Type A people relish achievement, organization, and goal-oriented behavior, and these preferences often seep into multiple aspects of their lives. So if you identify as having a Type A personality, you probably have some fixed parameters about the kinds of things you like. These preferences may apply to everything from your profession to your living environment to your taste in books and movies. As a fellow Type A personality, I totally get it. And, while I can't help you make your boss more organized or force your roommate to wash the dishes, I can offer some advice when it comes to picking movies on Netflix.
You see, being a Type A person means that certain movies aren't pleasurable to watch. A loose narrative that leaves a ton of unanswered questions will drive me crazy, as will a movie that features only B-type personalities who float about freely in a chaotic setting. I need characters I can relate to, and a solid narrative structure that ties up everything neatly at the end. I'm not saying that I want to sit and watch somebody do a Rubik's Cube or reorganize their junk drawer for two hours, but I do notice that my brain just reacts better to well-organized films. And if you're Type A too, you might enjoy some of the below films, all of which are on Netflix.
1. Good Will Hunting
A well-written movie that involves a brilliant protagonist whose talent is working with numbers? This is the Type A Holy Grail.
2. Meet The Parents
Just about any Ben Stiller character — with the exception of Zoolander — is a pretty accurate model of a Type A personality. Unfortunately, even Greg Focker's Type A tendencies can't save him from running into many mishaps in this movie.
3. Across The Universe
This movie's story is neatly designed around the Beatles songs therein, and it all pulls together in a happy ending.
4. American Beauty
Carolyn is a Type-A queen, which Lester recognizes when he says "I get exhausted just watching her."
5. Moonrise Kingdom
This whole movie is like a neat little package from the 1960s, with symmetry, a consistent color scheme, and an orderly narrative.
6. Almost Famous
William is delightfully Type A, which makes it easy to sympathize with his character's feeling of not belonging among a group of spontaneous rock-and-rollers.
7. Amélie
You might relate to the scene where it says that Amélie's mother likes "to empty her handbag, clean it thoroughly, and, finally, put everything away carefully."
8. Along Came Polly
I realize that the whole point of this movie was to show that Ben Stiller's character needed to loosen up a little bit, but I have to admit I just really liked the intricate throw pillow arrangement on his bed before Polly came along and messed it all up.
9. The Princess Bride
Fairytales typically follow an enjoyably predictable story arc, and this one gets extra points for being framed by the fact that Fred Savage and his grandfather are reading it from an actual book.
10. Cruel Intentions
Yes, Sebastian was awful for most of the movie, but at least he kept a well-organized journal of his awfulness.
11. Grease
This movie is the perfectly-choreographed epitome of the classic storyline "boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back."
12. To Kill A Mockingbird
This movie closely follows the novel by Harper Lee, making it a pleasurable watch for any Type-A personality.
13. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
I'm not saying it would be a great thing to totally wipe someone from your memory, I'm just saying it would be pretty cool to have that kind of mastery over the human brain.
14. Meet the Fockers
Jack and Dina Byrnes are the perfect Type-A foils to Bernie and Roz Focker.
15. Jobs
Ashton Kutcher portrays Steve Jobs, arguably one of the most Type A people who has ever lived.
16. Rounders
This movie about the underground poker world is an engaging watch, both because of Matt Damon's acting and because of the attention to detail about the logistics of the game.
17. Becoming Jane
If you like the romantic yet meticulous works of Jane Austen, you might like this biographical drama about the author, starring Anne Hathaway.
18. Robin Hood
Most classic animated Disney movies follow a pleasantly similar narrative formula, making them dependably entertaining.
19. Experimenter
This recent movie about Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments is both diligently detailed and historically accurate (with the exception of one scene involving a literal elephant in the room).
20. Primal Fear
As opposed to feeling jarring, the twist at the end of this movie is so good that even a Type A viewer who hates surprises will walk away impressed.
21. The Pursuit of Happyness
This movie, which was inspired by a true story, features a protagonist who is a resilient go-getter. And he's as irritated by that misspelling as you are.
When you're finally done checking off everything on your to-do list for the day, wind down with one of this movies. While you can't always protect yourself from the chaotic nature of the outside world, you can keep things under control in your Netflix queue.
Images: Universal, Giphy (12)
