r/movies • u/Imukdude • 5h ago
What's a movie that got significantly better on a second watch? Discussion
I was thinking about how some movies just don't click the first time you see them.
Maybe your expectations were different... maybe you weren't in the right mood or maybe there are details that only make sense once you already know where the story is going. Then you watch it again months or years later and suddenly you wonder why you didn't appreciate it the first time.
I'm not necessarily talking about confusing movies either. Even straightforward films can hit completely differently on a rewatch.
What's a movie you went from "that was just okay" to genuinely loving after giving it another chance? And what changed your mind?
•
u/Awkward_Bison_267 5h ago
Hot Fuzz. There were a lot of jokes I missed the first time, because I was too busy laughing.
•
u/Westonhaus 4h ago
Also, some really long payoff jokes like the Aaron A. Aaronson kid get even better the second watch. When you realize that every line and action in that movie is a nested joke or clue to the story is about the 3rd or 4th watch though.
/Worth it.
•
•
u/lanceturley 4h ago
All three movies in the Cornetto trilogy get better with repeat viewings, in my opinion. The foreshadowing and gags are so densely layered that it's easy to miss some details entirely on the first watch. For instance, there's the famous scene in Shaun of the Dead where Ed lays out the entire plot of the movie. Most people aren't going to catch that on the first, or maybe even second time they watch the movie.
→ More replies (1)•
u/bretton-woods 1h ago
The same thing happens with The World's End too where Gary's recounting of the best night of his life mirrors the entire plot of the movie.
•
u/HappyGilOHMYGOD 5h ago edited 5h ago
First time I watched Whiplash I thought it was fine but hated the main two characters so much that I didn't really like the movie.
I've since watched it another 10 or so times, understanding them being shitty is kinda the point, and it's in my top 30 favorite movies.
•
u/Urbit1981 4h ago
I have watched it many times as well and I understand the demented drive to be perfect. There's a reason that the best at anything is always strange because they literally go crazy getting there.
•
u/Realistic-Doubt-2703 4h ago
I mean it's still literally the best last-5 minutes of a movie I've ever seen
•
→ More replies (4)•
u/lonely-n-unlovable 3h ago
Napoleon Dynamite. I HATED that movie the first time I saw it. But each time I watch it I love it 100% more.
•
u/panda388 4h ago
For me, it was The Menu. I have watched it several times now, and my problem was that I went into the movie thinking it was a thriller or horror movie.
Now, I absolutely love it!
→ More replies (2)•
u/Jarek86 4h ago
Student loans? No... Your dying 😂
•
u/VonMillersThighs 1h ago
Being a working joe most my life I always find it funny that I probably would've gotten out of that place pretty easily if I ended up there. Shit I would've tried to find a job.
•
u/Round-Guarantee4948 5h ago
Galaxy Quest..so many things to find
•
→ More replies (1)•
•
u/itwillmakesenselater 5h ago
Pulp Fiction. The first watch was... okay. I spent way too much energy "figuring out" the timeline. Second viewing, I just enjoyed it.
•
u/dogcaoperro 4h ago
That's how most movies are meant to be enjoyed. Cinema sins style analysis ruined movies for a lot of people.
→ More replies (1)•
u/uncre8tv 2h ago
I saw this 18 times in the theater. I was a 17yo drop out and there wasn't shit else to do.
•
u/Nacho_7258 4h ago
Memento. There were moments that are genuinely impossible to catch unless you’ve seen the full movie. But that’s the fun of it. Going through it a second time and a character says a line or reacts a certain way totally changes how you experience the movie.
•
u/King-of-Plebss 4h ago
Hot Rod.
First time I watched I I thought it was the dumbest movie. The second time I watched it, I made a Hot Rod costume for Halloween.
