Greatest Movie Romances of All Time (Top Five)

I am a sucker for movie romances. Well-constructed romances pull at my heart strings and I hold them as shining examples of what love is (even though I shouldn't because it will probably lead to disappointment). Regardless, here is a list of movie romances that I find to be the most true, the deepest, the purest, the most epic and heart aching.

5.)  Lady and the Tramp from Disney's animated picture Lady and the Tramp.

Simple and sweet, this children's movie romance lives on through the popular spaghetti eating scene. Couples all over try to imitate this animated perfection with the one they love most. Also making this romance one to remember is the class difference. This film shows, through dog breed and upbringing, that wealth doesn't matter when it comes to love. He protects her and she appreciates him even though the others in their crowds do not think they belong with each other. They make each other better, which is exactly what we all should get out of our relationships. She shows him that not all humans are cruel and he shows her a world she didn't know existed.

4.) George Baily and Mary from It's a Wonderful Life.

George always dreamed of traveling the world and escaping Bedford Falls. Mary only ever dreamed of George. This romance shows that the most important things in life are the people we love and the people that love us in return. It also gives hope to girls who love a guy who doesn't even realize it. One of the sweetest moments in this film is when a young Mary whispers to a young George: "Is this the ear you can't hear on? George Baily, I'll love you till the day I die!" She wishes with all her heart that George just might one day return her feelings. Her wish comes true and in the end he finally realizes he has everything he wants as long as he is with her. She brings happiness to his life that is much deserved due to his endless supply of selflessness.

3.) Noah and Allie from The Notebook.

This relationship is the perfect example of undying passion and uncontrolable love. Noah and Allie love each other desperately, but Allie's family want's better for her. Due to some manipulation by her mother, the two are separated. Each tries to move on with their life but can't stop thinking about the other. Allie finds a man that she knows she should be with but she loves Noah more. This not only shows the struggle of loving two people and having to choose the one you truly belong with but it shows the power of love through the nursing home scenes. He loves her so much he is willing to go through the pain of her forgetting him again just to have her remember him for one brief moment. Most passionately, their love has the power to to see them through the very end together. This is the kind of undying love that everyone should have the pleasure of knowing. It leaves me sobbing every time I watch it.

2.) Scarlett and Rhett from Gone With the Wind.

This romance is perfectly epic. There are few people that belong together as much as Scarlett and Rhett belong together. They are so similar. Both are very stubborn and strong. They go after what they want regardless of the consequences. This relationship has passion and lust but it also shows that sometimes we are blind even to our own feelings. Sometimes you can think you love someone with all of your might, only to find out that they are not who you want at all. From Scarlett and Rhett we also learn that the ones that love us can only take so much and wait so long before they give up on us and all the heart ache of unrequited love--but even when it seems hopeless we should never give up. Fight for love with all that you have and just maybe you will get everything you are looking for and more. Most importantly: Know what is truly in your heart.

1.) Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blithe from The Anne of Green Gables Trilogy

I don't know how well known this movie series is (it is Canadian made and I think it was made for television) but Anne and Gilbert's relationship is beautiful. It begins when they are just kids. Their relationship at that point, however, is a love-hate relationship: Gil would love to be friends and Anne hates that he called her carrots. She holds on to a grudge for far too long. She never knows quite how to talk to him or explain things to him but he is always trying to get in her good graces. When they grow up and finally become friendly, Gil is ready to marry Anne and he loves her but she is afraid of change. This fear also lead her to tell Gil that she will never marry, but Gilbert thinks she is just in love with someone else. As a result we see the extent of his love for her and his pain with what I think is one of the greatest lines of all time: "I hope he breaks your heart. Whoever he is." Change is a common fear that can keep us from being with the ones we love and it can even cause us to hurt the ones we love. Anne also shows us that pride can get in the way of love sometimes and if we do not toss that pride aside when we get a chance, we could miss our opportunity for good. Anne thinks she has realized it too late but love prevails.


All of these on-screen romances make my heart flutter and keep me hoping that some day I will fall in love. They also teach us a thing or two about finding love and keeping it. What do you think of these romances?

