With Valentine's Day 2005 falling on a Monday, most couples will be celebrating over the weekend. So what's there to do with your sweetie on the actual holiday? Why not snuggle up at home with a couple of good romantic dvds.
To help you out, I've put together a list compiling top romantic films in a variety of genres and subjects. The titles are clickable links that will enable you to order them from Amazon.com for home delivery, but most of these films should also be available in your favorite video store.
I hope you enjoy these films with your significant other, and I welcome your suggestions and comments in the forums.
Romantic Comedy:
Along Came Polly -- Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston prove that not only can opposites attract, but the differences can make the romance more exciting in this newly released dvd
Jerry McGuire -- Who could forget Renee Zellweger uttering "You had me at hello"? This endearing romance sparked the catch phrase that millions said...not to mention it gave every woman the dream that she, too, could land Tom Cruise
Sleepless In Seattle -- A recently engaged woman (Meg Ryan) hears the sad story of a grieving widower (Tom Hanks) on the radio and believes that they're destined to be together. She's single in New York, he lives in Seattle with a young son, but the cross-country attraction proves irresistible...and so is this film
Romantic Drama:
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind -- Kate Winslet is nominated for an Oscar this year for her role in this unusual love story. Jim Carrey is the man who want to forget her, but then realizes he doesn't want to let go of the memories. This is a delightfully different film about love.
Ghost -- Patrick Swayze is the ghost in question who continues to love Demi Moore, even after death. Touching and poignant, you'll want to hold each other close. Co-star Whoopi Goldberg won an Oscar for her role as the medium who reunites the two. This film also sparked a huge interest in clay.
The Notebook -- This old-fashioned tearjerker appears to be about two unrelated couples, but it's really a touching ode to endless love. Ryan Goesling and Rachel McAdams play the younger couple; James Garner and Gena Rowlands play the elder in this film adaptation of the best-selling novel.
First Love:
A Walk To Remember -- This touching love story stars Mandy Moore and Shane West as two teenagers who think they're miles apart in life. She's the pastor's daughter and he's the cool jock, but circumstances give them the chance to get to know each other and fall in love. Based on the bestselling novel, this bittersweet film about first love and first loss won't leave a dry eye in the house.
50 First Dates -- Imagine if you had to get someone to fall in love with you every day for the rest of your lives together. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore reteam for this delightful comedy about how far someone will go to get the person of their dreams...even if they have to do it endlessly.
Never Been Kissed -- Drew Barrymore stars as Josie Geller, aka "Gross-y Josie", a newspaper copy editor that gets an assignment to go undercover at a local high school as a student. Forced to relive teen angst, the geeky Josie invents a new "cool" identity for herself but finds that everything she wanted in school isn't necessarily what she thought it would be. Along the way, she falls for her teacher (Michael Vartan), but can't tell him because he thinks she's 17. David Arquette as her brother adds a zany touch. A hilarious journey through life's first love that will have you reliving your own.
Weddings:
My Best Friend's Wedding -- Julia Roberts and her best friend/former lover (Dermot Mulroney) from her college days made a binding pact: if neither of them were married by the age of 28, they'd marry each other. When he arrives near the deadline with a fiancée (Cameron Diaz) in tow, she realizes she has just three short days to sabotage the wedding and marry the man she now realizes she's loved all along.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding --This is the tale of Greek-American Toula (Nia Vardalos), who falls for a WASPy guy named Ian (John Corbett) and then has to endure the outrage, doubt, and ultimate acceptance of her deeply ethnically centered family. What could be a stereotypical "fish out of water" type of romance thrives because the characters are delightful despite their flaws.
The Wedding Singer -- Adam Sandler is the quintessential 80's wedding singer who falls for a waitress played by Drew Barrymore. Only one problem...she's engaged to someone else. You probably know how this one ends, but the journey there is a lot of fun.
Remember the 80's:
Dirty Dancing -- Set in the 1960's, Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) has been vacationing in the Catskills with her family for many years. One summer, she falls under the sway of dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). You'll have the time of your life watching the pampered Baby and the rough-edged Johnny fall in love.
Pretty In Pink -- When it comes to teen romance films in the 80's, nobody did it better than Molly Ringwald. Ringwald's poor girl falls for the rich boy (Andrew McCarthy), failing to notice her best friend, Duckie (the hilarious Jon Cryer) has secretly yearned for her. This film is worth watching for Duckie alone, and it's hard not to root for him to win the battle for her heart.
Top Gun -- Who didn't want to be Kelly McGillis being serenaded by Tom Cruise in the Navy bar? This film had the military action for the guys and women had the love story between Maverick and his flight instructor, Charlie. The perfect timeless date movie.
