Romantic Movies: Clueless

Image via WikipediaClueless is one of my favorite romantic movies because it combines two favorite genres in one: romance and teen movies. It also gets bonus points for being a stylish '90s update of the classic Jane Austen story, Emma.

This movie proves some things are eternal. Like in Austen's day, meddling friends, devotion to fashion, showing off for the object of our affection and falling in love for the first time are part and parcel of growing up. But in this case, the spot-on teenage lingo creates a fresh and delightful take on an old story. And when you add in the very specific wardrobe of richie-rich Beverly Hills teens, you have a perfect snapshot of love in a specific place in time. Most of us probably didn't have quite as much privilege and wealth while growing up as the characters in Clueless, but that doesn't matter. You can pile as many designer mini-skirts, BMWs and mansions into a story as you want, but love will always be universal.

In my opinion, Clueless would be half the movie it is without Alicia Silverstone playing the lead character, Cher. She manages to be beautiful to look at while revealing flaws that could be too obnoxious to bear in a lot of other people. Silverstone's innate charm caused her character to nearly float around on energetic, un-self-conscious self-involvement. And her own personal inexperience factored into the mix when she mistakenly pronounced "Haitians" as "Hate-ee-uns" during filming and director Amy Heckerling left it in the movie. It's just that type of vulnerability that made her well-suited for the part.

The rest of the cast is accomplished, too. Paul Rudd is the perfect choice as Cher's tormentor and the undersung Dan Hedaya plays the part of her dad to a tee. Stacy Dash also convinces us she's gleefully self-involved, as does bad boy Jeremy Sisto. Together, these accomplished actors; which also included Brittany Murphy, Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer, Justin Walker, Wallace Shawn and Twink Kaplan; created a classic romantic movie that has every right to sit proudly beside any of the other adaptations of Jane Austen's work.

Here's the trailer:

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Romantic Movies: Tootsie

Image via Wikipedia

In honor of the passing of Sydney Pollack on May 26, 2008 at 73, I thought I'd write about the first movie I ever saw him in: Tootsie.

Why am I including a comedy in a blog about romantic movies? Because the twisted love story between Dustin Hoffman's character Michael Dorsey and Jessica Lange's character Julie Nichols was one of the better-crafted romantic plots ever put on film. It takes a lot of skill to put a man in a dress, have a woman fall in love with him in spite of his cross-dressing and then have her forgive him when she finds out that the woman who made her worry she was a lesbian was a man after all.

One of my favorite scenes from the movie deals with this ambiguity and features Sydney Pollack as Michael Dorsey's agent, George Fields. In trying to understand why Michael was on the brink of desperation, he ran through a variety of questions about his and other people's genders that you have to see to really appreciate. His comedic timing was impeccable -- especially since he didn't even want to play the role. Hoffman begged him repeatedly to play his agent before production began, but Pollack still refused. So Dustin took to sending him flowers every day with a note that read, "Please be my agent. Love, Dorothy." Eventually Pollack caved in and he agreed to take the role.

A clever and well-written script, plus stellar performances by Sydney Pollack, Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange are just some of many reasons to see this movie if you never have or to take another look if you've seen it before. Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman and Charles Durning also were great, and Bill Murray's performance is not to be missed. (He ad-libbed most of his lines.) This reliable comedy is great to have on the shelf, because you know if you need a laugh, it won't disappoint.

Here's Sydney Pollack being brilliant as the agent in Tootsie:


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Romantic Movies: Spanglish

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If you're not an Adam Sandler fan, put your prejudice aside as you read this review of the very romantic movie, Spanglish. The reason I say that is because this isn't your usual Adam Sandler role. From what I understand, the character Sandler plays in Spanglish is actually much more like his true personality than the usual goofball we see on screen. If that's the case, Sandler is probably someone we'd all want to know.

But just because Sandler embodies a more toned down version of his usual movie persona, that doesn't mean Spanglish isn't funny. It is. And it gets even funnier with repeated viewings. After all, it was written by Sandler's real-life neighbor James L. Brooks who also brought Jerry McGuire and As Good as It Gets to the screen.

Spanglish also stars the underrated Téa Leoni, who in my opinion is the best female physical comedian since Lucille Ball. In fact, I dare say that Leoni brings a subtlety to her work that Ball didn't have. (See her in Woody Allen's Hollywood Endings for another chance to experience how talented she is.)

Sandler and Leoni are also joined by a stellar cast, which includes the radiant Paz Vega in her first American movie. To get an idea of how amazing she was in this role, consider that the non-English-speaking Vega learned the language right alongside her character. I can't imagine what it was like to star in a movie and not even know the language. Don't try this at home, kids!

Also lending considerable talent to the project was Cloris Leachman of Mary Tyler Moore fame. Like Leoni, her performance has a subtlety that comes from a marriage of experience and natural comedic ability. Her boozy but still very sympathetic character couldn't have been pulled off by too many actresses. And the three children in the movie, played by Sarah Steele, Ian Hyland and Victoria Luna, weren't just there to fill space. Each delivered a totally professional performance that added to the whole.

If I were pressed to condense this review to a cliché consisting of just a few words, I would probably call Spanglish a story about a love triangle. But that wouldn't do at all because there are triangles intersecting triangles and various other shapes in this movie, with a little salsa and nouvelle cuisine thrown on top for good measure. In the end, this movie defies description; that's one of its great surprises.

