Romantic and/or Comedic movies -
Frequently the popular romantic comedies play to the lowest common denominator. Sometimes that works, but frequently it doesn't. These are movies that made the quirks work, through some blend of chemistry, writing or just plain charm. In no particular order.
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- DirectorRichard CurtisStarsHugh GrantMartine McCutcheonLiam NeesonFollows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.Despite the couple of clunky bits, the rest of the movie really shines.
- DirectorMarc WebbStarsZooey DeschanelJoseph Gordon-LevittGeoffrey ArendAfter being dumped by the girl he believes to be his soulmate, hopeless romantic Tom Hansen reflects on their relationship to try and figure out where things went wrong and how he can win her back.Working through someone else's romantic disappointment has never been as much fun as this.
- DirectorSheree FolksonStarsKelly MacdonaldDavid TennantAlice EveWhen the world's media descend on the remote Scottish island where a Hollywood actress is attempting to get married, a local girl is hired as a decoy bride to put the paparazzi off the scent.Completely preposterous and yet utterly charming.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsEwan McGregorEmily BluntAmr WakedA fisheries expert is approached by a consultant to help realize a sheik's vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert and embarks on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible possible.The word "lovely" perfectly describes this movie.
- DirectorClare KilnerStarsDermot MulroneyDebra MessingJack DavenportSingle-girl anxiety causes Kat Ellis to hire a male escort to pose as her boyfriend at her sister's wedding. Her plan, an attempt to dupe her ex-fiancé, who dumped her a couple years prior, proves to be her undoing.Shouldn't work, does. I blame Dermot Mulroney.
- DirectorEmile ArdolinoStarsPatrick SwayzeJennifer GreyJerry OrbachSpending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle.It's a classic for a reason.
- DirectorMichael HoffmanStarsMichelle PfeifferGeorge ClooneyMae WhitmanThe lives of two strangers and their young children unexpectedly intersect on one hectic, stressful day in New York City.The very real hectic every day craziness of parenting crashing into the fizzy sparks of attraction. Crazily contrived, but fun.
- DirectorGurinder ChadhaStarsParminder NagraKeira KnightleyJonathan Rhys MeyersTwo ambitious girls, despite their parents' wishes, have their hearts set on careers in professional football.Should be considered an homage to the virtues of hard work and not compromising who you really are. Plus Jonathan Rhys Meyers!
- DirectorNicole KassellStarsKate HudsonGael García BernalKathy BatesAn irreverent young woman who uses her humor to prevent matters from getting serious has a life-changing visit with her doctor.Some lovely performances in what should be a melancholy movie, but isn't.
- DirectorMark PalanskyStarsChristina RicciJames McAvoyReese WitherspoonA modern romantic tale about a young aristocratic heiress born under a curse that can only be broken when she finds true love with "one who will accept her as one of their own."Definitely whimsical, absolutely sweet and funny.
- DirectorLee KirkStarsJenna FischerChris MessinaTopher GraceAn offbeat romantic comedy about a silver-painted street performer and the soft spoken zoo worker who falls for him.Off beat and introspective. A quiet little gem of a movie.
- DirectorPeter HowittStarsGwyneth PaltrowJohn HannahJohn LynchAfter personal and professional setbacks, a woman experiences an alternate reality.If you don't fall in love with John Hannah's character, romances might not be for you.
- DirectorTim SullivanStarsRichard E. GrantSamantha MathisJudi DenchA young American woman becomes a nanny in the home of a recent British widower.A trifle, but a really nice one.
- DirectorWill GluckStarsMila KunisJustin TimberlakePatricia ClarksonA young man and woman decide to take their friendship to the next level without becoming a couple, but soon discover that adding sex only leads to complications.I still don't know why I like this movie, but I really, really do. The chemistry between the leads was completely realistic for me.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsMichael DouglasAnnette BeningMartin SheenA widowed U.S. President running for reelection and an environmental lobbyist fall in love. It's all above-board, but "politics is perception," and sparks fly anyway.One of those movies I have to watch every time it comes on.
- DirectorOliver ParkerStarsRupert EverettColin FirthFrances O'ConnorIn 1890s London, two friends use the same pseudonym ("Ernest") for their on-the-sly activities. Hilarity ensues.Oscar Wilde's material is a true treat in the hands of Firth and Everett.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsJulie AndrewsJames GarnerRobert PrestonA struggling female soprano in 1934 Paris finally finds work after posing as a female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life when a visiting Chicago gangster finds himself inexplicably attracted to the seemingly male performer.Of all the reasons to love Julie Andrews, this is my favorite.
- DirectorChester ErskineStarsClaudette ColbertFred MacMurrayMarjorie MainOn their wedding night, Bob reveals to Betty that he has purchased an abandoned chicken farm. Betty struggles to adapt to their new rural lifestyle, especially when a glamorous neighbor seems to set her eyes on Bob.
