Marisa Tomei and Tom Holland have starred in three movies together, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home, and most recently, No Way Home. Tomei plays Aunt May and Holland, obviously, plays Peter Parker, and their chemistry is brilliant and it really feels like they're family, especially considering that tragic scene in the 2021 movie.
And funnily enough, their picks for their favorite movies almost reflect their characters in the Spider-Man movies. Tomei has picked the older, more inoffensive movies that an aunt would, and Holland has picked the more edgy and violent movies that teenagers would love.
Daughters Of The Dust (1991) - 6.7
Where Holland picks more actor-driven Hollywood movies, Tomei's favorites have more unique concepts. Tomei's first pick for one of her favorites, Daughters of the Dust, has been criticized for paying more attention to visuals than the characters, but there's so much more to it than that.
The film, which follows women of the Peazant family, a Gullah clan who migrate to the U.S. in 1902, is a spiritual and beautiful experience. When discussing the movie, the actor explains that director Julie Dash is "able to capture transcendence and to be able to go through time and space, which to me is metaphysical and spiritual, and the film is so deep."
The Little Rascals (1930) - 7.3
Tomei has no pretense and no issue in picking movies that aren't exactly beloved classics. Just as Daughters of the Dust isn't the most loved movie, Tomei also chose The Little Rascals as one of her favorites. However, while the better-known 1994 flick is one of the classic family-friendly kids' movies, that isn't the version that she chose.
Instead, Tomei is referring to the almost-100-year-old film, which is essentially a compilation of short films made in the 1920s. Fascinatingly, Tomei mentions that "those films are hugely influential to me."
My Cousin Vinny (1992) - 7.6
Based on this choice, Holland clearly does his homework when it comes to learning his costars' work. My Cousin Vinny is one of Holland's favorite movies, and it stars Joe Pesci and Holland's on-screen aunt, Marisa Tomei. The movie follows two New Yorkers (Pesci and Tomei) who get arrested in Alabama when they are wrongly accused of murder.
Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the movie, even though some think it was undeserved. And the idea that the wrong name was read during the ceremony is one of the most famous Hollywood urban legends. However, she gives a compelling performance and she's as much of an integral part of the movie as Pesci.
Primal Fear (1996) - 7.7
Being another one of Holland's picks, Primal Fear is much more heavy-handed than My Cousin Vinny. The movie follows a defense attorney who must defend an altar boy (Edward Norton) who is accused of murdering the archbishop of Chicago.
Primal Fear is an emotionally exhausting but thoroughly engaging crime drama, and one that fans didn't know is an adaptation of a novel. Part of the reason why is Norton's performance as the altar boy, as it elevates the source material tenfold and is an early career highlight for the actor. It's a performance that Holland looks up to too, as he explains that "it’s a performance that I always have aspired to kind of recreate."
Ball Of Fire (1941) - 7.8
Ball of Fire is one of the most classic movies by Howard Hughes, who was best known for his gangster movies in Hollywood's Golden Age. The 1941 movie is one of the most entertaining of the lot, as it follows a nightclub singer (Barbara Stanwyck) who attempts to take down her lover, who just happens to be a mob boss.
Tomei particularly likes it because of her admiration for Stanwyck. The actor notes that she loves "her mannerisms, her elegance, her timing, her high-brow low-brow." It's one of Stanwyck's greatest performances, as she's smart, brilliantly vindictive, and way more than just a femme fatale-type character.
Avatar (2009) - 7.8
It's no surprise that Holland loves Avatar, as he would have been just 14 years old when the movie was released, and any teenager would have fallen in love with the world of Pandora. The young actor mentions that he was "so in awe of that movie and I loved watching the visuals and being introduced into that crazy, crazy life."
The effects were so ahead of their time, and it had a strong environmental message that was wrapped up in an incredible action movie. And as he's such a fan, maybe the actor could even be scooped up by director David Cameron, who currently has four sequels to the 2009 movie in the works. The first sequel is one of the movies to look forward to in 2022.
Opening Night (1977) - 8.0
Just as is the case with Ball of Fire, Tomei loves Opening Night for the star power Gena Rowlands and the gravitas of her performance. The actor explains that she was amazed by the "way that it explores femininity and masculinity and the devastating edges of masculinity, as well as so many colors that a woman can be."
Not only that, but as Opening Night is about an actress (Rowlands) who is struggling with anxiety before the opening night of her major play, Tomei related to the film as she was first trying to break into Hollywood as an actor herself. The movie is a fascinating character study that delves so much deeper than most other self-congratulatory movies about actors and Hollywood.
Singin' In The Rain (1952) - 8.3
While musicals aren't for everybody, Singin' in the Rain is a true classic, and everybody knows the songs from the movie better than almost any other musical film. And out of all the movies that the actor mentions as one of her favorites, Singin' in the Rain seemingly had the most influence on her.
Tomei notes that she and her brother took up tap dancing classes following watching the movie. She also praises Gene Kelly to no end, and as he's one of the most gregarious actors ever, his charm and charisma are on another level in the 1952 movie.
The Departed (2006) - 8.5
The Departed is a fascinating movie for many reasons, most notably because it's Martin Scorsese's only movie that's set in the modern-day. So seeing gangsters and federal agents use cell phones and computers makes for a fresh approach to the genre by the director, and it's Scorsese's best gangster movie.
Holland, in particular, is one of the 2006 movie's biggest fans, which is unsurprising given that it's such an actor's movie. With it starring Matt Damon, and Leonardo DiCaprio, it's Holland's fave because it's "two of my favorite actors going head-to-head." The movie also stars Mark Wahlberg, who is Holland's costar in the upcoming Uncharted.
Saving Private Ryan (1998) - 8.6
If it wasn't clear that Matt Damon wasn't one of Holland's favorite actors based on his love of The Departed, the actor doubles down on his admiration of him with his final pick, Saving Private Ryan.
However, interestingly, even though Damon is the titular character, he is barely even in the movie, and it's all about a crew of U.S. soldiers who attempt to save the eponymous paratrooper by going behind enemy lines. Holland himself calls it "so truthful, so delicately made. Just one of the all-around best movies, I think, of all time."