A poster for \u201cE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,\u201d the film that made Cindy Sher fall in love with the movies. (Credit: Amblin Entertainment)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
From then on, that love has never wavered, and isn\u2019t reserved for one, but for oh so many\u2014Ferris Bueller, Annie Hall, Tootsie, Harry and Sally, Marty McFly, Atticus Finch, Danny Zuko, Yentl, that little dog Toto, Mrs. Doubtfire, and so many others.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s better than settling into a crowded movie theater on opening weekend, $14 buttered popcorn wafting through the air, the larger-than-life screen, booming sound, and darkness enveloping us? Our daily worries melt away, and we\u2019re swept into another world for two-plus hours.<\/p>\n
Sometimes movies are meant purely for escape, and other times their stories change the way we think about our own lives\u2014our real-life dramas and comedies. At best, movies make us think, feel, connect, love, and even reach for greatness.<\/p>\n
Every winter\u2014culminating with the Oscars airing this Sunday night\u2014I cram in as many movie nominees as I can. In the last three months, I\u2019ve watched a British mathematician break the Nazi code, witnessed peril through the eyes of a Navy SEAL sniper in Iraq, seen a boy blossom into a man over 12 actual years, marched on Selma, climbed inside the genius brain of Steven Hawking, hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, meandered \u201cinto the woods,\u201d and more.<\/p>\n
We Jews, as a people, tend to love the movies, and we\u2019re represented in so many interesting ways on film and behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
In 2011, Tablet Magazine compiled its list of the top 100 Greatest Jewish Films of all time. For the magazine\u2019s staff to pick their favorites, they first asked themselves one crucial question: What the heck is a Jewish film? And since there\u2019s really no formula for defining a \u201cJewish film,\u201d they decided to think about their picks in terms of a broad definition of Jewishness\u2014movies based on the identity of its creators, overarching Jewish themes, films that have a big influence on pop culture, and movies that simply possess a Jewish sensibility about them. Their list was eclectic, and included everything from \u201cThe Jazz Singer\u201d to \u201cThe Wedding Singer.\u201d<\/p>\n
But their top choice for the best Jewish film might surprise you. They picked\u2014drumroll please\u2014\u201cE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,\u201d the story of the little alien who made me fall in love with movies all those years ago.<\/p>\n
Of course, the movie, one of the highest-grossing films ever, was directed by one of our greatest Jewish filmmakers, Steven Spielberg. But there\u2019s more to it: \u201cE.T.,\u201d Tablet said, tells the story of a bewildered alien in a strange land, a metaphor for an immigrant\u2019s tale. The film\u2019s themes of home, love, family, friendship, and enchantment, according to the magazine, make it a beautiful choice for the quintessential Jewish movie.<\/p>\n
Of course, any film school professor worth her salt would find it great food for thought to think about what makes a film Jewish or even what makes a decent film in general.<\/p>\n
But the joy of movies, to me, doesn\u2019t have to be proven like a mathematical equation. It\u2019s really that je ne sais quoi quality that moves us to an almost transcendent place\u2014that mystical, magical feeling that lingers with us long after the last frame ends.<\/p>\n
No, we can\u2019t always define what it is about movies that speak to us. All we know is\u2014just like that sweet little Reese\u2019s Pieces-eating alien\u2014we love them.<\/p>\n
(Cindy Sher is the Executive Editor of Chicago\u2019s JUF News.)<\/em><\/p>\n
![\"ET_Extraterrestial\"](\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/ET_Extraterrestial.jpg\")