Classic Movie Monday: Gone With The Wind

Title: Gone With The Wind
Stars: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable
Director: Victor Fleming
Year: 1939
Technicolor



Summary: So, I was planning on saving this one for later on but I just couldn't wait. It is one of my absolute favorites and it is truly epic for a number of reasons. This falls into the category of romance, drama, war, and there is even a bit of suspense. I am sure most of you are familiar with it but here is a summary anyway. In this film, Vivien Leigh plays the infamous Scarlett O'Hara. Scarlett is a member of the wealthy, high-society and is able to capture the heart of any man she digs her claws into. She toys with a number of men but she is only in love with one: Ashley Wilkes. The only problem with that is he is engaged. She is quite content playing her game but once she sees that Ashley is not going to give in to her, she goes after other men to make him jealous. Then, when the civil war breaks out, Scarlett has even more obstacles in her way and she agrees to marry a man she does not love before he goes off to war. As the war rages, Scarlett does everything and anything to keep her family's plantation, the beloved Tara, safe. What we see is a ruthless woman's struggle to survive during the civil war and the war of love. Oh, and let's not forget Rhett Butler, played by the oh, so sexy and suave Clark Gable. Rhett is one of the many men Scarlett tries to get wrapped around her little finger. He is different from the others, though. He plays her right back and she is drawn to him, yet still insistent that she is in love with the married Ashley. In this film, there is so much at stake for Scarlett but she fights hard for what she loves: Tara, Ashley...and Rhett?

The Stars: Playing the take-control main character is Vivien Leigh. Ms. Leigh had been an actress in England before this role and was dating actor Laurence Olivier. When he traveled to California to do Wuthering Heights, Leigh followed him. She had already become interested in the role of Scarlett after reading the script. The rest is history. Leigh, unknown in the U.S. beat out many actresses for the part of Scarlett. A part that had to be played just right or the fans of the book would not be pleased. This is the role that jump started her career.

Playing the dashing, smoldering Rhett Butler was Clark Gable. He was already a star, having been in many successful movies. He had the luxury to pick and choose his work. Gable was not really enthusiastic to do this film, for several reasons. He did not like doing period films and he did not do accents. Nonetheless, Gable got the part of Rhett Butler and wonderfully performed it accent-free. Seeing him in this role makes it seem impossible that anyone else was even considered.

The Characters: When David O. Selznick made up his mind to make the bestselling novel into a film, he knew that for success, it was important that it was done right. Those in love with the book are in love with the characters. Most important was Scarlett. People either love or hate her, but she is the type of character that doesn't care about that. She fights for what she wants, or thinks she wants. She will do anything--right or wrong--to get what her heart desires. She is vein and selfish but also strong. It is her strength that makes her a lovable character and everything she does with that strength that makes her so hate worthy. This film is heavy in romance, yet it is difficult to tell if Scarlett is truly capable of love of anything but Tara.

Rhett is the next most important character. If you love the book, you are in love with Rhett. He is the male equivalent of Scarlett. Attractive, strong, morally questionable and selfish. He, however, is very capable of love. His love for Scarlett is passionate but he guards his heart against her because he knows her better than anyone else and he knows just how she could hurt him. he also knows of her misplaced passion and obsession with winning the heart of Ashley.

Why Should You Watch This? Gone With The Wind is at the top of many movie lists of greatest movies of all time. It was groundbreaking in it's day for it's use of color and the burning of Atlanta. That scene alone is worth watching the whole movie for. The film also captures the struggle of the times and the costumes and sets are impeccable.

I love this movie. It is full of emotion and romance. I will warn you that it is a bit long. It runs just under four hours but it is worth the time. There is not a slow moment in the entire film. I really hope that if you have not seen this you will watch it. I think everyone should see it at least once. Let me know what you think and happy watching!

More than Bridesmaids

Movie Title: Bridesmaides
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Released: May 13, 2011


Hoot Rating: I give this movie the rating A Heck of a Hoot. The movie follows Annie (played by the talented Kristen Wiig), a failed baker whose bakery business went under, as she tries to be a supportive Maid of Honor for her best friend, Lillian. All the while, Annie's own life is falling apart. At first, she is overjoyed by her best friend since childhood's good news and is ready to be there for Lillian, even though she is stuck in a sex-only relationship with her jerk of an ex-boyfriend. All seems to be going well with the wedding until Annie meets Whitney, who turns out to be a new best friend of Lillian. An immature I'm-a-better-friend-than-you competition ensues with each trying to outdo the other and prove that they know Lillian best. Annie takes the blows a little harder than Whitney because her life keeps getting worse and worse due to her financial situation--a struggle Whitney doesn't have in her perfect, rich life. As the plot develops, slowly a gap emerges between Annie and Lillian's friendship. Her relationship with Lillian is not the only one to suffer. She snuffs a potentially successful relationship with a police officer, Rhodes, that she meets when he pulls her over because her break lights being out. He brings some happiness to her life until he tries to encourage her to start baking again--a sensitive subject for her. She pushes him away, hurting him as a result. Annie's problems seem to be numerous and unfair, but just maybe she has the power to make her life better--something she starts to believe that after a pep talk from a dynamic character in the film and fellow bride's maid.

