Every CV or resume you see nowadays, all have the hobby section, and as though this is a version that is the most copy-pasted data of all time, you see ‘movies’ or ‘watching movies’ in it, tucked away as they proudly say ‘I’m a movie buff; big fan of Christopher Nolan or Steven Spielberg’s work’.

Run-of-the-mill, you think to yourself, but then again, you should ask yourself; is watching movies a hobby? If yes or no, when watching movies should be considered a hobby? Because the rate at which we consume media, it might as well go down in history as the most practiced hobby of all time, beating out gardening, stamps or coin collecting.  Despite the fact that nobody in history has ever asked the question, we tackle the question nobody needed answered, but wanted to hear it. Is watching movies a hobby?

And if it is a hobby and even if it is not, when watching movies should be considered a hobby? Does it border at three movies a week, or two movies a week? And if you leave the third movie in the middle on a Sunday night, are you legally obliged to remove ‘Watching movies’ from the hobbies section of your resume? Is that even a thing? CV Police? Before this gets out of hand, we’ll answer the question.

Is Watching Movies a Hobby?

Merriam-Webster defines hobby as ‘any activity one does in their spare time, for leisure and relaxation’. By this definition, yes, at first glance, watching movies is something that could be considered a hobby. I mean, if you do it on the weekends and after getting home from work, and watching movies relaxes you down and you feel good after watching them, then, yes watching movies might be a hobby.

But there is a problem with this definition; more specifically, the interpretation of this definition.  See, when people say they like gardening, they like all of it. I mean, if people who just liked looking at flowers and trees all day long could claim gardening as their hobby, hell, we all might be horticulturists of some sorts. But no, here’s the kicker. People who genuinely like gardening as a hobby like it all.

From buying the seeds, to sowing them, to watering them and weeding them, they love doing it all. Of course, they also encounter the creepy-crawlies during this, but they consider this part of their hobby, and do not shirk away from it. They accept it as part of their hobby. Secondly, they only do it in their free time, and when they do it, you can talk to them afterwards about extended warranty or whatever, because they’re usually in a good mood doing it or after it, and are relaxed.

Also Read: Best Hand-to-Hand Combat Movies: A Definitive List

Some take it too literally; after a shouting match or a big fight, people like to storm out and go sit in a lawn, go play with Legos or go out for a drive. Stop and ask them about their hobbies, and after a prompt ‘What the hell do you care’, the most likely answer would be the activity they are doing at that moment. So, hobbies are a way of relaxing, and only done when there is some free time. Using this analogy, lets take the watching-movies-as-a-hobby trope. Half of the people who list watching movies as a hobby hate a particular director, genre or comic book movie.

They call themselves movie buffs, but then say they like Marvel but shun Batman away because its too overrated and dark. Or they might say that comic book movies altogether are for someone from The Big Bang Theory or The IT Crowd fandom and persuasion, and that Batman or Joker haven’t really contributed to the entertainment and cultural zeitgeist of this era, when numbers prove they are wrong. 

So, for movie-watching to be a hobby, a. one needs to stop talking about the biases they have against different genres, directors or studios, because if you have a hobby, you like all parts of it, and not just the ones where there is all action and no talk. And b. if you watch movies and forget to do your laundry, feed your cat or call back your friend, well then, you’re just killing time. Movie watching isn’t then a hobby, its an escape from the monotonous and dreary life we all try to escape from.

And there is a considerable difference between enjoying a hobby and killing the time; something as basic and noticeable as your posture can differentiate between someone who likes to collect coins or someone who’s been asked, rather forcefully, to count out coins so they may pay the DMV or the court for the fine they’ve been slapped with.

When Watching Movies Should Be Considered a Hobby?

Like we’ve established beforehand, there is a noticeable difference between hobby and killing the time. From your slouched shoulders, bent back and expressionless face, one can easily assume if you like watching movies or are just watching a re-run of Iron Man because your friend bailed on you and now you have nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon except sit around and contemplate your life choices, with some noise in the background.

On the contrary, if watch movies with dedication, unprejudiced in your choice and make sure that nothing important is left behind in work before you fire up Netflix or HBO+, you actually might be right when you type in ‘Watching movies’ in the hobbies section of your CV. Why do people even write that in CVs anyway?

The Final Answer

Watching movies as a hobby depends on the person who’s been asked the question. We’ve established that hobbies require two things; you to enjoy it completely along with all of its negatives and whatnot, and secondly it must not impede your daily routine or the work you’re supposed to do. So, with that being said yes, movies are considered a hobby, and no watching movies is not a hobby.

If you like movies regardless of their director, studio, genre or casting choices, watch even the boring parts with equal interest and make it a point to not watch it when you’re busy or have some chores to do, yes, watching movies will then be considered a hobby. If you only like mystery and drama, and don’t like the rom-coms or the comic book action movies, and watch movies a s an escape from life rather than as something you genuinely enjoy, sorry. You must take movie-watching out of the hobbies section of your CV. That’s all there is to say about it.