The Top Ten Romantic Films for Valentine's Day
What's a year worth without a romantic holiday like Valentine's Day? And what's a romantic holiday like Valentine's Day without some classic romantic films? Here's a list of ten great romantic films f
or this Valentine's Day.
or this Valentine's Day.
You've Got Mail
Based on the classic Jimmy Stewart film Shop around the Corner, this romance brings love to the 20th Century through a misadventure in courtship via a tangled path of coffee, commerce, email and instant messaging. The movie tells the story of competing book sellers who, despite their face-to-face rivalry, fall head-over-heals in love on cyberspace. Their journey to discovering the man and woman of their dreams is both humorous and heart-wrenching as their "It's business, not personal" mentalities mingle with their love lives! This is a film both men and women can enjoy; it has everything from the mushy love stuff to not-infrequent Godfather references!
Hitch
This film tells the story of a "love doctor" who acts as the private eye of the romantic world and a merciless journalist seeking out the secret identity of this widely acclaimed matchmaker. Their lives are completely unsatisfactory until they meet, fall in love, and completely dismantle the other's groove. The hilarity of watching each character stutter, stammer, trip, and ultimately fall in love makes this a modern love story that's sure to please over and over again.
The Way We Were
Guy meets girl. Guy and girl hate each other. Girl meets guy. Guy and girl love each other. Girl and guy fight. Guy and girl get married. Girl and guy fight again. Guy leaves girl. Girl and guy fall in love again. Guy leaves girl again. By the end of this movie we're back to guy meets girl, but it's a completely different kind of meeting. Maybe some couples won't appreciate the fact that the film doesn't end exactly as most romances do, with a tear-jerking, heart-wrenching happily ever after. But it's a love-for-the-ages kind of film nonetheless!
Wuthering Heights
Lots of movie goers never thought love and ghosts went well together until they saw Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in Ghost. But long before Swayze made us swoon in spirit form, there was
Wuthering Heights, the story of a girl who doesn't realize who her true love is until she's on her death bed. It doesn't sound all that romantic, but you'd be surprised just how romantic a black-and-white haunting can be!
Camille
Despite the nontraditional ending, Camille is a love story that you can't help but . . . well, love. This film gives all kinds of new meaning to the phrase "I'd die without you." His love for her begins to ruin him, and her love for him leads her to let him go at the cost of her own well-being. Viewers probably can't make it half way through this film without coming to the sudden realization that, "This probably isn't going to end well." But while it may not end "well" in the sense of living happily ever after, it definitely ends beautifully in the sense of loving happily . . . for as long as possible.
When Harry Met Sally
When Sally met Harry, she could barely stand him. When they met again, Harry could barely stand Sally. Then they became friends. Then they became best friends. Then they became best friends . . . with benefits. And that made them enemies. But fortunately for them—and us—they didn't stay that way very long. In this film, Billy Crystal delivers what I think is one of the most romantic lines ever: "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to begin as soon as possible." Now who couldn't fall in love with a line like that?
Love Story
Probably the most famous line from this film is, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." This film is the tragic love story of a sassy college student who manages to crack the crass shell of her collegiate athlete beau. The two are perfect for each other, and their love sees them through a lot of difficult times, from his poor relationship with his father to her terminal disease. It's a touching, if not tragic, romance that definitely lives up to its title!
West Side Story
West Side Story has a little something for everyone. There's love. There's music. There's gang warfare (ballet style). It's a perfect tale of that thin line between love and hate, best friend
s and bitter rivals, and an updated take on the star-crossed lovers' tale of Romeo and Juliet. This time it's the love of Tony, a young man whose best friend is the leader of the toughest gang in town, and Maria, a young Puerto Rican girl whose brother is the leader of the gang that's slowly taking over the streets. This film reminds viewers of the place of love in times of conflict, and suggests that even if love can't always win, it can still conquer all.
Annie Hall
When most people think "Romantic Leading Male," I'll bet Woody Allen isn't high on the list, if it's present at all. But Allen's Alvy Singer captures the hearts of audiences as he tries desperately (and at times pathetically) to win and keep the love of the dazzling and ditsy Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). Their relationship may be a "dead shark" (you'll have to watch it to see what that means), but the journey is something altogether different, filled with loveable and laughable memories.