Teen Love: [these are fun for adults, too]
Clueless -- Alecia Silverstone broke out in this role of a spoiled rich teenager who finds the love of her life has been under her nose the entire time. As if!! The supporting cast includes Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd.
She's All That -- Zach (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), the smart, popular jock in school is dumped by his witchy girlfriend right before prom. He bets his friends he can turn anyone into a suitable replacement for the dance...so his friends pick the brainy, artistic outcast Laney. A nice mix of teen love and high school satire, this film is utterly charming.
10 Things I Hate About You -- An updated retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, this film centers on two sisters raised by their single dad. The youngest, Bianca, wants to date, but the eldest, Kat (a well-cast Julia Stiles), wants nothing to do with the opposite sex. When dad says Bianca can date, but only if Kat does first, Bianca's suitor pays the tough guy in school (Heath Ledger) to woo Kat. The oil and water combo of the two takes a few shakes to gel, but it's fun watching him try to break through Kat's layers of defense.
Musical:
Grease -- Who could forget star-crossed lovers, Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), along with their friends, The T-Birds and the Pink Ladies? Set in the fifties, this timeless story of love between two high schoolers is as fresh today as when it was released almost thirty years ago. You'll be hopelessly devoted.
Moulin Rouge -- Baz Luhrmann has created a brightly colored whimsical film that's both absurd and compelling. Cast against type, Ewan McGregor (as the penniless writer Christian) and Nicole Kidman (as the courtesan Satine) make you long for the union of the two as they sing and dance their hearts out. Even with the melancholy ending, this film shows that all you need is love.
West Side Story -- Based on a smash Broadway play updating Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the 1950s era of juvenile delinquency, the film stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as the star-crossed lovers from different neighborhoods. With high energy dance numbers, this is considered by many to be one of the best musicals ever.
Classic:
Casablanca -- This 1942 classic takes place in war-torn Casablanca and tells the tale of mysterious nightclub owner (Humphrey Bogart) and his old Flame (Ingrid Bergman), her husband, and other skeletons from his past. Considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, this dvd version has been remastered to pristine condition and loaded with many interesting extras.
Doctor Zhivago -- Omar Sharif and Julie Christie star in this love story set against the backdrop of a early-1900's revolutionary Russia. Directed by David Lean, the imagery is lush and the story is poignant.
Gone With The Wind -- Set on the plantation known as Tara, Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable created one of the most memorable couples in cinematic history as Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. Though shot in 1939, the dvd version has been remastered so the film doesn't show any signs of aging. Frankly my dear, you'll give a damn about this civil war love story.
Epic:
Legends of the Fall -- Brad Pitt stars as Tristan, the middle of three brothers being raised by their fiercely independent Montana rancher and military veteran father (Anthony Hopkins). Tristan and his older brother Alfred (Aidan Quinn) both lose their heart to the same woman, and the ensuing conflict rages from WWI to the Prohibition era. Lushly shot, this intricate story will sweep you in.
Out of Africa -- This 1985 multiple-Oscar winner is a sumptuous and emotionally satisfying film about the life of Danish writer Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep), better known as Isak Dinesen, who travels to Kenya to be with her German husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer) but falls for an English adventurer (Robert Redford). The film is slow in developing the relationship, but it is rich in beautiful images of Africa and in the romantic tone surrounding Blixen's gradual discovery of her life and voice.
Titanic -- Many thought a movie about a romance aboard the doomed Titanic would sink faster than the ship did. But as starving artist Jack Dawson and soon-to-be-married socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet won the hearts of viewers around the world, and their brief but never-forgotten love affair made this one of the biggest films of all time. It also won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture.
Historical:
Cold Mountain -- Adapted from Charles Frazier's beloved bestseller, Cold Mountain boasts an impeccable pedigree as a respectable Civil War love story, offering everything you'd want from a romantic epic. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law star as the lovers who are torn apart by the war. He vows to return to her no matter what. There is also a sweet sub-love story involving Renee Zellweger's Ruby and a traveling minstrel played by Jack White of the band White Stripes. This film was nominated for several Oscars, including a Best Picture and a win for Zellweger.
Sense & Sensibility -- Emma Thompson scores a double bullseye with this marvelous adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. Not only does Thompson turn in a strong (and gently humorous) performance as one of the Dashwood sisters--the one with "sense"--she also wrote the witty, wise screenplay. Austen's tale of 19th-century manners and morals also stars Kate Winslet as Thompson's deeply romantic sister who attracts the wooing of shy Alan Rickman (a nice change of pace from his bad-guy roles) and dashing Greg Wise. Thompson, meanwhile, must endure an incredibly roundabout courtship with Hugh Grant, here in fine and funny form.
