of 'favorite' and 'best,' in terms of movies.Your 'favorite' movies are those that are infinitely rewatchable. These are the films that you can put on at any time and you will always enjoy. These are the movies that we get offended when someone doesn't like,  or hasn't seen. These are the movies that we get amazing pleasure out of watching,  even the hundreth time. These are NOT the same as the 'best' films,  though. The 'best' films are those movies that are the most equisitely made. The movies with the most beautiful direction and cinematography. The movies with phenomenal ensemble cast. With outstanding scores. Those movies are the ones that are 'locks' for award season.  Yes,  sometimes there is  an overlap between out favorite movies and the best movies,  but that is the exception,  not the rule.

I feel like this scism comes not from the quality of the films that we watch,  but from the different people viewing the films. It is mostly about what each individual viewer and what they are looking for when they see a movie. Some people are looking for amazing plot development,  some people want to see characters that they can realte to,  other people just want to see amazing visuals. Whatever the reason is that you watch movies,  that's what you are looking for. That is exactly why so many people disagree on what movies are good. This is directly why so many people have different favorite movies. But,  to me,  the idea of 'best' movies is much less objective.

It's hard to argue about what movies are the 'best.' I mean,  since I'm an asshole and can argue anything,  yeah,  I could probably make a case that Casablanca is the worst movie ever (even though I really love it) but even if you don't LIKE a movie,  you should be able to at least admit that certain movies like Lincoln or The Social Network are some of the best movies of their respective years. 

I think what this conversation really comes down to, though,  is rewatchability. To me,  this is the most important factor when talking about films (which is exactly why I factor it in when I write my reviews. ) Rewatchability is the KEY to distinguishing between your favorite films and the best films. Yes,  some of the best movies are infinitely rewatchable (I would argue that this years Django Unchained is one of those films) but usually they are few and far between.