Here's the trailer:

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Romantic Movies: The Lake House

Image via WikipediaThere's just something so romantic about unrequited love or a romance that's denied the right to flourish for one reason or another. That's probably a pretty sick perspective, but it's true -- at least for me.

This is one of the reasons that The Lake House (a remake of the foreign film, Il Mare) is so appealing. These two people try so hard to get together but they're literally separated by a wall of time that pushes them apart, even though they both live in the house designed by Keanu Reeve's character's father. Naturally, this resistance factor makes them want to be together all the more. And as an audience member, you're right there with them -- cheering and hoping everything will somehow work out all right.

But this isn't your everyday romantic movie. There's a complex existential aspect that makes this movie a romance, wrapped in a mystery, wrapped in a 2,000-piece crossword puzzle. As a result, it took at least three viewings for me to unravel the structure and all the ins-and-outs. A lot of work? I suppose. But it was worth it in my estimation.

Without giving away the ending, I'll say that by the time the movie is through, you not only will feel satisfied; you might just have a new respect for the fact that anything is possible. To quote the title of another of Sandra Bullock's movies, there's a certain practical magic going on here. When you watch this movie, you might even feel some of it will rub off on you.

Here's the trailer:

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Romantic Movies: Gone with the Wind

I just couldn't have a blog about romantic movies without mentioning Gone with the Wind. I don't remember whether I read the book or saw the movie first because I've done both so many times.

I'm sure I don't bring anything new to the party by focusing on this particular romantic movie, but I can't help myself. The themes are huge and iconic: love war, infidelity, The Old South, family and love of the land. All those and more are packed into just under four hours. It's like The Jerry Springer Show with hoop skirts and a side of crack cocaine to keep the energy level up.

One of the things I love most about old movies like this is that the surroundings start out so beautiful, then move into ruin and decay and are restored to beauty again. Somewhere during that journey in Gone with the Wind, however, you start to realize that beauty is relative. Scarlett, played by the lovely English actress Vivien Leigh, is universally acknowledged as the belle of the county and beyond. But how beautiful is she really? As the movie progresses, she lies, cheats, steals, manipulates and mis-marries. The question is, does Scarlett's long slide into selfishness and depravity make her any less beautiful? I say yes.

For me, her beauty is only restored at the end when she realizes that the man who loved her all along is the man that she loves too. Maybe her luster is restored in my eyes because I also know what it feels like to make the wrong choice where love is concerned. Maybe that's why we all watch romantic movies -- we're all just trying to figure out that thing called love.

Here's the trailer:

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Romantic Movies: Someone to Watch Over Me

Talk about a romantic movie! But then again, if you're a female, the mere presence of Tom Berenger in his 1980s prime makes it romantic.

Someone to Watch Over Me succeeds in the romantic genre because it has some essential contrasts. As with many such movies, the characters in question are thrown together through no choice of their own. In this case, gritty and oh-so-adorable Detective Mike Keegan (played by Berenger) is thrust into the upscale world of crime witness Clare Gregory (played by Mimi Rogers) when he has to protect her before she testifies.

Dutifully waiting at home is Mike's wife, Ellie (played by Lorraine Bracco) and their young son, Tommy (played by Harley Cross). Ellie's no shrinking violet; she's lived as a cop's wife for years and she has no illusions. So it doesn't take her long to figure out that Mike is at the very least fascinated with Clare's upscale Manhattan lifestyle. His fascination soon turns to love, however, when Clare and her night-shift guard Mike spend time together until the wee hours.

I know adultery hurts people. But this film makes it so compelling, it almost makes you glad they're being so naughty. And don't worry, it all works out in the end -- not that there aren't lots of complications in between. There are bad guys galore but, naturally, someone as cute as Berenger just has to win. But to the writer's credit, I'm surprised at the outcome every time I see the movie.

Even though there's a lot of action, this is definitely a romantic movie. If you're a romantic movies fan, this is one you won't want to miss!

Here's the trailer:

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Why Romantic Movies?

Image via WikipediaRomantic movies are often sold on at least the possibility of "the great kiss" between two famous movie stars, making the viewers wish they could be kissed like that. They're usually also filled with plots in which the guy doesn't give up until he gets the girl (or the guy gets the guy or the girl gets the girl) and they live happily ever after. This formula works because who doesn’t dream of their Prince or Princess Charming at some time in their lives? Romantic movies externalize that desire and project it onto the big screen.

Even if you have a less than perfect love life, you can always experience the thrill of romance by going to a theater or by popping in a DVD in the privacy of your own home. It's amazing how satisfying that can be.

This blog is all about giving you choices in romantic movies. To get you started, we have a list of 100 romantic films, which is linked to yet another list that contains over a hundred more. And each of our reviews contains the original trailer for the movie. When that's not available, we include the best video compilation we can find so you can get an idea of what the movie is like before you rent or buy it.

So put your feet up, get a cup of coffee and have fun perusing this collection of romantic movies. You might just find it inspirational!

100 Romantic Movies

These 100 romantic movies are in no particular order. They're just what I consider to be the best romantic movies. I certify them to be romantic! But that doesn't mean they're all hearts and flowers. Some of them are tales of obsessive and not-too-healthy love. Yet even those manage to at least inform and, in some cases, inspire.

At the bottom of the page is a link to even more romantic movies. As extensive as these lists are, some of your favorites might have been left off. If you have a favorite romantic movie that's missing, please leave a comment to let me know and I'll add it.

Click the "Read review" links to read my reviews.

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Click here to see even more romantic movies!