Zoe’s Favorite Movie Moments

Recently, I decided to make a Youtube playlist for all my favorite movie scenes, so I can easily watch them whenever I want. I ended up with 51 (and counting) clips. As an extremely indecisive person, it was actually painful to narrow down this list to just the 8 scenes below. I’ve inserted the full playlist at the end of this post because I feel bad for the ones I didn’t pick 🙂 Without further ado…here are the scenes that stood out to me, in no particular order:

Warning: Spoilers!!!

1. THE POOL SCENE AND ARGUMENT FROM BOOKSMART

So technically this is probably two scenes, but I’m counting it as one because they happen back-to-back in the movie. I think this scene works well on so many levels: Olivia Wilde’s directing, the genuine emotions from both Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein, the MUSIC and how perfectly it fits, the choice to mute their voices mid-argument. I could go on. I also love how Amy comes into her own here and establishes herself as independent from her best friend Molly, which continues into the next scenes with Diana Silvers and when the cops show up to the party. I saw a great video of Wilde explaining her choices in this scene, which I would highly recommend. It’s always interesting to hear the director’s thought process on a scene you already love; it makes you appreciate it even more.

2. THE BATHROOM SPEECH FROM HIDDEN FIGURES

I get chills every single time I watch this scene. SO GOOD. While historically inaccurate, this is such a satisfying scene to watch, and Taraji P. Henson’s delivery is perfection. I honestly don’t remember anything about Hidden Figures, except for this singular scene. I did, in fact, watch it at school and cry. All I have left to say is girl boss moment.

3. “CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU” FROM 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU

Now for a more light-hearted scene, Heath Ledger singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” in 10 Things I Hate About You. His fabulous singing and dancing almost make up for the fact he was being paid to date Kat…an analysis of how problematic yet iconic this movie is may come at a later date. Nevertheless, I love this scene for reasons I can’t really explain. I could watch this movie forever.

4. LAURIE’S PROPOSAL TO AMY FROM LITTLE WOMEN

You don’t understand how much of a struggle it was to narrow down my favorite scene from Little Women. That’s why I chose two! First, this scene where Laurie sort-of proposes to Amy after being rejected by Jo. As much as I love Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh (my queen) definitely steals this scene. “I will not be the person you settle for just because you cannot have her…not when I’ve spent my entire life loving you.” Such a mic drop moment. Makes me wish they didn’t end up getting married.

5. JO’S MONOLOGUE FROM LITTLE WOMEN

YES SAOIRSE RONAN!!! I love this scene because Jo finally confronts and releases her deepest, guarded feelings about love, being a woman, and loneliness. Her monologue comes after some major changes in her life. Everyone else is moving on, and she’s still clinging to the comfort of her childhood with Laurie and her sisters. This scene also solidifies that Jo and Laurie were never meant to be together, even though I was a little mad at Jo for not saying yes up to this point. She clearly doesn’t love him romantically but would be willing to get married, which shows the extent of her loneliness and fear of all the change in her world. Overall an excellent script by Greta Gerwig and amazing acting by Saoirse.

6. BILLY DANCES FOR HIS DAD FROM BILLY ELLIOT

This is such a great dance movie. I love this scene, specifically, because Billy finally stands up to his dad and makes him realize how wrong he was for not letting Billy dance. It’s an obvious turning point in the movie. Anyone can see that Billy lacks technique, but his clear passion for dance really shines through here. Can we talk about that spot though? The mirror practice really paid off.

7. “IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT” SCENE FROM GOOD WILL HUNTING

Another movie with countless memorable and incredible scenes. I will never get over the fact that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote this screenplay. Please watch the bench scene and fight between Will and Skylar because I’m so guilty about not featuring them here. Anyway, once again we have a character here who bottles up their emotions and finally releases them in this scene. Will has such a tough exterior, but it only takes the simplest words (“It’s not your fault.”) to break that open. You can tell he really needed to hear someone say that. Matt Damon and Robin Williams have excellent chemistry, and this moment is a heartbreaking display of the development of their relationship throughout the film.

8. THE FINAL SCENE FROM PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

Last but CERTAINLY not least. I will never be able to put my love for this scene into the right words. There’s no dialogue, just a single uninterrupted shot of Adèle Haenel acting. You have to watch the entire movie and understand the context in order to appreciate this scene, but, once you do, it leaves you speechless and completely devastated. I’m going to just list everything that makes this scene so spectacular. The moment Marianne spots Héloïse in the crowd. The fact that they’re listening to the song Marianne played her earlier in the film. The way Héloïse switches between laughter and sobs remembering their romance. The parallels between their relationship and the story of Eurydice and Orpheus, a myth discussed in the film. How we’re seeing Héloïse through Marianne’s eyes once again, but she JUST WON’T TURN AROUND AHHH. This movie is a perfect example of how unappreciated foreign films are in the US. Why wasn’t this acknowledged at the Oscars? It’s not that hard to use subtitles guys…

Thanks for watching and reading about some of my favorite movie moments. Watch out for Georgia and Bella’s lists in the next two weeks!

-Zoe

Here’s a link to my growing playlist: