One of my favorite things my brother and I do is consistently quote movies or songs in the most random moments. I’ll hear a weird sound ask “What does this remind me of” and he’ll know exactly what movie, what scene and which character I was thinking of. And it only happens with him. We’ll also speak to each other in verses of songs we both know. For not having lived in the same house for 11 years now (since I moved out at 18) so much of our core identity when it comes to pop culture references from our teenage years is the same.
So, I thought that for this month, I would list the 30 songs and movies that have shaped my life leaving a lasting impact that I still reminisce on today. I’m not talking about what I believe are the best movies of all time. I’m talking about what has stuck, what has shaped me, and what is ingrained into my core. Most of them aren’t that deep, but I guess that is the beauty of art (if we can even call a lot of this art). It’s what it means or does for you individually that matters. And more so when you share that with people close to you, like I do with my brother.
Top 15 Movies I can Watch Again and Again
- Annie the Disney version (1999) – There’s no other way I can start this list. This movie marked my first true bonding movie experience with my brother. We had watched this VHS (yes, I realize that makes me so old) so many times we had memorized the entire script. I was Annie, of course, and Emilio was Sandy, the dog. This little screen re-enactment was cute until I almost choked him to death cause I had him on a leash while riding my bike, but that’s a story for another time.
- Spy Kids (2001) – Another iconic movie we loved as kids. I don’t recommend watching it again as an adult because you will realize how bad it is, but as kids, we dreamt of being just like these siblings and also re-enacted missions around the house. Honestly, the good ol’ days.
- The Parent Trap (1998) – Ignoring the fact that I am now older than Meredith, the evil hot gf the dad dates, this is a masterpiece in my eyes. I love this movie so much and will happily watch it again today. I always wanted an identical twin sister, maybe because of this movie, but I’m not sure. Not much more to say than bravo with this one.
- Toy Story (1995) – Probably my own animated movie on this list. This movie is special to me, specifically for my brother. So much so that our shared tattoo says “to infinity” (on me) and “and beyond” (on him). If that’s not impactful, I don’t know what is.
- The Princess Diaries (2001) – As a girl growing up in the early 2000s, this movie did something for me. Seeing a “normal” girl be transformed into a princess transformation and grow through all her struggles, was inspiring, and exciting, and made me believe I too could rule Genovia someday. I also find it hilarious we all somehow know the Genovia national anthem to this day.
- The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) – The whole series was very, very and I mean very important to my development, but the movie takes the cake in impact because I am now literally living the Lizzie McGuire dream. Girl goes to Europe to find herself. Runs into unexpected challenges, but is living her best life. I mean come on I even lived in Italy for a bit. This is quite literally what dreams are made of.
- Harry Potter Series (2001 – 2011) – This one is a double whammy because I’ll say that the books are almost more important. They were the first big books I read and loved them so much that I read the entire series twice. I read each book before I saw its respective movie, which was the best way to do it since there are so many more details and my imagination truly did run wild with these books. And the movies still hold up to this day, making them some of my most quoted references with my brother.
- A Cinderella Story (2004) – Hillary Duff had me in a chokehold through the early 2000’s. I also loved her music, even though no one would say… not good music at all. This movie gave my little pre-teen heart everything it could want. A girl overcoming bullies, a hot guy to crush over, an idealized picture of high school, and a reference to my favorite Disney princess.
- The Notebook (2004) – I watched this movie for the first time later in my teens and it’s probably my most-watched movie of all time. I was in love with Ryan Gosling, I mean low key still am. But I also wanted to be Rachel McAdams. I thought their love was what real love looked like – thank god I’ve moved past that now, but still an iconic romance movie. I do still want to be kissed in the rain like that though…
- Mean Girls (2004) – Showing Rachel McAdams in a completely other light, this movie will go down as one of the most important movies in history for millennial women. I love the collective experience we all share regarding this movie, and despite some of its problematic undertones, I think as a feminist the message still holds true today.
- Twilight (2008) – I love and hate watching this movie. It’s so bad, it’s good. The acting, the script, the videography. No bueno. Still iconic and we all were gushing over Rob Pattinson for years, so clearly it did something for my generation.
- 13 Going on 30 (2004) – With that title alone this movie deserves a spot on this list. I think it’s gonna be even more impactful now that I am actually going into my thirties. I’ll be thirty, flirty, and thriving.
- The Devil Wears Prada (2006) – This one is important for career reasons. Not because I followed Anne Hathaway’s steps in fashion, but because she became the boss babe with an impressive career. I just wish she stuck to it instead of giving it up for a guy.
- High School Musical (2006) – Probably the only one I’m embarrassed is on this list. The reason it made the cut is because of the amount of time and effort I put into these movies as a pre-teen. I printed the lyrics to the songs so I could learn them. I learned the choreography. I had a poster of Zac Efron in my room. I lived this movie experience as it was designed to be lived for little girls. I can’t deny its impact, unfortunately.
- The Barbie Movie (2023) – I think it’s hard to name many movies from recent years because many times you don’t know the impact they will have until many years later. However, this movie, despite being heavily critiqued, I think is so important and relevant for today’s society. It depicted womanhood in a very beautiful way and highlighted the flaws in society masterfully through a colorful, song-filled screen. Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie deserved an Oscar. I will die on that hill.
15 Songs from the Soundtrack to My Life
I won’t get into details for each song, however, I think it’s safe to say that the music I listened to in my teenage years had the most impact or is what I feel most nostalgic for. I’m pretty sure there’s a study that explains exactly that—the reminiscence bump. I tried to not repeat artists, although some albums have so many bops that could be part of the soundtrack to my life. So more than the songs themselves, it’s the artist and that style, the encompassing songs that build that bubble of who they were at that point in time. I hope that makes sense. The random old-school songs from Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses are thanks to my parents, the boy bands are essential to my teenage hyper fixations, and the rest are songs I have at some point in time life felt represented or inspired by.
- It’s My Life (Bon Jovi)
- Beautiful Soul (Jesse McCartney)
- I’m Yours (Jason Mraz)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses)
- A Thousand Miles (Vanessa Carlton)
- Oops!…I Did It Again (Britney Spears)
- Complicated (Avril Lavigne)
- We Are Young (FUN)
- Hips Don’t Lie (Shakira)
- Delilah (Fred Again)
- Sign of the Times (Harry Styles)
- 7 Things (Miley Cyrus)
- When You Look Me in the Eyes (Jonas Brothers)
- Banana Pancakes (Jack Johnson)
- Caminando por la Vida (Melendi)