The Critical Eye: I have to say, I was delightfully surprised by this movie. When I first saw the previews for this movie, I was torn. I love Kristen Wiig on SNL, but it looked like just another romantic comedy about a wedding and the humor looked like it would just be gross. I finally decided to see it when I looked up some information on it and found that Kristen Wiig co-wrote the screenplay. I feel this movie further shows just how talented Kristen Wiig is. Whoever said that women cannot write comedy has obviously not read or seen anything by the women that come out of SNL. This movie is proof that women can write comedy and write good comedy. I do feel like the movie starts out a little unsettling. It shows Annie having sex with her jerky ex-boyfriend. Yeah, it successfully shows that the couple are not a match, and there is actually not a lot of nudity in this scene but I think it was a bit of a crutch. It seems like something a writer writes into a script when they want to break people's preconceptions of it. With this it seems that she knew people would assume that a woman would do something more tame, but I think the movie could have stood on it's own without opening that way and it still could have broken those preconceptions. But, that is just me being picky. The rest of the film is wonderful. It has the right balance of humor and character development. I found myself relating to Annie. The situation is something that I am sure many people have struggled with. I know sometimes I have felt like I was losing my friends to other friends. It also carries a good message in the end that we cannot blame our lousy lives on others. We have control over our choices and can fight for what we want. This movie is also different from other wedding romantic comedies because it focuses mostly on Annie and her struggles. The wedding is just one small, humorous part of it.

The Bottom Line: If you do not like romantic comedies, do not see this, because no matter how much I think this movie is worth seeing, it is a romantic comedy. If you do not like movies with bathroom humor, I would say you probably will not like this movie, but you could just look away during that scene (it is in the preview). Overall, this was full of laughs and really develops the relationships. I think it is very worth seeing.

Classic Movie Monday: Sabrina

Title: Sabrina
Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart
Director: Billy Wilder
Year: 1954
Black & White



Summary: You might be familiar with this story line because, much like many wonderful, classic movies, it has been remade. The main character is Sabrina Fairchild. She lives above the garage of an extensive estate with her father, a chauffeur for the rich Larrabee family. All her life Sabrina has harbored a crush for the youngest Larrabee, David. This crush has worried those who care about Sabrina most. She is sent away to Paris to attend cooking school and maybe fall out of love with David, who doesn't even know she exists. As she is away, David is all she can think of at first, but then she begins to grow and thrive. She returns home more stylish than ever and finally attracts the attention of David, who she happily goes back to being infatuated with. A relationship with a chauffeur's daughter is not exactly what the Larrabee family has in mind for David, so the oldest Larrabee brother, Linus, works on breaking the two apart. Linus appears to be a heartless business man who is feared by many. With this kind of personality, Linus should be able to easily break the pair up. Linus attempts to woo Sabrina and it works. The only problem, though, is that Linus could end up being wooed, too.

The Stars: Audrey Hepburn plays Sabrina in this classic romance. Known for her style, she played many iconic roles including roles in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, and Funny Face.Opposite her is Humphrey Bogart who plays Linus Larrabee. He was known best for his role in Casablanca and other dramatic roles. This unlikely pair make the romance so much sweeter.

Why Should You Watch This? This is a classic romance that is full of wonderful surprises. It is not much of a comedy, as there is more drama with this romance than humor. There is good character development between the main characters and you can really see the relationship between Linus and Sabrina grow. You also see Linus' growth because of his association with Sabrina. A bit of advice, though, would be to try to ignore the age gap. Don't get caught up in the fact that Linus is much, much older than Sabrina and just enjoy the relationship.

Hopefully you enjoy this film and let me know what you think! Also, if you would like, after watching the original, watch the remake and compare them. Happy watching!