If you haven’t yet seen Gwyneth Paltrow’s appallingly self-obsessed website known as “GOOP,” well, you must. It’s just too much fun when the Oscar-winning actress spouts sage-like advice about detox diets. And fancy Parisian hotels. And Mario Batali recipes.
But there is one perk to Gwyneth’s gab. Her connections in Hollywood occasionally amplify the value of her verse: One of the better “newsletters” on GOOP (Gwyneth is apparently averse to the idea of a blog post) lists must-see flicks as chosen by some of Hollywood’s brightest directors—a la Steven Spielberg, Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson and Jon Favreau.
I’m not one of those film people who can tell you who the cinematographer was on On The Waterfront or who most influenced Truffaut. When it comes to knowledge of film history, I’m semi-rubbish (a friend of mine once left the dinner table when I admitted I had never seen one of the most famous and most well-regarded films of all time). I can do the whole rap at the end of The Revenge of the Nerds and all of Jeff Spicoli’s dialogue, but sadly, my expertise ends there. I do, however, love film and whether it is an exceptional documentary, a classic or a Seth Rogen vehicle, I am always excited about seeing something that my friends love.
Gwyneth then defers to her film mentors and lists their perennial favorites. Read on to see what Steven Spielberg would rent tonight..
As told to Gwynnie:
(Steven Spielberg is a pretty good director, you might have heard of him. When I was seventeen he asked me to be in Hook [his film about Peter Pan] one night when we were all driving to a movie. They made me a custom wig and I only had one line! Filming that scene was one of the best, most memorable days of my life.)
Steven says: These are not necessarily my all-time favorite films….but good choices to rent and enjoy!
The Best Years of Our Lives
Captains Courageous
The Godfather
The Searchers
Tootsie
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