Ah, hello. I am typing from my sofa on my lovely day off from the gallery, web surfing with The Devil Wears Prada on in the background. I love that movie; it is one of my guilty pleasure movies. I have lots of movies that I just know so well that I like having them on in the background when I am drawing or catching up on emails, things like that. I can never just sit and have complete silence. I always need either music or a movie on in the background. (Is this a pathology?)

And now I am going to tell you my favorite Background Movies. Yes. I am putting it all out there. Some of these are, I guess, “good” movies, but some are universally despised(*), to the point where I consider my liking them to be almost a badge of honor to my weirdness.

Bridget Jones’s Diary
The Birdcage*
Tommy Boy*
State and Main
The Devil Wears Prada
Auntie Mame
Shallow Hal*
Sideways
Wonder Boys
The Big Lebowski
Collateral
Primal Fear* (I can’t help it; I love Edward Norton so so much)
Something’s Gotta Give*

I have a very good friend, my closest friend from college, who ALSO admits to loving Shallow Hal. I cannot tell you how shocked/delighted I was when she told me this. It made my love for her increase, like, tenfold. Our friendship was meant to be.

So, you, dish now. Horrible movies that you inexplicably love so much that you own them and watch them over and over. Let’s all be vulnerable together.