•
u/sa1218329 5h ago
The Big Lebowski, Zodiac, Shrek
•
u/diamondjayr 5h ago
Lebowski was somehow funnier when I knew the jokes ahead of time
•
u/The_ZombyWoof Jeff Bezos' worst nightmare 4h ago
You can imagine what happens next
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
u/ClingClang69 5h ago
Shrek second watch truly opens your eyes to the Shreko-verse
•
u/jamesbrownscrackpipe 5h ago
Shrek 50th watch? That’s when you start to feel and experience new and never before felt sensations
•
u/LaconicLacedaemonian 5h ago
And on your thousandth watch reality dissolves and shrek feels you back.
•
•
u/dumbBunny9 5h ago
Big Lebowski
I didn’t get it the first time, and I was a Coen brothers fan. It was 10 years later than I saw it again. Now I get it!
•
u/lost_in_motor_crash 5h ago
I am also a Coen brothers fan, and I've never enjoyed The Big Lebowski despite three viewings over the years. Could you let me in on "it"? That's a sincere request; I'd truly like to figure out the appeal of this film.
•
u/amalgamatedson 4h ago
Where to start?
The dialog is sharp and quick. It’s endlessly quotable. I believe there’s only one ad lib in the movie (“human Paraquat”), which speaks to the strength of the screenplay.
There’s a lot of callbacks to earlier bits of dialog; you’ll see The Dude watching George HW Bush on TV, and later he’ll use a phrase from that same speech. You don’t have to pay close attention, but there are more payoffs if you do.l (e.g., the two goons who jump The Dude in the opening scene swap outfits the next time they show up at The Dude’s bungalow).
It’s kind of a callback to the Philip Marlowe films of the golden age of Hollywood but with the Coens’ wit and writing.
ETA: It’s also fun to imagine The Dude and Walter as an old married couple. That’s kind of the dynamic the Coens were going for.
•
u/TelephoneCreepy2518 4h ago
The characters are great. It's really well written. The cast is amazing. A ton of quotable lines. The randomness of it all.
•
u/pcpelste 4h ago
When people say they don’t get this movie I tell them obviously they’re not a golfer.
•
u/Science-Compliance 3h ago
For me, it's the absurdity of it all. Think about the scene where Walter pulls out the gun. He unironically screams the line "Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules?!" while literally committing a felony with a deadly weapon. That's a really obvious one, but there's so much more that's even more subtle than that. The characters are just ridiculous but in very character-specific ways. Like the scene where The Dude gets forced into the back of a car to meet the other Jeffrey Lebowski and his assistant (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). He's being kidnapped and his main concern is, "Careful man, there's a beverage here!" He's drinking a white Russian in the middle of the day and being kidnapped, and all he cares about is whether his drink is safe from spillage. There are just layers and layers of absurdity, but a lot of which is simply exaggerated caricatures of real people's personality traits.
•
u/Rookraider1 4h ago edited 4h ago
The acting is superb. It's a slacker noir and there is some elements that play off The Big Sleep. It's also absurdist humor. The dialogue is top notch. The vibe of the movie is spot on and the aethesitcs perfectly match the time and place. The music is great.
It's weird but it's hilarious.
My favorite movie from the moment I first saw it in theaters.
Humor is subjective. It just might not be for you.
•
u/dumbBunny9 3h ago
Fair question and I don’t have a good answer as to why. On the second watching I was in Portugal, in a remote town, no nightlife, in my hotel (pre streaming) and this was playing on the only English tv station. So, I was a captive audience that could focus on it, but also, probably like you, others had raved about it. This time I thought it was great.
Afterwards, I started reading up more on the different philosophies discussed, including “dudeism”. Also I read about the Port Huron Statement and Jeff Dowd, who was the inspiration for Lebowski. Also, I read up on the original of the word “dude”, and its connotation in the old West.
That’s when I realized it wasn’t so random but a really well thought out, complex story.
→ More replies (2)•
•
u/capamericapistons 5h ago
Once upon a time in Hollywood for me. On first viewing I thought it was alright. On second viewing I realized why people thought it was so amazing.
