One of the few unique joys of being on the internet in the big 2025 is watching celebrities slightly hyperventilate when asked by Letterboxd to list their four favorite movies.
Never in my life did I think I’d be lucky enough to learn about Pope Leo XIV’s cinematic tastes, but I guess this is a sign to dream BIG, because the Chicago-born pontiff just revealed his four favorite movies.
First up on the Pope’s list: Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.
Next, we have The Sound of Music.
The Pope’s third pick is Ordinary People, a film by Robert Wise.
And, finally: Life is Beautiful.
Variety reports that the list of expected attendees includes Spike Lee, Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine, Viggo Mortensen, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Monica Bellucci, and more.
Sergio Castellitto is also expected to meet with the pope on Saturday. Castellitto played Cardinal Tedesco in Conclave, a 2025 Best Picture Nominee, which is a film about a group of cardinals uncovering secrets from their community as they choose their next pope.
In the official Vatican statement, the pope cites this event as an opportunity to “deepen dialogue with the World of Cinema…exploring the possibilities that artistic creativity offers to the mission of the Church and the promotion of human values.”
People online are loving EVERYTHING about this. Like his apparent secret cinephile identity: “the way he defaulted to listing four … drop that letterboxd @ king.”
“Get @Pontifex in the criterion closet,” one person tweeted.
The internet also can’t stop talking about his choice of guests: “I want you to put the word out there that we are back up,” one person wrote about his potential meeting with Sergio Castellitto, as Pope Francis did in 2023.
There were plenty of jokes, too. “The vatican having a director roundtable in the award season,” another tweet reads.
“He must really like Roberts,” one user tweeted.
Of course, some snubs must be acknowledged.
But all in all, we are SO back. What do you think? Do you concur with Pope Leo XIV’s picks for his four favorite movies?
