The Best Movies to Watch Muted on a Small TV in a Smoky Bar

7. 'Tommy Boy'

So, for this list we’re going to shout out specific films that, at least for me, I've watched on tiny screens in smoky bars (or similar) in the past, but the movies themselves could be thought of more as templates.

For example, Tommy Boy is a Chris Farley comedy classic with a ton of iconic lines that many of us still quote to this day, yet could be more indicative of an era of 90s comedies which—for whatever reason—still resonate not only with those who grew up with them being released, but also with new generations too.

A comedy like Tommy Boy, or anything else from Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Martin Lawrence, etc., from this era will do and will likely catch the attention of folks old or young who have seen all, or at least some, of these comedy classics and know the beats.

6. 'Goodfellas'

The next film on this list is a film that, if you catch it at the right moment—particularly as the film gets going into its third act—you can’t look away. Sound on or off, distractions around or not, this film has a rhythm that jumps off the screen and simply draws everyone in, regardless of what their perceived interest might have been a few minutes before seeing it.

This really is just a testament to Martin Scorsese’s brilliance, and you could use pretty much any of his films in this spot from Taxi Driver to After Hours to The Wolf of Wall Street; they’d all serve as great bar-watching fodder and let people happily discuss their favorite Scorsese films, moments, and memories.

5. 'Sicario'

Most of this list will be older films as those tend to do better at bringing people together, but as someone who has seen Sicario pop up on the screen at a bar, I’ve seen people pause games of pool to watch the opening sequence in its entirety.

Denis Villeneuve might not have a legacy at the same level as Scorsese or other directors to be named on this list, just yet; that is, as he’s well on his way there. Many of his films could fit this bill, as could many films by David Fincher or Villeneuve's contemporaries of this era, but something about Sicario—at least mostly with dudes—captures the attention unlike anything else of its time.

4. 'Psycho'

Of course, if you go to enough hipster bars in Austin, Texas, or other creative-friendly cities, you’ll likely find many bars or coffee shops that seem to only allow black-and-white classics to grace their screens. These are the best spots, and you should treasure them.

And, not surprisingly, one of the films I’ve personally seen the most often is Psycho. This film finds its way to screens most predominantly during the Halloween season, of course, but it’s great viewing year-round. You could substitute pretty much any other Hitchcock classic here too, old or new, but this one seems to be the favorite.

3. 'Point Break'

Ok, this one is just my personal favorite. As I’ve written about before, the original Point Break is a film that somehow found the perfect blend between ironic and sincere watching enjoyment. It has great action scenes, chases, and shoot-outs, memorable lines, but it also has outlandish actors like Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, and Gary Busey making bold, odd choices throughout.

You really could throw pretty much any '80s or '90s action movie in a bar and myself, and likely many others, would flock over to watch it. You could also easily replace this title with any other from Swayze’s or Reeves’ repertoires, as Road House or Johnny Mnemonic would be just as great, but we’re putting this one here for personal reasons.

2. 'The Dark Knight'

Like Denis Villeneuve, Christopher Nolan has found himself among the highest-ranking directors thanks not only to the huge box-office success of his films but also to broad appeal and general bar-watching abilities.

We’ll pick The Dark Knight here as the best example, but Inception or Memento would work well too, as would any of the other Nolan Batman films. Great watches through-and-through, these films are also so universally popular that everyone knows them beat-for-beat, which makes for great shared watching fodder.

1. 'Heat'

Finally, the best bar-watching film is the one I’ve seen most recently, and it's having a bit of a moment right now, with the Heat 2 sequel in the works. Again, you could put in many other Michael Mann films here, but it’s obviously Heat that has to take the top spot.

If not just for the city streets shootout scene, which, if there is sound on, will deafen bar patrons into watching, or even with sound off and house music up, these scenes are just so bright, frenetic, and fun it’s simply impossible to focus on anything else when they are on.

And that’s our list; it’s not scientific by any means, but meant to be a conversation starter for your own opinions and thoughts on what makes a good co-watching experience, whether that be at a bar, coffee shop, friend's house, or even at home and chatting with friends online.

Let us know your thoughts!