Posted on 02/14/2021 1:55:08 PM PST by Kaslin
Whether you're cozied up with your sweetheart or enjoying a girls' night, grab some popcorn (and chocolate) and treat yourself to the classics.
Picking a movie is always a daunting task in my family. My mom and I have had to sit through our fair share of war movies with no discernible plot, while my dad and brother have patiently suffered through “Gone With The Wind.” The beauty of a good rom-com is having enough “rom” to satisfy more sentimental audiences and enough “com” to keep less romantic viewers interested.
As a connoisseur of the “rom,” I can’t guarantee all the movies on this list will please the most macho of audiences, but I can promise they’re quality classics everyone should see at least once.
There is nothing like watching Steve Martin and a hilariously flamboyant Martin Short argue about a front yard full of swans. In this 1991 classic (a remake of the 1950 Elizabeth Taylor movie), Martin plays a practical but loving father who has a hard time coming to terms with his daughter’s marriage—and the fact that he has to pay for it. Short plays the wedding planner brilliantly with an indeterminate but comical accent.
The comedy in this movie—and in its 1995 sequel—is superb. But the film is also a heartwarming reminder of the gifts of family and memory. Especially in a year when pandemic restrictions have forced many to downsize their weddings and other celebrations, “Father of the Bride” reminds us that everyday moments with loved ones are more important than a picture-perfect ceremony. I never watch it without tearing up at the end, and I never watch it without belly laughing.
Father of the Bride trailer 1991
This 2005 classic stars Will Smith as a “date doctor,” who helps men learn to pursue women intentionally and creatively. He successfully pairs wealthy, beautiful celebrity Allegra Cole with his kindhearted but stereotypically average client Albert. In his own romantic pursuits, however, he finds his tactics less successful.
Albert and Allegra’s relationship is adorable and heartwarming, but the movie also brings a profound message to an audience steeped in hookup culture.
The art of dating is neither a means to an inevitable one-night stand nor a drab ritual of “hanging out.” Dating shouldn’t be a passive excursion—as Hitch shows us, dating is an opportunity to be authentic but also to put thought and effort into making another person feel interesting.
This musical rom-com is definitely on the effervescent side, but a cast that includes Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and Grace Kelly makes up for any deep intrigue the film might lack. Kelly plays Tracy Lord, a spoiled heiress and the divorced wife of jazz musician C. K. Dexter Haven (played by Crosby), who happens to live next door.
While Lord prepares to marry another man, her ex-husband tries to win her attention, as does a journalist sent to cover the wedding, played by Sinatra. Armstrong and his band grace the whole drama with toe-tapping musical numbers.
Fun fact: this was Kelly’s last film before she left Hollywood to marry real-life Prince Rainier of Monaco, so the whopping 10-carat ring she wears in the movie is her real engagement ring.
The film is a remake of the 1940 movie “The Philadelphia Story,” which has no less impressive of a cast, featuring Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart, and Cary Grant.
While You Were Sleeping is a great movie. Charming, funny, great cast.....& not saccharine. Sandra Bullock is delightful.
Phil Hartman stole that movie, in that one scene....'This way to the cafeteria!'
Also in that category: Family Man, A Walk In The Clouds, Overboard, Sweet Home Alabama, House Sitter, and Frequency. All but Frequency have romance, but its strong affirmation of the importance of family ties far outweighs its status as a crime drama.
Most people consider It's A Wonderful Life as only a "Christmas Movie," but the scene of Jimmy Stewart & Donna Reed sharing the phone receiver is one of the sexiest scenes ever filmed without having to show a lot of bare skin.
I like ‘Frequency’ a lot.
it’s pretty good so far! Notwithstanding directed by Meathead.
My favorite movie with those two is The Three Amigos. I especially love when they all sing the little cowboy song.
People can have talents beyond their political beliefs.
I remember reading a revue of It’s A Wonderful Life where the critic said it is the movie where Stewart shows the greatest range of acting in his storied career. The movie wasn’t a big hit on initial release but of course has become part of the American cultural fabric. If one could give retro Oscars Stewart should get one for that movie.
Amen! Thanks for the tip!
I was kind of hoping that in the end, he’s become a writer of children’s books. But who knows what’s down that road???
This has been the case since the 1940s.
You can always chop those other two dogs into baked beans, and make a wonderful meal worthy of Pope Frankie.
Homemade Beanie Weenies.
Every time my nieces visit I have to make them.
i liked the one with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor, but not the Steve Martin version. Martin Short was hilarious, though.
Oh, gosh. Pride is a sin...
Beans only, for Frankie, then. We wouldn’t want him to get a swelled-head...
Oh yes! And the Donna Reed/James Stewart phone scene is pure sex. It’s why a woman in a turtleneck & pearl earrings is so much sexier than a dress slit to the crotch & loads of cleavage.
I am now watching The Way We Were. I know there are not many Streisand fans here, but I love this movie & I love the song. Le sigh.....
James Woods is soooo young in this, practically a baby.
The original rom-com: Much Ado ABout Nothing. Pretty good rendition played and directed by Kenneth Branaugh in 1993.
I grew up absolutely LOVING Streisand. I think I first saw her doing a Central Park concert in the late 1960s.
I remained a fan until she started spouting off about her politics. I lost interest in her, then.
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