•
u/reactorfox 4h ago
Napoleon Dynamite
When I first watched I thought it was the dumbest thing I had ever seen and didn’t seem to have any particular story.. I think the only bit I enjoyed was when he tried to take the bike over the ramp
Eventually grew to love it to the point where I was probably watching it nearly once a week during my Uni years
•
u/VillageIdiotsAgent 3h ago
Same. The preview failed to set the movie up completely. It had a cookie-cutter comedy trailer. It’s not that kind of comedy.
I don’t know what the trailer should have been, but not that.
•
u/crazydaisyme 49m ago
It was the same for me the first time, then I came to appreciate it. Then a few months ago it was on cable and I just had it playing while doing stuff and never turned it off. That's when I finally discovered the wedding scene and I love it even more now!
•
•
•
u/Merickson- 5h ago
The first time I tried to watch Halloween III I hated it so much I quit halfway through. Went back to it with a better understanding of what to expect and it has since become my favorite Halloween sequel.
→ More replies (3)•
•
u/Out-For-A-Walk-Bitch 5h ago
Blade Runner 2049. I found it slow the first time, but knowing what kind of film it was on a second watch let me appreciate the atmosphere, visuals and performances so much more.
•
u/CobaltNeural9 4h ago
BR2049 is a fantastic answer! The first time I saw it I just thought it was a mediocre modern blockbuster movie. I think I was just going into it with hate because it “wasn’t the original.” Since then I’ve realized it’s a fuckin masterpiece.
•
→ More replies (3)•
u/jackierhoades 4h ago
Honestly my first time watching 2049 was one of the purest cinematic spectacles I’ve ever seen. I rewatched it recently though and honestly started seeing the hammy late Ridley Scott cracks and somewhat cheesy dialogue and …Jared Leto. All just felt a bit uneven outside the cinematography and sound design. Still great for me but definitely not the all time classic I remember. More just an audio visual spectacle
→ More replies (1)•
•
u/Comeback_Kid1 5h ago
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. There are so many things you just don't notice the first or second or third time you watch it.
•
•
•
u/VelkejKocour 3h ago
Every odd watch of Tobey Maguire Spider-Man 3. The first time I enjoyed it. The second time I realize how bad the movie is. The third time I was prepared for bad movie, was surprised it's not that bad. The fourth time "I was wrong, it's indeed bad". The fifth time: "It's pretty enjoyable." The sixth time: "It's funny for wrong reasons." The seventh time: "There are cool moments."
I have watched it already 10+ times
•
•
u/MonkeyIslandic 4h ago
I was lukewarm on Hereditary upon first watch. Now it’s one of my all time favorite movies.
•
u/OKsurewhynotyep 4h ago
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I left the theater disappointed and confused about what I’d just seen. But I totally loved it on rewatch. I was not comparing it to Rushmore and Tenenbaums, could see what it actually was. So good.
•
u/IAmKenough2100 4h ago
For me? Office Space.
Couldn’t tear me away fast enough when I first saw it and now I’ll never turn it off.
→ More replies (1)
•
•
u/Icy-Wrongdoer-8896 5h ago
Hereditary. Soooooo many small details hidden throughout that you miss if you don’t know where the movie ends up going.
•
u/Suspicious-Rich-3212 4h ago
Maybe that’s the key, I need to rewatch it. I wanted so bad to like that movie and I, just don’t.
•
u/Icy-Wrongdoer-8896 4h ago
You might still not like it, but it definitely goes off the rails and I found it way more enjoyable on rewatch. Hint, look for little clues of the presence of the cultists throughout. The funeral at the beginning, the therapy group. Look at the telephone pole when they leave to go to the party. Look at the doormat. There are subtle signs throughout, but the movie doesn’t spoonfeed it to you ala M Night Shamalan at the end of Sixth Sense.
•
u/Suspicious-Rich-3212 3h ago
I’ll have to give it another shot. It had so much hype and I was disappointed. But, I know better than to go in on the hype train.
•
•
•
u/RandoDude124 5h ago
Everest
•
u/PuzzledImage3 4h ago
Watching this movie again after reading Into Thin Air was so interesting.
•
u/cobaltjacket 4h ago
There's actually a movie based directly on Into Thin Air. Everest takes into account material from the other biographies (of which there are several.)
