Ever since I was a kid, I’ve hated Sundays. As a perpetually anxious child, I was upset that the weekend was practically over, worried about having to learn fractions in class on Monday, and had this overbearing sense of doom for the future. Needless to say, by Sunday night dinner, I was a mess. Even as I got older, I still would get these nerves building by the time Sunday came around. Lionel Richie was wrong when he wrote “I’m easy like Sunday morning;” there’s nothing easy or relaxing about the seventh day of the week.
The funny thing about this is that so many other people have experienced this same phenomenon that the internet has coined it “Sunday Scaries.” So how have I tried to combat this anxiety-fueled dreaded day? Movies. Feel-good, warm and fuzzy, no-one-dies-at-the-end flicks.
Here are my ultimate comfort films that will always get me out of my Sunday funk and ready to take on the week.
1. Legally BlondE
Legally Blonde is the film I watch when I’m feeling worried about the future. You had to expect that it would be on a list like this. Legally Blonde is the quintessential “Get your life together and become the best version of yourself you can be” film. It feels like every time I’m down and contemplating if I’m going to be successful, I watch this film. Elle Woods was truly my idol growing up and I will still quote, “…What, like it’s hard?” in my head anytime someone doubts me. Watching Elle take down her misogynistic professor and take over his case in the courtroom? It’s forever going to be the most inspiring thing my eyes have set sight on. Elle proves that you can be smart, witty, and one of the best defense attorneys in Boston while also being a style icon, which is one of the many reasons why Legally Blonde is on my list.
2. The Devil Wears PradA
Another early 2000s classic, The Devil Wears Prada is ingrained in my brain and is always my go-to when I start worrying about my career. It’s so much of a comfort film that I actually watched it the Sunday before my first ever “big girl” internship when my “Sunday Scaries” were at a full-time high. Watching Andy Sachs navigate the fashion world and the NYC landscape is like watching my vision board come to life, and the opening scene of this film will forever be the soundtrack to my life. Andy really is the blueprint for myself and so many other communications girlies who aspire to be journalists in a big city one day.
Let’s talk about the fashion within this film. The costumes are phenomenal and help me escape to a fabulous place with glitz and glamour when Sundays usually have me feeling the opposite. So when I’m stressed about new jobs, new opportunities, and fitting into my future career, The Devil Wears Prada always teaches me that if Andy could somehow get the manuscripts for the new Harry Potter book in time for Miranda Priestly’s twins to have them on their train ride, I can truly do anything.
3. Just Go With It
Just Go With It is the film I always go back to when it’s a Sunday, and I miss my family and wish I could spend time with them. Adam Sandler is one of my comfort actors. He will, time and time again, make me laugh and remind me that nothing is as serious as I think it is. There’s just something so light-hearted about Sandler’s comedic style and his films always fit my Sunday Scaries film requirements of being warm and fuzzy with no death and nothing too intense. Just Go With It encapsulates this perfectly. Sandler plays a perpetual bachelor who must take his fake family (including the amazing Jennifer Aniston) on a real vacation to Hawaii to convince his new girlfriend that he’s not a bad guy. Here, they deal with a variety of dilemmas revolving around keeping the guise of their fake family intact. The film has all of Sandler’s classic jokes in it, but also has some really sweet moments as the group realizes they’re each other’s found family.
4. Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids is the film I watch when I’m missing my childhood bestie. I was lucky to find myself an “Emma” when I was at the ripe age of five. She has been there for me through thick and thin, the growing pains of adolescence, and many regrettable phases. So whenever I’m feeling stressed and wish I could see her, I pop on Bridesmaids. Now, I’m a movie buff, and the way this film was made truly makes me geek out. Bridesmaids came out a little after the film The Hangover, and the writers and producers were worried about it seeming like a female version of the film. But it doesn’t. Do you wanna know why it truly grasps the ups and downs of growing up in female friendships? It was written by real-life best friends Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. And of course, yet another highlight of this film is its hilarious ensemble of female actresses. Films written by and starring women? Sign me up, Hollywood!
5. The Princess and the Frog
The Princess and the Frog is for healing my inner child. There’s something so precious about watching this film and it leaves me feeling giddy with a childlike sense of wonder. While I can’t go back to seeing the fireworks at Disney World for the first time, I can rewatch The Princess and the Frog on a Sunday and rekindle that childlike joy. I mean, there are singing animals, a jazzy soundtrack, and a princess on a mission. Be six again and go watch The Princess and the Frog.
So maybe the next Sunday, when you feel the Scaries starting to sneak up on you, you’ll find some comfort in the cinema. And if that is the case, hopefully this college girl’s guide to movies that’ll beat the Sunday Scaries will provide you with some comedic relief and comfort.
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