Somewhere in Time -- In his first film after the star-making success of Superman, Christopher Reeve stars as a contemporary playwright who visits a posh hotel and sees the portrait of an actress (Jane Seymour) who had performed there in 1912. He becomes obsessed with this beautiful woman and learns all he can about her, and then discovers a method of hypnotically transporting himself backward in time to meet her. Since its release in 1980, this film has become a three-hankie staple for the Harlequin romance set.
Animated Love:
Beauty & the Beast -- The only animated feature to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, Beauty and the Beast remains the yardstick by which all other animated films should be measured. When Belle's father inadvertently offends the Beast (a prince whose heart is too hard to love anyone besides himself), she boldly takes her father's place, imprisoned in the Beast's gloomy mansion. Naturally, Belle teaches the Beast to love in this classic film.
Lady & The Tramp -- This 1955 film tells the story of a rakish, street-smart dog named Tramp, who helps an aristocratic pooch named Lady out of some trouble and then falls in love with her. You'll never look at a romantic spaghetti dinner the same.
Shrek 2 -- The original film, detailing the courtship between the ogre Shrek and the damsel-in-distress he rescues, was a hilarious romantic classic. This sequel is even better. Now that they're wed, Shrek must meet Princess Fiona's parents. The king disapproves and works with the Fairy Godmother to get Fiona to fall in love with someone else. Sweet, funny, touching and with a solid message to love yourself, this is a great romantic family classic.
They got the Hook Up:
Brown Sugar -- One of 2002's most underrated films, Brown Sugar offers a love story between Dre (Taye Diggs) and Sidney (Sanaa Lathan), longtime friends (they meet as kids in a 1984 flashback) currently in relationships with other people. The costars have delightful chemistry, and it's interesting the way the story draws a parallel between Dre and Sidney's evolving relationship and the evolution of hip-hop music from urban roots to dubious mainstream acceptance.
Deliver Us From Eva -- Another variation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, the film begins when Ray (LL Cool J) accepts a $5,000 challenge to seduce Eva (Gabrielle Union), an alleged man-hater who dominates her three sisters and the men in their lives. This smart and sassy adaptation throws in enough curves to make Ray and Eva eventual relationship richer and more mature than most romantic comedies would bother to allow.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back -- Based on Terry McMillan's bestselling novel, the film stars Angela Bassett as a 40-year-old, Manhattan stock trader and single mom whose static life gets a jolt during a vacation with her pal (Whoopi Goldberg) in Jamaica when she meets a 20-year-old stud (Taye Diggs) with a lot of sexual energy to burn. This film is hot and sexy, with proof love transcends age differences.
Love at Any Age:
The Bridges of Madison County -- Clint Eastwood was an unusual and (as it turned out) perceptive choice to direct and costar in this lush adaptation of Robert James Waller's phenomenally bestselling novel. Meryl Streep costars as Francesca, the lonely Iowa farmer's wife who is instantly attracted to Robert (Eastwood), the photographer from National Geographic who is in the area to photograph the bridges along Iowa's rural roadways. The ending is bittersweet, but this touching romance will stay with you.
Something's Gotta Give -- Proving you can laugh about love, an aging lothario (Jack Nicholson) who's always dated younger women falls for a successful middle-aged playwright (Diane Keaton) who's convinced she's past the age of romance, much less sexual re-awakening. Fine performances also abound by the Amanda Peet, as the younger woman -- and daughter to Keaton's character -- and Keanu Reeves as the doctor smitten with Keaton.
Rebounding From Love:
Under The Tuscan Sun -- After a brutal divorce, Frances (Diane Lane) is persuaded by her friend Patti (Sandra Oh) to take a tour of Italy--where, on a whim that she hopes will rescue her from her desperate unhappiness, she buys a rundown villa and sets out to renovate it. As she encounters a host of interesting neighbors, she finds a reawakened passion within herself and realizes that love comes in many forms.
Waiting To Exhale -- On the other side of the broken heart coin, sometimes you just want to torch his car instead of run away. Based on a novel by Terry McMillan, this weepy melodrama about four African American women and the men who wronged them became an instant cultural phenomenon when it was released back in 1995, with strong performances by Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, and Lela Rochon.
