my top 5 mac ‘n’ cheese movies
what is a ‘mac ‘n’ cheese’ movie, you might be wondering?
these are the movies that always make you feel good. they don’t need to necessarily be “feel good” films. not all of mine are. these are the movies that you could always put on your Netflix at home (granted it’s on there), always put in the DVD (if you even have any) player, or always leave on while you’re channel surfing (if that’s even a thing you do these days). these are the movies that are “comforting” background noise or movies you never get sick of, no matter how many times you’ve seen them. these are the movies that, if you live alone, will make you feel like you have friends with you. these are the movies that, if you’re feeling alone, will bring solace to your loneliness.
these do NOT have to be:
award-worthy
“good” films
from any specific genre or decade
popular
simply, these are the films that somehow, your spirit is comforted by their essence. maybe through memory, or sound, or childhood… it doesn’t matter. just having these on in the background is soothing to my soul. we can pay attention, or not. we can be cleaning, doing the dishes, working, etc. and it just FEELS GOOD to have them on in the background.
the following movies are my film mac ‘n’ cheese, in no special order.
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Clueless (1995)
“Searching for a boy in high school is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie.”
i said no special order, but of course, i’m going to put Clueless, the beloved classic, first.
Clueless has always been my go-to “favorite” movie. not to age myself or anything, but yes, even before it was “cool.” i’m a ‘90s kid, and my first memories of this movie are watching it at my aunt’s house when she’d babysit me when my dad worked weekends. i was actually 5-6 years old when it came out, so it was ingrained in me very young, for better or worse.
speaking of better or worse, i know that everyone now loves to bring up the weird fact that *spoiler alert* Cher ends up with her ex-step-brother, Josh… but i didn’t say these mac ‘n’ cheese movies had to be perfect. so even though now i watch with a tiny tinge of ‘ew?’ in my brain, i allow timeless Paul-Rudd-dreaminess to wash away all of the potential ickiness that somewhat does not make sense.
and please note that i am not excusing step-cest because the general thought of that is very, very ew and evokes quite a visceral response from my entire being.
(did you like how i said that last sentence in my best Cher voice?)
also speaking of better or worse, because i also grew up thinking that i would find the love of my life by not realizing i loved them at all or pretending i didn’t know i loved them at all until ONE DAY i would be standing by a fountain after a therapeutic shopping spree like, ‘WAIT… I LOVE THEM. AND THEY LOVE ME TOO?!’ be careful what you wish for, kids. it can happen… and not always how you want it to.
regardless of all this negative-sounding analysis, i have always loved this movie and i’m certain i always will.
my first thought was, “can we bring these pens back?” then i googled, and someone literally used clueless to brand theirs. on my list.
Scream (1996)
“my parents are gonna be so mad at me!”
my favorite part about this choice is that my friend deemed it a “hot take,” and i will die on that hill if i have to.
Scream is one of my favorite horror films. firstly, this movie is not typical horror. sure, it’s horrific at times… mostly in the opening scene, whereafter it becomes more of a (highly witty) teen comedy with (a lot of) murder. i think while true horror fans can appreciate the merits of Scream, what it did for the genre, and Wes Craven’s meta expertise, and also agree that it’s “not scary.”
if someone could have The Exorcist, or, for a more modern reference, Hereditary and just have it on any time, i’m not sure i could subscribe to that. but Scream is (thankfully) not either of those movies. it’s horror lite for ‘90s kids like me who, at times, revel in their teen ‘90s nostalgia. although, i have to say, i have seen someone recoil just at the mention of such a mild horror film. and i thought i was a weakling in horror. however, now that i’ve seen Hereditary (AND SURVIVED!), i feel like i can handle most things, though i am fairly certain i will not test those waters.
not to mention:
Dirty Dancing (1987)
“You Just Put Your Pickle On Everybody's Plate, College Boy, And Leave The Hard Stuff To Me.”
A CLASSIC! i’ll save most of my opinions for another piece i’m writing, but here’s the take: this movie is classic, heartfelt, funny, meaningful, political in mostly the right places (it doesn’t focus on everything), and babealicious in all the right places (Patrick Swayze, Cynthia Rhodes who plays Penny, Jennifer Garner, hello––a triad we’d all love to see if the movie had gone THAT progressive––but then it never would’ve been made. it already had a hard enough time, let’s not get carried away).
so far you can probably sense the ongoing theme in my choices: the air of nostalgia. film geeks and those who just heard Stan’s spiel on VHS in I Am Not Okay With This on Netflix will understand. while i’m not watching these movies on VHS, there is something about the feeling of these films. and i’d argue that everyone has favorite movies that pertain to their tastes and interests that fall under this physical sensation of 20th-century film. i’m not nostalgic for the time itself, i don’t need to relive the decades (don’t we daily? in our pop culture, in our fashion, everything)… it’s just that these films are comforting for very personal reasons that have nothing to do with the rest of the world. which is why your mac ‘n’ cheese list will look very differently from mine. it’s kind of unexplainable.
in 8th grade, i watched this movie every day after school because my friend just had to. she was obsessed. years later, we feel the same about this movie. it has this summery vibe to it. i guess there’s something about summer, and something about fall that both tug at my sensibilities in film and literature… the way they’re shown or described. it can be kinda magical. Dirty Dancing does this for me. this scene brings me to tears often.
