My wife Pam and I are sympatico on most things save for one – the re-watching of old movies. I can and have watched some movies numerous times and still enjoy them regardless how many times I have seen them. Pam, on the other hand, regards re-watching movies as a complete waste of time. She’ll note “How can you watch over and over something you’ve already seen? You know what’s going to happen. Why waste your time?”
I’ll concede that she does make some good points that I really am at a loss to argue with. (I once tried a counter argument “Re-watching-a-good-movie-is-like-having-good-sex” line of reasoning that didn’t resonate with her for some reason. My logic went – even if you know how it ends, it’s still enjoyable getting there.)
This all came to a head (no pun intended) the other night when, much to Pam’s chagrin, I re-watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation for like the umpteenth time. Pam sat next to me on the couch shaking her head and reading her book. Even Randy Quaid’s arrival as Cousin Eddie (below) did not garner her attention; but I laughed like I was watching it for the very first time. Here is an article with a more scholarly discussion on why folks enjoy re-watching movies (click here.)
For me, the simplest explanation that the author of the article lists is the most salient:
Here’s Cousin Eddie and his family making their surprise arrival at the Griswold house. Randy rules, but for my money Beverly D’Angelo steals the scene when she takes a quick peek at Snots’ you-know-what (1:20 mark). I still can’t understand why Pam doesn’t find this funny and wouldn’t want to watch it over and over with me. 