I don’t know that I would call it a comfort film, but it sure is one that I come back to when I want a break. It’s a feelgood movie that isn’t corny and stupid: O Brother, Where Art Thou? The performances are outstanding, the odyssey is absorbing, and the music is great.
I also like to return to several of Kurosawa’s movies, particularly Ikiru and The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail.
When I really want an escape, though, it’s the Harry Potter series or the entire extended-edition boxed set of Lord of the Rings, wishing only that I could edit out Liv Tyler.
Oh, yes, and I enjoy seeing RED again when I’m up for something silly and fun after weathering too much Sturm und Drang in real life. I guess that amounts to a kind of comfort.