Moana (2017)
“There is nowhere you could go that I won't be with you.”
stepping out of nostalgia (it’s a relief, honestly), we have my favorite Disney cartoon of the twenty-teens. Coco is up there, but Moana is something else (for me). one day i will also write more in detail about the beauty of this film and what it means to me, but maybe that’s not for me to write.
Moana is about a young woman who is set to become the next chief of her Hawaiian island. but as she grapples with that path for her life, a crisis descends. Moana ends up having to save her family’s island (and the world, essentially, because this curse/disease would spread far beyond their home) from destruction because of the demigod, Maui, who robbed the heart, a glowing lime stone, from Goddes Te Fiti, who kept life flourishing and abundant. it can easily function as an allegory for global warming as well as some other things i may get into another time… but it is so much more than that. it makes me cry nearly every time i watch. i deeply resonate with Moana needing to carve out a way for herself that her family (specifically, her father) might not agree with, but she has to do anyway for her ancestors and her own spirit.
between her sweet and sentimental relationship with her grandmother, the call of her ancestors, and the courageous anthem, “How Far I’ll Go,” that she sings throughout the film––it is not only beyond precious and meaningful, an homage to the feminine, but also doused with humor throughout. i literally feel my heart swell when i watch this and it’s a movie of self-care for my inner child. i can’t fully explain the connection i feel to this film but i know that i very much wish i had this film when i was an actual child! and i can’t wait to show it to my future children. especially my daughter(s).
and last but not least…
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
“What is it with this chick, she have beer flavored nipples?”
it was SO HARD for me to choose one 5th film. i mulled about it for weeks. but this one is a classic i could never tire of. it was the perfect movie to tie up the ‘90s.
10 Things, ah yes, the story of two sisters on their high school dating (or not) journeys. this movie is hilarious and very cleverly derived and adapted from a Shakespeare story: The Taming of the Shrew (which they reference in the film, and i love that they do because i’m a reference nerd), while, fun fact (i’m also a fun fact nerd, i’ve recently discovered)!: Clueless was derived from Jane Austen’s, Emma.
besides Julia Stiles as Kat being a powerful and perhaps overly-feminist voice of her generation (hey, it really worked for the ‘90s) and Andrew Keegan who plays Joey “eat me” Donner mocking a large chunk of his, we also have Joseph Gordon Levitt as the lovable boy next door, Heath Ledger as the bad boy, Patrick Verona which, sidebar: isn’t that name totally sexy? (who’s character is surprisingly funny under his straight-faced guise), and the character i think is potentially the funniest AND most overlooked: David Krumholtz as Michael. but David K. tends to get overlooked a lot, doesn’t he? unless you want to throw Larry Miller as funniest character competition playing Kat and Bianca’s dad, because he is also perfectly on point with the dad jokes and over-the-top push for celibacy, which really does carry the plot of this film. not to mention their English teacher, who is hilarious and real.
this movie is back-to-back laughs to me. it can be subtle and it can be direct. it’s just all around well done. if you haven’t seen it, i highly recommend. between the cast, the writing, the soundtrack even… it’s a beloved comedy classic. its humor outlasts its decade (despite some stuff that probably wouldn’t make the script nowadays) and its heartwarming moments carry it through to being a genuine film. while this film doesn’t garner the attention of some other ‘90s teen comedies, like Can’t Hardly Wait, or She’s All That, i do believe it is more deserving.
besides, they gave us THIS EVERGREEN GIFT?!
Honorable Mentions (or where i expose my johnny depp obsession that has only mostly subsided):
Valley Girl (1983) - another one that i love so dearly in my heart… look out for another article about this one!
Blow (2001)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) – it’s an understatement to say i was obsessed with this film when it came out.
Black Snake Moan (2006)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Ed Wood (1994) – if you haven’t seen this movie and want to see Tim Burton with genuine talent, watch. Johnny Depp should’ve been nominated for an Oscar, or at least a Golden Globe, for his portrayal of the disgraced movie director, Ed Wood.
Just Friends (2005) – it’s ridiculous, but i love it.
Or any very old Disney cartoon: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Rescuers, Jungle Book, Robin Hood - for some examples.
tell me, Soulbabes… what are YOUR mac ‘n’ cheese movies?
comment below or tweet us @pvssymagic or tweet ME @samantharosej!
The Creatrix and Editor in Chief of Pussy Magic, sam is a writer/editor originally from the Bay Area. Her work outside of writing revolves around the merging of spirituality and wellness to foster community, raw self-expression, and holistic healing to honoring our sacred selves: mind, body, and spirit.
sam is the author of L’ACQUA (2017), the columnist of Sacred Wild Exile at Pussy Magic, the host of Satin Soulbits, a limited-series podcast focused on womxnhood and sexuality, and editor of the Satin Soulbits Blog. Her writing has been featured in The Sonnetarium @ Rhythm & Bones, Occulum, ILY Mag, Rose Quartz Magazine, Tiny Flames Press, and more. sam offers Sacred Serpent Writing + Healing sessions to bring people more intimacy with themselves and their writing which you can find more info about on her website. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her partner and plant babies.
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