Most Sleep-Inducing Movies
There are some movies that, no matter how many times I try to watch them, I’ve resigned myself to never making it to the end.
I’m not necessarily talking about bad movies either. Just because a movie isn’t fast-paced or stimulating, that doesn’t make it unworthy. Some of my favorite movies aren’t exactly action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thrillers. No, I’m talking about movies that, for whatever reason, just put me to sleep. Here are a few examples:
- “Winged Migration” – This is a fantastic movie, beautifully shot with some truly amazing cinematography. But it’s like video Unisom for me; it’s so relaxing and calming that it puts me out every time. I tried to watch this three times in succession, then deleted it from my DVR when I realized I’d never make it to the end conscious.
- “Vanya on 42nd Street” – I really, really wanted to enjoy this film after reading some fantastic reviews. It’s an adaptation of a Chekov play, intellectual and improvisational, where the actors themselves act out the play backstage as a rehearsal. It’s very meta-something-or-other. I think I lasted about ten minutes, top, before my eyelids shut and stayed shut.
- “Blood Simple” – I think I may have actually watched this movie all the way through once many years ago. Maybe. It’s one of those movies where the suspense builds and builds … and puts me to sleep. I think maybe it’s the West Texas open spaces that lull me off into oblivion.
These are good movies–at least, I assume that they are. But I have the hardest time keeping my eyes open while watching them.
What are some of your most sleep-inducing movies?
Posted on March 8, 2006, in DVD, Movies, To Avoid. Bookmark the permalink. 36 Comments.
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EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. I’ve seen/rented it over 5 times, and never gotten through it.
La Dolce Vita. I tried three nights in a row. I even started halfway through once. I never made it. I suppose it’s probably a quality film, but there’s no intrigue, n drama, no story arc. In short, no entertainment. And it’s long. I had no chance.
Many will kill me for this, but I kept falling asleep during WINGS OF DESIRE, too.
SG: I really love WoD, and have seen it all the way through many times, but I confess to having fallen asleep a few times too. The combination of black & white plus German plus the slow pace could overtake anyone.
I tried to watch Amarcord several times, and couldn’t make it through.
I loved Winged Migration, liked Uncle Vanya on 42nd Street, fell asleep in Wings of Desire AND Faraway, So Close.
I also fell asleep during my first viewing of Star Wars: RotS
Bryce’s post reminded me — the ONLY time I have fallen asleep in a movie theater was Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
I fell alseep once at the theater during The Hunt for Red October and was woke up by the claxon during the fake nuclear accident. I nearly leaped into the next row.
I WISH I could fall asleep in movie theaters. Those seats are so uncomfortable. What I would’ve given to have slept through Pokemon: The Movie.
I love the idea of Wings of Desire. I love reading about it. But I have to confess that I too have fallen asleep in it every time. My secret embarrassment is that I made it through the horrid American remake.
I came close to falling asleep in Phantom Menace. Probably because I’d stayed up all night waiting in line. It didn’t even start until 1:30. And the movie was so disappointing that it couldn’t keep me awake.
• The first Star Trek movie.
• Early Spring and Tokyo Story – both by the great Japanese film director Yasujiro Ozu. Tried many times. Sorry Ozu-san!
• The Aviator (Scorcese).
Meems, shame on you re: THE AVIATOR.
But I can forgive you for falling asleep during Kirk-Unit’s attempts to reach V’Ger.
On my most boring list:
Titanic, Howards End, Wings of a Dove, Lord of the Rings (Parts II and III – the Orcs and various other monsters kept waking me up with their incessant and needless growling and roaring), O Brother Where Art Thou, Artificial Intelligence, Nell, Two Weeks Notice, Proof of Life, and Vanity Fair.
I don’t fall asleep – I get up and wander off. That’s my equivalent. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen You’ve Got Mail all the way through in one sitting. Or for that matter, My Fair Lady. They just make me want to get up and wander, for some reason. I think it’s the whole romantic comedy genre, actually. And the bad ones — like Moulin Rouge or Wedding Planner or that awful Brittney Murphy one — have an even more pronounced effect.
There are exceptions. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen asleep during While You Were Sleeping, for example.
E:
LoTR _and_ O Brother, Where Art Thou _and_ A.I., all in one comment?
War it is to be, then. “Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs,” etc., etc.
–
(Though I’ll agree on Two Weeks Notice — it fits perfectly within my general romantic-comedy rule.)
Oh, and I always have a hard time sitting through the true “chick flicks” — Fried Green Tomatoes and American Quilts and Hope Floats and Cirle of Friends and whatnot. Alas, I’ve sat down to watch many a chick flick (usually at the behest of some woman) and never could sit through ‘em.
(Except, inexplicably, for Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which Mardell wanted to see, and which I actually somehow kinda liked. Yeah, I was shocked, too. That poor little girl with the camera and the dying — I’m getting all misty-eyed just remembering . . .)
