My favorite romantic movies
1. Crazy, Stupid, Love.: Entertaining romantic comedies have been rare in recent years; most of them fail either because of tired plots, unlikable main characters or terrible acting. That’s why Crazy, Stupid, Love is such a blessing. Implementing an all-star cast including Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, the film soars where other rom-coms stumble. The storyline, following a middle-aged suburbanite (Carell) learning to play the dating game again after his wife (Moore) leaves him, is vastly entertaining. All of the actors deliver great performances; Carell and Gosling particularly excel, and the scenes they share are the film’s best. Hilarious and heart-warming, Crazy, Stupid, Love is a stellar example of how romantic comedies should be made – it is smart, sweet and refreshingly honest.
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: This is one of those zany, far-out movies that really works. With its non-linear structure, unusual story and fascinating use of tracking shots, ESOTSM is truly in a league of its own. Jim Carrey's dramatic role here is better than anything he has ever done in comedy, and Kate Winslet is also a pleasure to watch. This is the rare film that is at once heartbreaking, romantic, hilarious and strangely grounded.
3. Wall-E: A post-apocalyptic love story like none ever before told. The titular robot is a lovable, funny and charming leading man, and his love story with EVE is so beautiful that I tear up every time. Plus, it's a pretty awesome movie even besides the love story.
4. Groundhog Day: This memorable comedy has a lot going for it. Bill Murray takes the film's one-joke premise and milks it for all that it's worth. Andie MacDowell is great in this movie, and it has some really, really funny lines in it. Such as: "I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get *that* day over, and over, and over...
5. Notting Hill: This is the only Hugh Grant movie that I can stand, mostly because it is genuinely funny, heartwarming and co-stars Julia Roberts. This rom-com boasts a great line from Julia Roberts in the finale that I think I will always remember: "After all... I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."
