MY TOP FIVE: Sick Day Movies

My sadly too ignored series of TOP FIVE pick-lists has been ignored far too long now. The past few weeks have been some of the most draining and busy of my life (you've probably noticed the lack of posts and reviews lately), with job commitments increasing and a fervent move out of our NoHo apartment into another NoHo apartment... all while fighting what felt like an impending plague. Finally taking a day to recuperate, I'm longing for the days when I could croak to my parents that "I'm too sick to go to school today...*cough*cough*" -- and lo' and behold, they'd call into the school and do the hard part for me.

Those were the days when you could score a Sick Day, even if you were in fact only feeling mildly unwell, and not feel a twinge of guilt about it. Curled up on a plush couch, surrounded by a taco of pillows and blankets (with my favorite snack of chips and salsa only an arm's reach away), I'd relax in front of the TV and cycle through my very favorite sick day movies.

We all have some, and they're special to you and you alone, because they were the movies that you got to choose without input from anyone. You were the sick one, dammit, you got to pick. For me, the following movies were (or are now) my go-to Sick Day Movies every single time...

5. The Fifth Element (1997)



This movie is silly and riotously fun. Bruce Willis as Corbin Dallas brings the humor and the action, and Mila Jovovich brings the weird. Wait. No, Gary Oldman brings the weird. Science fiction in general is a great genre to watch when you're feeling sick, and it's only made better when the plot and style is so totally out there like this one. It's blindly good entertainment, and I seriously can't get enough of it.

And if it were socially acceptable, I would name my daughter Leeloo Dallas Multipass.

4. Interview with the Vampire (1994)



My favorite Ton Cruise movie by a landslide, this adaptation of Anne Rice's famous novel of the same name made frequent appearances on days when I was laid up home alone. And not really because it was a movie that counteracted my feelings of helpless fatigue, but rather because it was a movie I only ever got the chance to watch when my parents weren't around. Not that they would have disapproved, but c'mon! Who wants to watch this movie with your parents, particularly when you're in middle school?

Nothing made me feel better than swooning over vampire Brad Pitt as Louis or Tom Cruise as Lestat, though it probably did nothing for my fever. *wink*wink*

3. A League of Their Own (1992)



If I was feeling really, really tired, this was the surefire movie to lull me into sleepy bliss. Don't get me wrong! I love this gorgeous, happy movie! And it's not boring, either. It's simply relaxing. My love for sports movies runs marrow deep, and this incredible movie about ladies venturing into the realm of baseball during World War II hits all the right notes.

The characters are compelling, and the film itself is moving, funny, and inspiring. The drama of the sport and the backdrop of the 1940's, as far as sports movies go, this one is up there with the best of them.

2. The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998)



This is an odd sick day choice, I'll grant you that. It wasn't the story that brought me back over and over again, though, it was that rascal-y Mulder and Scully and their magnificent sexual tension. That's not to say that I wasn't captivated by the plot. As a long-time, obsessed fan of the show, this movie is pivotal to the show's mythology. It's intense, smart, and everything a movie based on a show should have been (I wish I could say the same about I Want to Believe). When I'm laid up with a cold, I just want to feel happy. And X-Files makes me happy.

Usually, this is a movie I made a point to stay awake for. Especially for that hallway scene, amirite?

1. You've Got Mail (1998)

Perhaps there was something about 1998 that made it such a good year for movies Kim likes to watch while sick. Or maybe it's that Tom Hanks is just so comforting. Really, though, I think that this was the first year where I started watching movies that I liked, almost exclusively. And on repeat. Obsessively. And this sweet story about love in the early days of the digital age is utter perfection.

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks represent everything that was lovely about the '90s, and this movie represents everything that is lovely about them. The script is like a melody of happiness, and nothing could make a girl feel better than that. Believe me, if you haven't seen this movie in awhile (or ever!) it's better than you think it is. Stranded on a deserted island, this one might find a place among my limited entertainment. That's how much I love this movie.

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So now it's your turn! What are your favorite movies to watch when you're stuck home sick (or "sick") all day? Are any of them the same as mine? Share in the comments!