In her most recent Substack, Rachael Ringeberg described “You’ve Got Mail” as follows:
“Watching it is like eating a chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk. Or sipping a very cold, perfectly prepared martini. You get what I’m saying—one of life’s great things.”
(As an aside, Rachael’s is one of the only Substacks I will stop to read the minute it hits my inbox. Her life is so different from mine, but I find the way she filters and sorts her life through language breath-taking. Truly one of the sharpest contemporary writers I’ve found.)
I loved the analogies she was playing with — the warm, melty cookie with the glass of milk; the bite of a very cold (gin) martini. In advance of a weekend where we have only a few things on the calendar: I’m curious as to which movies feel like this to you?
For me, the movies that feel like a chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk:
Any John Hughes (warm laundry feelings x 10) but especially “Uncle Buck”
“When Harry Met Sally”
“Father of the Bride”
“Sleepless in Seattle” (only this might be both a cookie and a martini because damn if that opening scene and then the bit where he says “well, it was just a hundred tiny little things that when you added them all up…” don’t kill me every time)
“The Holdovers”
“Pride and Prejudice” (either version, but dare I blasphemously say I prefer the 2005?)
“Little Women” (either version — the latter veers away from “chocolate chip cookie” into two-shots-of-vodka territory where I won’t stop weeping for a full night after watching it, but I digress)
“Moonstruck”
“The Parent Trap”
“One Fine Day”
“Dirty Dancing”
On the martini side of things:
“As Good As It Gets”
“Out of Africa”
“The Godfather”
“Pretty Woman” (Richard Gere is a martini)
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
And may I add a third category? Movies that feel like cheetohs/gummy bears/your favorite junk food — delightful if somewhat kitschy or “bad good” in their own way:
“Anyone But You” (help, it’s my impulse watch when Landon is out of town)
“Fools Rush In”
“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”
“Clueless”
“Can’t Hardly Wait”
Note that these lists aren’t “best movies ever” nominations — yes, I’d elect some of them as “the best movies ever made,” but not most. There are many reasons to bear witness to art!
Post-Scripts.
+The best family movies. I go to the comments on this post frequently for fresh ideas! BTW, I’ve been meaning to add two: “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” (Wes Anderson — we all LOVED this) and “Wonka” (which I expected I would hate — I really did not like the original, and I thought it was going to be super-cheesy, but I found myself grinning ear to ear?! So charming! Timothee Chalamet is impossible to resist IMO!)
+The most romantic movie scenes of all time? (So many Magpies are eternally swooning over the hand scene in “Last of the Mohicans.”)
+Under the radar romantic comedies.
Shopping Break.
+Just placed a Shopbop order for this striped dress and this floral skirt and top set. Spring!!!
+I also updated my Shopbop hearts with the best new spring arrivals.
+I’ve been working on a whole post on the best spring dresses (will probably publish early next week — these kinds of posts take a long time to curate and I do a thorough search!), but wanted to let you know about this ME+EM early as it appears to be selling through quickly. Also love this one from the same collection. Both exquisite candidates for Easter Sunday.
+I have this cardigan in gray but I recently added marigold. LOVE the buttons, the silhouette, the colors!
+This charming $40 waffle robe!
+Update: discovered that Lands End also has a mockneck version of the mariner that we love so much (an AYR Early Morning tee look for less) and ordered for research purposes for the group.
+The pattern on this skirt…!
+Cutest needlepoint pillows and the upgraded mints I now carry in my purse.
+Finally traded out my Vivrelle rental for a new springy style — I’ve always wondered how much wear I’d get out of these straw panier totes from Celine and the Barbie pink is so fun! I almost got one of these Bottega mini buckets in blue or yellow but impulsively went Celine. So fun to pick, honestly. A thrill. (JENSHOOP gets you one month free! This is a monthly bag borrowing subscription where you can trade in for a new designer bag each month!)
+Big home sale happening at McGee&Co — note that some items, like rugs (!), are 50% off. Love these woven ottomans and these potted faux rosemary trees.
+Quince recently released their classic cotton fisherman sweater in a gorgeous blush pink color. If you’re looking for something a little more shrunken, this Buck Mason is a fabulous pick. Buck Mason is such a great brand and I feel like the universe is sleeping on it! Every item I receive is so well-designed, and fits exactly how I want it to.
+Have you tried Spanx’s leggings? They’re really good! More compressive than Vuori/Lulu, but they have their place. Love the new lilac color. And their chic AirEssentials sets (elevated lounge) come in petite inseams! (That rain blue color is so good!)
+For me, nothing tops the Vuori bras though. I have tried so many brands over the years and just never liked any sports bras enough. Lululemon confounds me because I love so many of their other pieces but I always feel like the bras — even when I size up considerably — suffocate me / cut in? The elastic just doesn’t give? I don’t know! I love these, these, and these! All different styles but the FIRST I grab if given a choice.
+Another great drop from Hill House! Loving the stripe pattern on this skirt and this dress (truly so flattering – I own it in two prints) plus this whisper pink swiss dot blouse.
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Hey Jen! What size do you take in the Margot HHH dress? Thanks!!
Hi! I take an XXS (normally an XS) but it’s VERY snug. I am probably smack dab between XS and XXS, and think it’d be a little gappy with XS so went with the smaller one. Not sure if this helps. But my general suggestion is probably to take your true size versus find it too small.
xx