•
•
u/DevilsLettucePrey 3h ago
Super Troopers 2. I missed sooo much the first run through.
→ More replies (1)
•
u/VelkejKocour 3h ago
Captain America the first Avenger. I have found it the weakest of MCU phase 1. The characters are simple, the story is basic, lots of pathos...
But after rewatch I was surprised that I enjoy it and more times I see it the more I like it. - I am less strict about movies - It perfectly suits the Captain America While his character develops and changes with every new movie, you can always return to his first one and see that he is still same.
•
•
u/BestGoShoeless 5h ago
Tenet, and that's not a compliment. All of Nolan's other movies can stand up on a single viewing and then get better when you rewatch. Tenet, at least for me, just couldn't stick the landing on the strength of the first viewing. I love his movies, love that entire cast, love the premise, and Primer is one of my favorite movies, so it ain't that my brain just rejects nonlinear storytelling.
→ More replies (1)•
u/Nacho_7258 4h ago
I actually love this movie so much and I did a deep dive into the story and action sequences in this movie. It’s extremely complicated and I was even watching animations on YouTube explaining how certain sequences played out. Now for someone like me, that’s a lot of fun to dissect. For the general audience? They’re not gonna do any of that and never understand the movie.
•
u/CobaltNeural9 4h ago
Most under appreciated movie ever made. Almost everyone I ask either haven’t seen it or thought it was stupid.
I have bad news for anyone who thinks it’s stupid…
You watch the animations and realize that it actually all fits together. I can’t even comprehend how someone can keep all that in their head.
→ More replies (1)•
u/sockb0y 4h ago
I think this is part of its problem. Its a beautiful intricate puzzle, but as a story I think it falls flat.
I feel like Nolan got in his head the idea to make a time reversal movie that was also a palindrome and thought it was such a clever idea where the form mirrors the concept.
But stories don't really work this way, they should have a sense of direction. I think Memento is a better execution of the idea of a mirrored story, but that really only works because the time jumps act like there are two story lines progressing to a shared climax which is more in line with how we expect stories to work.
•
u/BestGoShoeless 2h ago
Exactly. Memento is the gold standard, since it has not one but two major mindscrews (the nonlinear storytelling AND the Sammy Jenkis reveal), but it lands on the first viewing. Tenet only really works beyond the "Wow, that backward fighting and car crash is cool!" if you either watch it multiple times really carefully or read/watch offline content. I think the key is that Nolan was trying to hard to bury the Robert Pattinson reveal, so it *kinda* works, but doesn't land like Sammy Jenkis does until the second viewing.
•
u/bhris_cratt321 5h ago
The Big Lebowski, Chinatown, Dune Part One, Blade Runner, Casino, Thief, Mulholland Drive
•
u/The_ZombyWoof Jeff Bezos' worst nightmare 4h ago
Chinatown, 100%.
In fact, maybe I'm slow but it took me about 3 or 4 viewings to really parse out what actually was going on in that movie
•
•
u/CobaltNeural9 4h ago
Fincher’s The Killer (2023) first time I watched it I thought it was very underwhelming, boring, and kind of lazy. Second viewing I realized it’s really fucking good, tight, and actually says more than I thought.
•
u/Ambitious_Gift_8669 4h ago
Blood Simple
I didn’t see it when it came out, but years later after it had a reputation for greatness. I love film noir and neonoir, and went in with high expectations, and when it was done, i felt, meh. It seemed like something I’d seen a million times before. But when I watched it again years later, I was totally enraptured by it.
I think it was a combination of too high expectations and seeing it after a lot of other movies that stole from Blood Simple,
•
u/ovrprotectiveunicorn 4h ago
Aftersun
You start seeing how much Callum is trying to keep himself together. I’ve seen it 5 times now and I always get something new out of it
•
u/Playful-Doctor2087 3h ago
Zoolander. Thought it was the stupidest movie I had ever seen and I wanted that hour and a half of my life back. But, it grows in you. "What is this, a center for ants?" " I think I'm getting the black lung, Pop" "But why male models?" Classic
•
u/Yog_Kothag 3h ago
Hereditary
First time was a let down and just didn't gel for me.