- DirectorJonathan NewmanStarsMartin FreemanMandy MooreJonathan SilvermanA suburban couple decide to shake up their marriage by "swinging" with another couple.
- DirectorJeremiah S. ChechikStarsJohnny DeppMary Stuart MastersonAidan QuinnA mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsJuliet StevensonAlan RickmanJenny HoweA woman dealing with inconsolable grief over the death of her partner gets another chance when he returns to earth as a ghost.Bittersweet and beautiful.
- DirectorPhyllida LloydStarsMeryl StreepPierce BrosnanAmanda SeyfriedThe story of a bride-to-be trying to find her real father told using hit songs by the popular 1970s group ABBA.I could spend half an hour enumerating the flaws in this movie. But every time I watch it I end up grinning like a crazy woman.
- DirectorChris NoonanStarsJames CromwellMagda SzubanskiChristine CavanaughGentle farmer Arthur Hoggett wins a piglet Babe at a county fair. Narrowly escaping his fate as Christmas dinner, Babe bonds with motherly border collie Fly and discovers that he too can herd sheep. But will the other animals accept him?Is there a purer love than that between a man and his pig? Not than the one between these two.
- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsLogan LermanEmma WatsonEzra MillerCharlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.Not so much a romance, but I love it, the story and the characters.
- DirectorJennifer WestfeldtStarsJennifer WestfeldtAdam ScottMaya RudolphTwo best friends decide to have a child together while keeping their relationship platonic, so they can avoid the toll kids can take on romantic relationships.Who knew Adam Scott could be a heart throb? I mean his character is a bit of a douche, but he grows on you. The ending kills me every time.
- DirectorWalter LangStarsSpencer TracyKatharine HepburnGig YoungTwo extremely strong personalities clash over the computerization of a television network's research department.For me, this one summed up why these two made such fun movies. It's a bit of fluff that hides all the beautiful precision of their craft so smoothly you don't even notice it.
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsPauline CollinsTom ContiJulia McKenzieShirley is a 42-year-old bored Liverpudlian housewife who takes a holiday trip to Greece and meets a local man who bolsters her self-confidence. She evolves and transforms to the point that her husband doesn't even recognize her.Really a movie about learning to love yourself cloaked in a rom/com.
- DirectorRobert MulliganStarsAlan AldaEllen BurstynIvan BonarA married man and a married woman end up sleeping with each other, and decide to meet at the same place every year on the anniversary of their one night stand. As the years go by, they observe changes in each other and their relationship.
- DirectorAlejandro AgrestiStarsKeanu ReevesSandra BullockChristopher PlummerA lonely doctor who once occupied an unusual lakeside house begins to exchange love letters with its former resident, a frustrated architect. They must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.Yeah, yeah, I know! But I liked it and the mood of the movie stuck with for quite a while. I found I enjoyed it more on subsequent viewings.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsSally FieldJames GarnerBrian KerwinEmma moves to a ranch with her son after a divorce and befriends the older Murphy, but things turn complicated when her ex shows up.James Garner, sexy at any age.
- DirectorTony GoldwynStarsDiane LaneViggo MortensenBobby BorielloThe world of a young housewife is turned upside down when she has an affair with a free-spirited blouse salesman.
- DirectorRandall MillerStarsRobert CarlyleMarisa TomeiMary SteenburgenA widowed man's life turns upside down when he embarks on a journey to find a dying man's long lost love.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsKatharine HepburnCary GrantCharles RugglesWhile trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist is pursued by a flighty and often irritating heiress and her pet leopard, Baby.Some movies define their genres, this is one that really helped kick off the whip crack fast, dialog driven romantic comedy that we know and love today.
- DirectorDavid MackayStarsElisabeth HarnoisClea DuVallSean Patrick FlaneryAn artist gets a job at a beachside sandwich shop, where she hangs out with a techie, a flirt, a rocker, a hippie, and a Wiccan.Again, a fairly predictable romp with a group of oddballs. But it was fun and had Jensen Ackles not killing monsters.
- DirectorJames KeachStarsChris PineAnjali JayEddie Kaye ThomasA young blind man (Pine) thinks he's found love with an Indian woman (Jay) though their relationship is fraught with cultural differences.A silly, silly movie. But a glimpse of why Chris Pine goes on to be successful.
- DirectorDylan KiddStarsLaura LinneyTopher GraceMarcia Gay HardenAn unfulfilled divorced woman gets the chance to relive her past when she meets a young man who appears to be her high school sweetheart who died many years before.Laura Linney. No one does winsome and damaged better.
- DirectorJohn CarneyStarsGlen HansardMarkéta IrglováHugh WalshA modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.No happy ending but a glorious soundtrack and beautiful, heartfelt performances.
- DirectorJonathan LynnStarsBill NighyEmily BluntRupert GrintA hit-man tries to retire but a beautiful thief may change his plans.Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt? Charming.