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I think there are many, many plots. Probably an infinite amount. What there is in limited quantity is motivation that we find interesting. But even if there are only 36 plots there is still a lot of leeway in presenting those plots in interesting ways.
What I think gets me is if you are going to cover very well-trod territory with a story, you should provide some reason for it to be worth revisiting since the last time someone did. I don't really have a problem with a remake of Psycho (it could be good and if it isn't oh well) but I do have a problem with a shot-for-shot remake as it seems to have no point except to say that a modern audience can't properly appreciate it unless you replace Janet Leigh with Anne Heche and Anthony Perkins with Vince Vaughn (remember when he did dramatic work too?).
Essentially I'm looking for some originality in a movie. If it isn't in plot, hopefully it is in character, or in mood, or in some interesting interpretation of the standard plot, or in the style of filmmaking. Plot is huge, so if you go with a very worn chestnut then you are at a bit of a disadvantage in finding room for creative expansion but it isn't impossible. As I said in the review, Cars is almost exactly, plot point for plot point, the same story as Doc Hollywood. And yet it is much better because it creates more interesting characters. But if it hadn't done that or found some other area for growth then simply being a knock-off of a B movie would have been a problem.
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