Elisabeth– Howard’s End? That’s my second favorite movie of all time!
Good call on A.I. though. I also faded in and out during Wings of Desire. Not even Columbo could keep me awake during that whole thing.
Elisabeth–
You might want to ask your doctor about narcolepsy treatments.
Haha! I know. Shame on me re: the Aviator. I really want to like it, but then again, I’m a person who doesn’t remember Wings of Desire to be all that boring. And here’s another one: Gandhi.
I made it through (and loved) both Wings of Desire and Far Away, So Close! without sleeping. I can understand why somone might, though. “O Brother Where Art Thou” is greatness and hard for me to take my eyes off of, though listening to the sirens’ song would be a wonderful way to be fall asleep.
Howard’s End will cure insomnia for me, too.
I don’t see why Kaimi’s bagging on Moulin Rouge–it hardly fits in the “romantic comedy” category. And it’s plenty fast moving, almost to a fault.
Can’t beleive I’m confessing this, but I have never made it all the way through “The Princess Bride”- I KNOW it’s a classic, and everyone loves it, and we even own TWO copies of it (husband loves it), but I just find myself wandering off. Every time.
That said, “Oh Brother…” is one of my all time favs, but I’m with ya on Titanic (ugh) and I got a bad headache from the drunken cinematography in Moulin Rouge. Not a Kidman fan…
Addendum: Chariots of Fire, Adventures of Milo and Otis, and any of Ben Affleck’s movies since Good Will Hunting.ÂÂÂ
Ned: are you really being serious about Howards’ End being your second favorite movie of all time? What is your favorite movie of all time? The Complete Adventures of Horatio Hornblower?
If I were capable of falling asleep during movies, I would’ve during Moulin Rouge. Instead I migrated to the computer and my husband left the room. Then I turned it off. Thought it was horrible.
After about 20 minutes of Moulin Rouge at a friends house, I had to come home and go to sleep. The other day I was watching Lucchino Visconti’s The Damned with some friends and all three of us fell asleep within the first half-hour. Another one I couldn’t stay awake for was Lola Montes, which is too bad since it’s by one of my favorite directors. When I went to Busoni’s Doktor Faustus at the Met, I fell asleep through almost the whole thing. I kept waking up and wondering why it was still going on.
Since everyone else is confessing, I will too. I fell asleep in a theater showing of This Is Spinal Tap. And I didn’t even try to watch it again.
Well, since we’re confessing:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what is worse, suffering through it at home on the small screen or sitting in a theatre while all these people get up and lip-sinc the lines…
Oh, yeah. Fell asleep during a midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show, too.
Oh Allison — Spinal Tap? I am really, really sorry.
I’m not.
…and that’s another thing: I’ve fallen asleep in lots of movies that I probably would have loved. But I remember trying so hard to stay awake that the movie became the enemy and I ended up resenting the movie and just enjoying the wonderful nap. Some of my best naps ever have been during movies. Matrix Reloaded was the best theater-nap ever. Passenger 57 would have been a great nap, but my date kept trying to wake me and it made me feel vicious. So obnoxious.
The temple movie?
I smell ozone…
Pretty much any movie that has a brass band performing the score.
I was thinking of doing a thread on movies you should like but don’t, but it’s too close to this one, so I’ll just mention the movie I was going to.
Everyone I know asks me if I’ve seen High Fidelity. For a long time I hadn’t seen it, and everyone kept saying how I’d love it since I’m a big music dork. I mean, fan. Finally I caught it on tv one day. While the cool music references in it were fun, the story was lame, the main character was lame, and Jack Black was the only reason I watched the whole thing. (I do love doing “top fives” though.)
Why I’m an oddball:
I think the first Star Trek was among the best of all the ST films.
I think Gandhi is a thoughtful and compellingly watchable film.
Wings of Desire completely draws me in.
I thought The Aviator deserved the Best Picture Oscar.
Uncle Vanya is a fabulous movie.
The fact that Kaimi just associated My Fair Lady with “the whole romantic comedy genre” has caused me actual physical pain.
Gone with the Wind.
Sorry
Oh Russell! Three of those films you’ve mentioned are ones I said “blah” to. Whoops! I second the Gone With the Wind idea though.
Last night we were watching Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I remembered as being interesting, but my husband could hardly stay awake. He kept repeating the words, “TV Movie of Week. TV Movie of the Week.” Then we had a discussion about who was a worse “celebrated” directed: Clint Eastwood or Garry Marshall.
How about a post about directors you just expect more from? Or undeserved (good) reputations?
I also was riveted by Wings of Desire and Gandhi. I tend to like slower films that are heavy on dialogue. Chariots of Fire, A Man For All Seasons, The Winslow Boy, The Road Home, and several other similarly-paced films are all favorites. Oddly enough, the only film I ever remember sleeping through was Jaws. Granted, I didn’t see it in the theater. I’m guessing that makes a difference.