“As you wish.”

One of the most famous and quotable movie lines of all time from the cinema classic The Princess Bride holds a particularly special place in my memory. It takes me back to an evening I will forever cherish: The year is 2011, and 10-year-old me is snuggled up with two of my cousins in the quaint living room of my grandparents’ Rhode Island home. Earlier that day, my grandmother rented The Princess Bride DVD from the Providence Public Library, after hearing that neither my cousins nor I had experienced the hilarious and fantastical tale of true love between farm boy Westley, and Princess Buttercup.

Though I was initially displeased by the notion of watching an old movie that I had never heard of, I begrudgingly agreed solely because the title had the word “princess” in it. Despite my initial pessimism, my young cousins and I were quickly engrossed in Rob Reiner’s version of the fantasy classic, and began hounding my grandfather and grandmother with questions about the story:

“Is that man really a giant?” (Of course, referring to Andre the Giant himself)

“Why does that guy have six fingers?”

“What does ‘inconceivable’ mean?”

“How do you even spell ‘Prince Humperdinck’?” (Or “Humperstink” as we affectionately called him)

From that night on…I had both a new favorite film, and a new favorite memory.

Movies have always been the way straight to my heart, and though “movie watching” doesn’t exactly fall seamlessly into a category within the five defined “love languages,” it is nonetheless my personal and most beloved method of spending time with those I care about. The Princess Bride is just one of many of my self-proclaimed “comfort movies.” This is a term used to describe films that are typically known to trigger happy and pleasant memories within the viewer. They are unique in their ability to be viewed over and over again when one wishes to be reminded of a happier time or needs a familiar story that is known to bring emotional relief and joy.
Comfort movies, to me, are created from a shared experience. Some of my favorite memories of my family members and loved ones are created by the stories and adventures we go on together by simply watching a film. When you watch these comfort films again later in life, they can instantly bring you back to the age, mindset, conversations, and the people you were with upon your initial viewing. To many, they serve as time capsules; they are there when you need them, and can bring you back to any beloved moment or memory in a snap.

I still vividly remember my young preteen heart leaping for joy as I scrambled to pull on my pajamas the evening my Mom told me I was old enough to watch The Breakfast Club for the very first time, thus spurring a beloved marathon of John Hughes coming-of-age classics such as Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. These movies were pivotal to me, as they sparked some important conversations with my mom about growing pains surrounding friendships, school cliques, and first crushes. I learned a lot about both myself and my mother through these films. The exchanges we shared in their stead gave me a lot of insight into her own adolescence, as she provided me with some still dearly cherished life advice.

I treasure this just as I value the laughs I share with my dad as we gleefully developed our favored tradition of watching Wes Anderson’s extended filmography together, or as I cherish the time I spend with my college best friends as we turn back the clock to our adolescence as we bond over our childhood favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. There is nothing parallel to the feeling you get when you bond with someone over a shared love of stories.

Again, although watching films may not be as clear-cut in its meaning as the love languages of gift giving, physical touch, or words of affirmation, I believe there is inherent value in sitting down with someone you love for two hours and just sharing space and time with them—shedding tears, hiding under the covers, sharing laughs, and quoting lines together. There is great beauty in using films as a means to go on different adventures and experience varying levels of the human experience with those you love in real time.

Truthfully, it's not the movies themselves that should be treasured the most. It’s about the people you share them with, and all the little moments they spark in between.

Movies are My Love Language