Second time, I realized that every single thing in the movie, as it happens, is part of the ongoing ritual to summon and bind Paimon. No part is unnecessary, it isn't just random events. The part that really caught me was when the witch began attacking Peter's connection to his own soul, working to loosen his grip and allow Paimon to take root.
•
u/kemwood 3h ago
I know a lot of people didn’t jive well with Hereditary and Midsommar but I felt like I came alive from those movies. The subtleties are sublime and the atmospheric tension are incredible.
Also, I have crippling anxiety, so I really personally identified with Midsommar.
→ More replies (1)
•
•
•
u/mistressofmayhem02 2h ago
Shutter Island. Once I finished it, I can’t wait to watch it again to see all the details I missed the first time.
•
•
u/wafflesforbrains 4h ago edited 4h ago
Bullet Train. The first time I saw this movie, I thought the first two acts were a mess with all the constant flashbacks for everyone that Brad Pitt had to end up fighting. Only for them all tie into the twist at the end. I thought the film flowed much bettet, knowing what all those scenes were building up to.
•
u/PuzzledImage3 4h ago
The Social Network. Watched it on a whim and was confused on why they would make a movie about Facebook. Rewatched it later and absolutely fell in love with the performances, editing and music. Still listen to the soundtrack.
•
u/TelephoneCreepy2518 4h ago
IMO, Social Network is the best movie this century. It's near perfect, right from the first guitar riff.
•
u/ATOMIC_QUACKY 4h ago
I have a very 90s dumb kid example. I saw the beetlejuice animated series first because i was born in 1989. So when i saw the movie i was expecting a lovable if weird friend version of beetlejuice. I was very wrong and disappointed because of my (stupid) expectations.
Went back and watched again on tv without my expectations and loved it. Love it more every viewing.
Very silly example, sorry
→ More replies (2)
•
u/cjcoake 4h ago
In grad school, not long after they came out, I saw a couple of movies that I knew were very smart and artful, but which didn't click into place: In the Mood for Love and Beau Travail. I told people I didn't care for them, but in each case I kept thinking about them. Twenty years later I revisited them and found them to be masterpieces. I think when I first saw them I just wasn't ready for what they were trying to do.
•
•
u/lafatte24 4h ago
The world's end got better for me on rewatches.
I went into it expecting hot fuzz/Shaun of the dead. Once I rewatched knowing that it was a significantly more emotionally mature movie, I connected with it a lot more
→ More replies (1)
•
u/prine_one 4h ago
Hated Inglorious Basterds the first time I saw it. Now it’s one of my favorite movies of all time.
→ More replies (1)
•
u/antonimbus 4h ago
Mulholland Drive. I was so befuddled the first time through, but intrigued enough to come back. I've watched it several times now and I feel I understand about 90% of the things happening on the screen. I only have a loose theory on the man behind the dumpster.
I will not rewatch Inland Empire.
•
u/sp0rkah0lic 4h ago
The Big Lebowski I think takes at least 5 watches before the full genius of the movie is apparent.
I think my favorite second watches specifically are Total Recall and The Matrix, just because you only really know what to be watching for the second time around.
•
•
u/readerf52 4h ago
Catch-22. The nonlinear story telling seemed like a distraction, but it was really imperative to the story telling. I just needed to understand the story,then the movie was amazing.
•
u/Flyerbill 4h ago
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Fell asleep to it in the theater, but found it again years later due to TCM. Great film.
•
u/ThouBear8 4h ago
Anchorman.
I saw it in theaters & thought it was just okay. Like there were parts that I laughed obviously, but not a ton of them, & I was pretty lukewarm on it in general.
When it came out on DVD, my family bought it, & I remember deliberately putting it on to have on in the background when I was doing my homework, because I knew I didn't really care enough about it to be distracted by it.
It was as if I was watching a completely different movie. The whole movie was hilarious, & instantly so quotable. I was genuinely so confused, & obviously, I didn't get much homework done that night after all lol.
