Top Ten Best Romantic Movies by Someone Who Hates Romantic MoviesFeb 19 '06 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Wanna get in the mood? Here are my top ten favorite romantic movies!
I guess I am a cynic, but I generally don’t really like romantic movies with their often formulaic plots. I’d rather watch big budget action movies, or psychological thrillers, or fantasy films full of special effects, or animation. I could just watch "The Matrix" and "Harry Potter" type films all day long. That said, there are a few romantic films that rise to the top of the pile for me and offer a unique take on romance instead of formulaic, predictable drivel. The following are ten I find to be truly romantic. 10. The Princess Bride - The film is a classic fairy tale quest story…with a lot of twists and a totally unique sense of humor. Wesley (Cary Elwes) must save his beloved childhood sweetheart Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn) from captivity. This adventure story is off-beat and very sarcastic, but also surprisingly touching. If you haven’t seen this one yet it is really time. 9. Armageddon - I can hear you groaning as you read this, but I just love this big, dumb Michael Bay action film about a motley crew of oil drillers sent to space to fight an asteroid about to destroy Earth. There is a romantic and passionate love affair going on between A.J. (Ben Affleck) and Grace (Liv Tyler), so both are scared that A.J. will not make it back from his mission. This is also one of the few movies that can reduce me to a bawling idiot even after seeing it several dozen times. What can I say? I'm a daddy's girl, so Bruce Willis makes me cry! 8. Gidget Goes Hawaiian - I’m including this on my list because it is a classic old-school love story, released in 1961. This is the second movie in the “Gidget” series and stars Deborah Walley as Gidget, AKA Girl + Midget. After Gidget and her boyfriend Jeff (James Darren) have a terrible fight, she leaves for a trip to Hawaii with he parents. He shows up to patch things up and walks in on Gidget locking lips with the island heartthrob. The rest of the film follows the two characters as they fight, try to make each other jealous, and of course end up together in the end. Cheesy? Yes…but as satisfying as eating a box of Twinkies. 7. RENT - This film isn’t necessarily romantic in the most orthodox way, seeing as many of the characters are dying of AIDS, but the whole thing is really about love. The songs are passionate and heartfelt and the love relationships between the various sets of relationships are more believable than virtually any other film I’ve ever seen. Particularly romantic songs include “I Should Tell You” by Rosario Dawson and Adam Pascal and “I’ll Cover You” by Jesse L. Martin and Wilson Jermaine Heredia. I guess I consider this film romantic in that watching it makes me walk away wanting to love others as much as possible. 6. Beauty and the Beast - Ok, I know its animated, but this love story is really very romantic. There is something very touching about the beautiful woman falling in love with the unattractive beast, even if it is a cartoon. This film wins my pick for the most romantic animated film, based in part on the touching soundtrack including “Beauty and the Beast” as performed by Angela Lansbury. 5. My Best Friend’s Wedding - This is the only film in the “romantic comedy” category to make my top ten. While I don’t normally enjoy this type of film, I think this one is pretty great thanks to the performances of Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett. Julianne (Roberts) finds out her best friend Michael (Dermot Mulroney) is getting married. She realizes she has feelings for him, and races to break up his wedding with Kimmy (Cameron Diaz). There are some spectacularly funny scenes here, particularly a number at the dinner table with plenty of singing. The romance between Kimmy and Michael is endearing and really pretty convincing 4. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - Oh, I just LOVE this movie. Such a great combination of action, humor, and romance. Lots of my favorite actors are here, including Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, and Christian Slater. The romance factor comes from Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and Robin Hood (Costner). Although you probably already know they will end up together in the end, its fun to watch how they get there. 3. Cruel Intentions - This film makes it to number three just on account of the fact that Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe are the most ridiculously attractive couple on the planet. Let's just say I wouldn't kick Ryan out of the sleeping bag for eating crackers. Reese plays good girl Anette, and Ryan plays bad boy Sebastian. Of course, good girl falls for bad boy (and vice versa) but evil stepsister Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is eager to break the couple up. This may not have a happy ending, but it’s a great film if you don’t mind some adult themes and general raciness. 2. Ghost - Here’s another film in the category of “movies that make me cry like a baby.” Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze star in this touching story of love that goes on after death. I guarantee you can’t help but get caught up in the romance of the whole thing. Plus, Ghost offers some exciting action scenes and a relatively innovative plot. Whoopi Goldberg’s performance here is just fabulous too. 1. Dirty Dancing - Watching this film starring Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle and Jennifer Grey as Baby Houseman always made me swoon growing up. Dirty Dancing shows that love can overcome class, as Baby defends her relationship with Patrick to her family. Patrick is a hottie (note his appearance in my top TWO picks), and the soundtrack and dance scenes are very sexy. For these reasons, this is my pick for the most romantic film EVER! Honorable Mention *Something About Mary *Aladdin *A Knight’s Tale *Breakfast at Tiffany’s *Fiddler on the Roof *Check out my Top Ten Favorite Movies Ever!  |
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