Romantic-Comedy Movies
Okay – well my brother and I were arguing about Love, Actually. I still plan on going through his movie list, but it got me thinking. Rom-Coms are not really my cup of tea for the most part. Anything with advertising like, ‘Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as you’ve seen them over and over before’ turns me off. Ditto Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, or Reese Witherspoon playing the plucky yet vulnerable woman wanting a man to complete her life. Bleck. But I was trying to think of romantic comedies I actually enjoyed.
To wit:
Shakespeare in Love. I think of this as a drama, but some people list it as a comedy. It’s brilliant.
Much ado about nothing. Emma Thompson is awesome.
Sense and Sensibility. Ditto.
Four Weddings and a Funeral. If only for the line, “Scarlet you’re blind. She looks like a meringue.”
Emma.
Little women (does this count? I don’t really think of it that way, but I guess it could qualify)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind. Again, more a drama, but totally, totally brilliant.
I’ve only seen it once, but 10 things I Hate About You is probably the best of the high school genre, thanks to the updating of the Taming of the Shrew.
Garden State was cute and big for college students, if not as smart as Eternal Sunshine
I liked Playing by Heart, mostly for the Jon Stewart/Gillian Anderson and Angelina Jolie/Ryan Phillipe lines.
There are a few I’ve seen that were alright, but they aren’t anything I’d ever watch again: Chocolat, Kate and Leopold (Meg Ryan bugs me, but Hugh Jackman makes up for it), Dirty Dancing, Groundhog day, Ever After, An Ideal Husband, hearts and souls (granted, I was about 10 when I saw that), Benny and Joon, Down with Love, (I had to poke around on a few sites to remember a lot of these). Hmm… Big Fish? More of a drama. Moulin Rouge is a brilliant romance, but in no way would I classify it as a comedy. Annie Hall is brilliant, but I don’t know that I’d see it again. When Harry met Sally is classic, but I never thought it was AMAZING.
The Philadelphia Story. Not what I expected, but really lovely. Bringing up baby, too. (“I was born on the side of a hill!”)
Princess Bride. Well, duh.
(Most annoying/overrated: Love, actually, there’s something about mary (UGH! I hated that), my big fat greek wedding, as good as it gets, my best friend’s wedding, bridget jones, Notting hill (BLARGH), Jerry Maguire. Ech. Chick flicks in general are such an awful genre).
In conclusion, generally it needs to be a period piece for me to actually enjoy it. And not have she of the horse face. Oh! The Scarlet Pimpernel, although I tend to think of it more as action, it’s probably one of my favorite romances. Hmmm… there are a couple I’ve never seen that I’d give a shot; that recent Jennifer Garner one that has Timothy Olyphant in it (for that reason), and I’ve never seen any of Marilyn Monroe’s films (Some like it Hot is near the top of my to-see list), Roxanne, the Importance of Being Earnest (didn’t get great reviews, but great source material), About a boy/the notebook – neither are films I wanted to see, but I’ve heard lots of good things about them…, Say Anything, Before Sunrise. Any suggestions? (Don’t say French Kiss, mom, Meg Ryan bugs me too much).
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jwdmeow
As you know, I love French Kiss, but mostly b/c of Kevin Kline, who I’ll watch breathe. He’d do it so well! I think a Fish Called Wanda counts as rom-com.
I also love that Meg Ryan movie with Matthew Broderick…but mostly for him, not her. At least she’s not being sacharrine or ditzy in it. I also loved the modern “Parent Trap” for Natalie Richardson and Dennis Quaid.
Roxanne sucks b/c Darryl Hannah couldn’t act her way out of….as they say. Steve Martin is always good. For that reason, Parenthood is good (and true!)
And sorry to be a shmoo (now you have to look it up! hint — L’il Abner) but I love romance and comedy, so what’s better than putting them together?
Calling them “chick flicks” is denegrating.
Maybe (re: Wanda). There are so many movies that are genre-beding, I think it’s often hard to place them in just one. I tend to think of Wanda just as a comedy. I was thinking up comedies, and one site mentioned Good Morning Vietnam, which I think of as a drama.
I think something like Bridget Jones deserves the term Chick Flick. It’s based on a genre of writing that only advertises to women and the central plot revolves around the main girl getting a guy. It’s not like they are high art.