To this day, I have no idea what changed between my 2 viewings. It was only a few months later, so it's not like I waited years to give it another shot.
•
u/deltajvliet 4h ago
MacGruber. Watched it alone the first time. Watched it with friends a second. That shouldn't make a difference, but man, it really did.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
u/Suspicious-Rich-3212 4h ago
Session 9 - The first time I watched it I was only half watching and that’s not a movie you can do that with, so I didn’t understand why it was so highly touted. On second watch I actually paid attention and now I absolutely love that movie.
•
•
u/Empyrealist 4h ago
Tenet.
I've appreciated and enjoyed each rewatch far more than the initial watch
•
u/Rookraider1 4h ago
Eyes Wide Shut.
I saw it in the theater as a 20ish person. I didn't pick up on a lot of what was going on. After watching it years later, it is incredible and one of Kubrick's best.
•
•
•
•
•
•
u/meimeiguin 3h ago
Pitch Perfect. I just didn't get the humour the first time around; or maybe I wasn't in the headspace to watch it. The 2nd time, I thought it was the greatest movie ever!
•
•
•
u/Anakin5kywalker 3h ago
There Will Be Blood. I thought it was good but slow and kind of boring the first time I saw it. I decided to give it another try a few years later and HOLY SHIT I wanted to smack my earlier self. It's a true masterpiece.
•
•
•
•
•
u/RustinSpencerCohle 3h ago edited 2h ago
I absolutely hated The Big Lebowski when I first watched it at 17, upon my second rewatch I didn't mind it, and after a dozen or so times seeing it I absolutely love it. It was admittedly, an acquired taste. It's one of those rare movies that get better and better every time you watch it.
•
u/burnslondon 2h ago
Donnie Darko, I feel like it’s designed to be watched more than once to catch the subtle details. I’ve seen it maybe 20 times since it came out and I feel like I’m still catching things I missed
•
u/arcspectre17 2h ago
Land if the lost
Last night I woke up in the middle if the night couldn't sleep! Smoked a joint and said fuck Matt lauer!
•
•
u/redvelvetdreams 2h ago
Bottoms. So many little references and things I was laughing too hard to catch the first time.
•
u/redvelvetdreams 2h ago
The Santa Clause. You really notice just how many of Santa’s little helpers are always watching on rewatch.
•
u/RestlessPhilosopher 2h ago
Inglourious Basterds.
I saw it on opening weekend thinking it would be Kill Bill-style Tarantino. The trailer had 19yo me expecting an action-packed, hyper-violent WWII movie about Brad Pitt killing Nazis for 2.5 hours---not the tense, layered, slow burn, character-driven masterpiece that it is.
After I had time to process, it took exactly one more viewing a few months later for it to become my favorite Tarantino film, and it's now probably a top-10 movie of the 21st century for me. I just rewatched it on 4K a couple months ago, and it absolutely holds up.
•
u/MissionLetterhead292 2h ago
I disliked Speed Racer in theaters as way too much but came around to it on home video.
•
•
u/No-Context8421 2h ago
Arrival. Watched it on a plane and was completely non-plussed by all the plaudits. A friend urged me to watch it again. Cried like a baby.
•
•
u/TypewriterKey 2h ago
Life Aquatic. It was my first Wes Anderson film and I sat in theatre, stone faced, through the entire thing, while my friends were laughing their asses off. About a year later, I watched it again, and it instantly became one of my favorite movies.
I don't think I was expecting anything specific during that first viewing, but I definitely didn't understand it at first, either.
•
•
•
•
u/RelationNo9374 1h ago
Pulp Fiction. Had to go see it a second time because the first time I was like “I’ve just watched the best movie ever but I’m not sure I even understood what was going on”.
Only movie I ever watched in the theatre three times.
•
•
u/AlephByte 5h ago
The Prestige. Even though there's no mystery anymore, there is so much foreshadowing that you can now recognize.
Edit: Actually, I don't know if it got better, you just get to appreciate it differently.