There are many reasons I watch movies. To relax (Moonrise Kingdom), to escape (Lord of the Rings), to be inspired (The Shawshank Redemption), to learn (Planet Earth), to get motivated (The Social Network), or to trigger nostalgia (Beauty and the Beast).

There are movies for different situations. When I’m sick (Star Wars), when I’m at IMAX (Tron), when I’m with younger siblings (Harry Potter), when I’m with girls (500 Days of Summer), when I’m with guys (Bourne), when I’m with old high school friends (Anchorman), when I’m missing the 90's (Space Jam), when I’m missing the 80's (Goonies), or when I’m camping (The Village).

It’s almost impossible for me to watch a movie and not look it up on IMDB to see who made it and what other movies the actors are in.

I’ve always loved movies, so I have trouble relating to someone who doesn’t. Some of my friends seem to get carnal pleasure by dismantling movies. Instead of sharing scenes they like, they point out plot holes, discrepancies, or distaste for dialogue. While I sometimes wonder why these friends keep watching movies since they dislike each one they watch, I think finding reasons to dislike movies is their way of enjoying movies. If that’s your thing, cool.

But for those that just aren’t into movies in general, I present a step-by-step guide to change your ways:

Manage Expectations

I think this is the key to enjoying movies. For some, this means going into a movie with low expectations. It’s easy for a movie to get over-hyped. Starting with low expectations can be the difference between, “Wow, that was pretty cool!” and “Eh, not what I was hoping for.”

For others this means managing comparisons. No, the movie won’t be better or worse than the book. It will be different. It never ends well going into a movie adaptation of a novel thinking “Gee, I hope this two hour mix of sound, visuals, and acting brings the exact same same rewards of forty hours reading, pondering, and imagining the same story.”

Comparison between movies can also be harmful. Just because Pacific Rim doesn’t have the sharp dialogue of Intolerable Cruelty or the cleverness of Inception doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it. Sometimes I just want to see big giant robots fight alien sea monsters.

That said, sometimes expectations can’t be tempered. It’s satisfying to have sky-high expectations met, exceeded, and blown out of the water. Those are the movies you remember watching for the first time.

Be Selective

Warren Buffet is credited for saying, “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything.” This can apply to movie watching. Start by focusing on the very best (for you).

I’ve been guilty of the exclamation, “You haven’t seen Lord of the Rings?! WHAT???” But the truth is, if you’re not excited to watch Lord of the Rings, don’t watch it. There are so many movies, it’s worth spending your precious time only watching the movies you really want to. When and if you ever watch all of those, then branch out.

Link Movies to an Experience

Some of my favorite songs are only favorites because of where and when I first heard them. Likewise, some of my favorite movies are closely connected to the moment I first saw them. I remember watching The Sixth Sense in a rainy tent. I remember spending hours in a mall line to see the The Two Towers. I remember watching The Little Mermaid three times a day, almost everyday, when I was five. I remember watching Toy Story at the drive-in theatre and being amazed it was all created on a computer. I remember the Summer I saw Napoleon Dynamite in the dollar theatre and thinking “I’m not sure what I just watched, but I think I liked it.”

Movies connected with a memory last longer.

Collect and Share

I had a conversation with a friend about buying versus streaming. It’s more cost-effective to buy a few movies you often re-watch and then just stream movies as you want to watch them (even if it’s $4 on iTunes). The math checks out.

Despite that, I like buying physical movies. I like the way they look on shelves, and I like resorting them by genre, by how much I enjoy them, or alphabetically. Maybe it seems weird, but I find base enjoyment in simply collecting.

Owning movies makes it easier to share. Sharing enjoyment of a movie is a core part of our society. I’d love to hit up the NSA for analytics on how many conversations are movie related. My 2nd floor neighbor is old and smokes a lot. I may have nothing in common with her except that we both really liked an obscure documentary about all-time arcade records (thus turning us into mutual movie hipsters). I have no idea if she’s even watched King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, but if so, I imagine when we pass each other on the stairs we’d casually speculate about who the current Donkey Kong champ is.