Casablanca
What else could be the number one romantic film for Valentine's Day? This film is both romantic and bromantic at once! Humphrey Bogart is every guy's dream in a romantic drama; he's got a soft side, but it only comes out when the lights are low and there's no one around but a pretty girl even the toughest guy couldn't resist. And who wouldn't fall in love with Ingrid Bergman, a woman Bogart himself said could look at you like you should be in love with her, and you are (that's paraphrasing). This love story is set in the most tumultuous of settings, a "neutral" zone in a fierce war where there are those who are crooked, and those who are more crooked. There doesn't seem to be much of a place for love in a setting like Casablanca; fortunately, Bogart and Bergman don't let that stop them. This film gives romance two classic lines love just wouldn't be the same without: "We'll always have Paris," and "Here's looking at you, kid!"
Hitch
This film tells the story of a "love doctor" who acts as the private eye of the romantic world and a merciless journalist seeking out the secret identity of this widely acclaimed matchmaker. Their lives are completely unsatisfactory until they meet, fall in love, and completely dismantle the other's groove. The hilarity of watching each character stutter, stammer, trip, and ultimately fall in love makes this a modern love story that's sure to please over and over again.
The Way We Were
Guy meets girl. Guy and girl hate each other. Girl meets guy. Guy and girl love each other. Girl and guy fight. Guy and girl get married. Girl and guy fight again. Guy leaves girl. Girl and guy fall in love again. Guy leaves girl again. By the end of this movie we're back to guy meets girl, but it's a completely different kind of meeting. Maybe some couples won't appreciate the fact that the film doesn't end exactly as most romances do, with a tear-jerking, heart-wrenching happily ever after. But it's a love-for-the-ages kind of film nonetheless!
Wuthering Heights
Lots of movie goers never thought love and ghosts went well together until they saw Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in Ghost. But long before Swayze made us swoon in spirit form, there was
Wuthering Heights, the story of a girl who doesn't realize who her true love is until she's on her death bed. It doesn't sound all that romantic, but you'd be surprised just how romantic a black-and-white haunting can be!
Camille
Despite the nontraditional ending, Camille is a love story that you can't help but . . . well, love. This film gives all kinds of new meaning to the phrase "I'd die without you." His love for her begins to ruin him, and her love for him leads her to let him go at the cost of her own well-being. Viewers probably can't make it half way through this film without coming to the sudden realization that, "This probably isn't going to end well." But while it may not end "well" in the sense of living happily ever after, it definitely ends beautifully in the sense of loving happily . . . for as long as possible.
When Harry Met Sally
When Sally met Harry, she could barely stand him. When they met again, Harry could barely stand Sally. Then they became friends. Then they became best friends. Then they became best friends . . . with benefits. And that made them enemies. But fortunately for them—and us—they didn't stay that way very long. In this film, Billy Crystal delivers what I think is one of the most romantic lines ever: "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to begin as soon as possible." Now who couldn't fall in love with a line like that?
Love Story
Probably the most famous line from this film is, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." This film is the tragic love story of a sassy college student who manages to crack the crass shell of her collegiate athlete beau. The two are perfect for each other, and their love sees them through a lot of difficult times, from his poor relationship with his father to her terminal disease. It's a touching, if not tragic, romance that definitely lives up to its title!
West Side Story
West Side Story has a little something for everyone. There's love. There's music. There's gang warfare (ballet style). It's a perfect tale of that thin line between love and hate, best friend
s and bitter rivals, and an updated take on the star-crossed lovers' tale of Romeo and Juliet. This time it's the love of Tony, a young man whose best friend is the leader of the toughest gang in town, and Maria, a young Puerto Rican girl whose brother is the leader of the gang that's slowly taking over the streets. This film reminds viewers of the place of love in times of conflict, and suggests that even if love can't always win, it can still conquer all.
Annie Hall
When most people think "Romantic Leading Male," I'll bet Woody Allen isn't high on the list, if it's present at all. But Allen's Alvy Singer captures the hearts of audiences as he tries desperately (and at times pathetically) to win and keep the love of the dazzling and ditsy Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). Their relationship may be a "dead shark" (you'll have to watch it to see what that means), but the journey is something altogether different, filled with loveable and laughable memories.
Casablanca
What else could be the number one romantic film for Valentine's Day? This film is both romantic and bromantic at once! Humphrey Bogart is every guy's dream in a romantic drama; he's got a soft side, but it only comes out when the lights are low and there's no one around but a pretty girl even the toughest guy couldn't resist. And who wouldn't fall in love with Ingrid Bergman, a woman Bogart himself said could look at you like you should be in love with her, and you are (that's paraphrasing). This love story is set in the most tumultuous of settings, a "neutral" zone in a fierce war where there are those who are crooked, and those who are more crooked. There doesn't seem to be much of a place for love in a setting like Casablanca; fortunately, Bogart and Bergman don't let that stop them. This film gives romance two classic lines love just wouldn't be the same without: "We'll always have Paris," and "Here's looking at you, kid!"
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