Celebrities, they’re just like me, because I went to the Criterion Closet!

There’s a joy to be found in watching celebrities pick out movies. The Criterion Collection has made a bit of it with some of your favorite creatives. They go in, pick some of their favorite titles from the Criterion Collection, and make fans jealous. Now, celebrities are just like me!

The Criterion Closet has become famous. It is a room at their offices that has all of the physical copies of movies in the Criterion Collection. You can own these movies yourself by purchasing them on the website but there is something about that closet that just makes it feel so much better. So when they announced they’d be bringing the closet to fans at New York Film Festival, the Criterion heads showed up.

I went on the last day with my friends and we sat outside for over 7 hours to get our 3 minutes in the van. Yes, in theory that math doesn’t equal out but all I wanted was a chance to have my chance at picking my favorite movies. I went in with 9 options (knowing I was only allowed to purchase 3 of them) and got so overwhelmed that I just walked in, picked what I wanted to buy, and left.

My original choices were Dazed and Confused, Moonrise Kingdom, and Inside Llewyn Davis but when I saw Moonstruck on the list, I had to swap out my favorite Wes Anderson movie for my Italian dream movie (especially since we were next to Lincoln Center). But the entire experience was one that was so special to me as a film fan and brought me joy. I didn’t mind sitting all day outside if it meant getting in the van and buying movies that I love.

My three minutes of Criterion Closet fame

Walking into the Criterion Closet is a special experience because at first, you’re excited at what awaits you. But then you quickly realize that there are a lot of movies all around you and you’re supposed to look at titles and pick them. I panicked and just started asking for the movies I wanted. Yes, I did complain that American Psycho wasn’t there and I asked when Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some would be added to the line up. But for the most part, I just let the lovely Criterion employee help me grab my titles.

When you see the sheer amount of movies available for purchase, it can be a lot. I was going to get Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy but when the time came, I ultimately went for the Matthew McConaughey classic instead. Inside Llewyn Davis was never up for discussion. That’s one of my all time favorite movies and it was time for my to add it to my collection officially.

The experience, while overwhelming, was just a joy to me. Being surrounded by physical media, seeing how many people came out to buy physical media? That’s what makes the Criterion Collection so special. We want to add those DVDs and Blu-Ray to our home collection and I just think that’s very special.

So celebrities are just like me, they also go to the Criterion Closet and pick their favorite movies.