If you’ve seen Black Mirror, you know how it loves to take tech and flip it on its head. In an episode from the seventh season, Hotel Reverie, Hollywood actor Brandy Friday (Issa Rae) signs on to star in an immersive remake of a classic film called Hotel Reverie.
Using advanced tech, Brandy’s consciousness is uploaded into the film, with one major catch: to get back home, she has to stick to the script. If she fails to complete her character arc and make it to the end credits, her consciousness will be trapped there forever and her IRL body will die. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Now Brandy’s situation is 1000% terrifying, but it did get me thinking: What if I could choose to be trapped in a movie forever?
Since this is purely hypothetical, there’d be no pressure to follow some strict character arc or make it through the credits. So, without further ado, I present five movies I’d happily get stuck in, where the stakes are relatively low and the vibes are always immaculate.
1. Hot Rod (2007)
This movie is thee low-stakes, no-worries, feel-good experience. It’s about a group of friends who just want to pull off the most ridiculous stunt ever for a good cause: raising money for a friend’s dad’s surgery. It’s goofy, it’s hilarious and it stars an elite lineup of the funniest writers/actors in the game.
Honestly, if I could hang out in this world forever, I’d be living the dream. There’s no real drama, just a bunch of friends supporting each other and trying to achieve some goals. Plus, I wouldn’t mind getting to work on some ridiculous stunt ideas of my own while casually chilling with Andy Samberg, Danny McBride and the rest of the crew. Low pressure, tons of laughs. That’s the kind of forever I’m down for.
2. Challengers (2023)
Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers is another no-brainer. Maybe I could play Zendaya’s super-chill, elder millennial cousin who wants to learn tennis late in life to get in the best shape of her (my) life.
I could finally work on my backhand while hanging out with a bunch of intensely competitive sports stars, which comes with just enough drama to make it worth it. Maybe I could be a little messy and become Patrick’s confidante. That man has secrets and I want to know what they are!
But honestly, I’d be content just living my best life, carving out some killer biceps and learning a new skill to a fire soundtrack by Trent and Atticus.
3. The Craft (1996)
The Craft was one of my favorite films as a teen, so I would live in that covenant’s twisted little world in a second. BUT instead of hanging out with the usual crew, halfway through the narrative, I’d team up with Rachel True’s character, Rochelle, and we would start our own badass coven of Black teen witches at St. Benedict’s Academy. Is this stretching the parameters of the hypothetical? Yes, but it’s my fake scenario so it’s allowed!
Imagine learning how to summon a can of Crystal Pepsi from the fridge while you’re watching Breaker High, going invisible to get the hot goss in the cafeteria or achieving the perfect wash-and-go without lifting a finger?! Dream life, activated.
4. Adaptation (2002)
Sometimes, I think Charlie Kaufman is the only screenwriter who gets me, and Adaptation is my proof of this. In the pitch-perfect genre-bender, Nicolas Cage plays twin brothers: Charlie, a neurotic, self-loathing screenwriter drowning in his own anxieties (same, king), and Donald, his carefree, blissfully oblivious counterpart who somehow coasts through life and screenwriting with ease. (I wish!)
I could just picture myself hanging out with Charlie while he tries to adapt his impossible script and overthinks himself into oblivion. I’d be in some quiet Pasadena neighborhood, writing my own mess of a screenplay (because I hate outlining), indulging in long conversations about creative dread and somehow feeling validated by the well-orchestrated chaos of Kaufman’s world. And we could hate on Donald’s mounting success while sneaking into overpriced screenwriting workshops led by pre-Succession Brian Cox.
5. The Drop (2014)
If you know me, you’d know there was no way a Tom Hardy movie wasn’t going to make this list.
In The Drop, Tom plays Bob Saginowski, a shy, singular-minded bartender with—you guessed it—a mysterious past. The thing is, Bob is also a huge protector of the women in his life, and his calm, reserved demeanor in the face of danger…swoon.
Using my Black Mirror tech, I’d get to hang out with Bob at the bar, helping him out with his precious dog Rocco. In my downtime, I’d work on my first murder mystery novel while he tends bar and navigates the local criminal underworld. The tension, the quiet moments, teaching Bob how to make my favorite mocktails while knitting toys for Rocco? Count me all the way in.
Which movies would you want to live in forever?
Danger Bowie 
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