Ensemble Films:
The Big Chill -- The film opens as a cluster of old college radicals--who have since gone on to sundry professions and various degrees of materialism--reunite over the death of a friend. Both playful and thoughtful, the film offers varied looks at love, both romantic and otherwise. It's heartwarming and bittersweet, and offers a first class cast including Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Tom Berenger, Jobeth Williams, William Hurt, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly and Jeff Goldblum.
Love Actually -- Though this film is set at Christmas, the many relationships explored by a loosely connected group of Brits is both funny and poignant. From new love to forbidden love to love with complications, you'll enjoy the depth of the characters' involvement with one another. This ensemble cast is also first rate, including Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney and Kiera Knightly.
St Elmo's Fire -- The acclaimed 80s Brat Pack (Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevan, Judd Nelson, etc.) star as a bunch of friends exploring life and love post-college. Though some of the characters seem to be stereotypes, the performances really carry this film.
Indie/Arthouse:
Frida -- Mexican artist Frida Kahlo did everything in her life with extreme passion, including love. Ths biography, with Selma Hayek producing and starring, follows Frida's controversial life from her teens until her death, focusing on the years spent with her unfaithful husband, muralist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), and touching on her brief affairs with both men and women. The superb cast includes Roger Rees, Valeria Golino, Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Antonio Banderas, and Edward Norton.
Sid & Nancy -- Oi! This biographaphical film chronicles the relationship between Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman) of the Sex Pistols and his American love Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). Set against the world of the late 70's UK punk scene, this film is loud, brash, abrasive, painful, funny, and utterly brilliant.
Gay/Lesbian:
All Over the Guy -- Eli (Dan Bucatinsky) and Tom (Richard Ruccolo), are thrown together by their respective "straight" best friends. They're both looking for 'the one,' but don't recognize it when they find it and do everything they can to not fall for each other. The snappy dialogue and second burgeoning romance between the best friends rise above the stereotypical "gay" love story.
Kissing Jessica Stein -- Jessica, a romantically frustrated heterosexual copyeditor impulsively answers a personal ad from a bisexual woman. Helen (cowriter Heather Juergensen), who is as relaxed about lesbian love as Jessica is anxious. They click as lovers, and so does the movie's delightful exploration of their budding relationship, which is further complicated by Jessica's yenta-like mother (Tovah Feldshuh) and a former boyfriend (Scott Cohen) who's now Jessica's boss. Blessed by casual charm and sophisticated wit, this film does for same-sex romance what Annie Hall did for straight neurotics.
Love Bollywood Style:
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love -- Not exactly based on the famous book of the same name, this movie explores the life of a young woman named Maya (Indira Varma) who has always been lower on the social scale than her well-born friend Tara (Sarita Choudhury) in 16th century India. She has always lived in Tara's shadow, wearing her used clothes and being made to feel inferior. When Tara is set to marry a Prince, Maya steals his heart and his body before the wedding. Cast out, Maya trains to be a courtesan versed in the ways of the Kama Sutra, and falls for a sculptor. The many romantic triangles are intriguing and the cinematography is visually stunning. A warning: this film is a bit sexually explicit, but it is within the context of the story -- however it is definitely NOT suitable for anyone under 18.
Monsoon Wedding -- Set in India, this film centers on the arranged marriage of a young, upper class, Punjabi woman in Delhi, India, which is a mecca for Punjabis. It then explores the many webs of family, love and heartbreak within the societal customs of the Punjabi. The cast of colourful characters and their relationships make for riveting viewing and the dancing and singing may have you wanting the soundtrack, as well.
Foreign:
Amelie -- The title character (the bashful and impish Audrey Tautou) is a single French waitress who decides to help other lonely people fix their lives. Gradually she realizes her own life needs fixing, and a chance meeting leads to her most elaborate stratagem of all. A very charming film.
Chocolat -- Absorb the abundant sensual pleasures of this French film, be it the heart-stopping smile of chocolatier Juliette Binoche as she greets a new customer, an intoxicating cup of spiced hot cocoa, or the soothing guitar of an Irish gypsy played by Johnny Depp. With more excellent performances by the likes of Alfred Molina, Lena Olin, Dame Judi Dench and Carrie-Anne Moss, this movie reminds you of life's simple pleasures and invites you to enjoy them.
Like Water for Chocolate -- Expect to be very hungry (and perhaps amorous) after watching this contemporary classic about a young Mexican woman (Lumi Cavazos) who learns to suppress her passions under the eye of a stern mother, but channels them into her cooking. The result is a steady stream of cuisine so delicious as to be an almost erotic experience for those lucky enough to have a bite.
You and your sweetie should be able to agree on something from above list. If you have a favorite romantic film that I didn't list, talk about it in the forums.
I wish you all a wonderfully romantic day.
