My Favorite Movie Romances

I'll list ten, in no particular order.

1. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"--Love transcends our desire to forget. The movie struck me as a powerful example of how integral love, even failed and doomed love, is to our lives.

2. "Love, Actually"--It'll be the first of two Richard Curtis films on this list. Who knew that Curtis, who cowrote the "Blackadder" and "Mr. Bean" series, could put together such entertaining couples? The scenes where two members of a film crew up a relationship while doubling in lighting tests for an erotic movie's sex scenes are, all on their own, worth the price of a ticket.

3. "Adam's Rib"--Hepburn and Tracy at their peak skewer each other deliciously in this 1949 romantic-comedy where they play married lawyers on opposite sides in a case. It's hardly the first story where the two lovers bait one another mercilessly from beginning to end--see "Much Ado About Nothing"--but it is a very good example of the form.

4. "Arsenic and Old Lace"--And you thought the family in "Meet the Parents" was difficult. Cary Grant stars as a man making a quick stop to visit his aunts on his way to his honeymoon, when he discovers that his aunts have taken on a new hobby: murdering lodgers and having Grant's crazy uncle bury them. (The uncle thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt and that the graves he's digging are part of the Panama Canal.) In the meantime, Grant's cousin Jonathan and his little pal Peter Lorre, show a deep interest in murdering Grant and his new bride because Jonathan resents both his cousin and the stunning news that the aunts' body count matches his. Will Grant's marriage survive these shocking revelations? Will he? You'll have to watch to find out.

5. "Murphy's Romance"--Because movie romances always end with the correct couples together, there's seldom any suspense. That's the case here, but what makes the movie work is that the lovers, played by James Garner and Sally Field, are so carefully observed and smart. We know they'll get together as soon as Field clears a few complications out of her life, specifically the surprise appearance of her ex-husband. The ex-husband, who's also well played, doesn't really stand a chance against Garner's Murphy, but he nevertheless sustains the movie and gives both characters opportunities to define themselves against him. What I like most about the movie is that the characters dictate the pace of the film, instead of moving around according to the needs of the plot. There are certain advantages to working in a formula. You can get to know the characters while the plot takes care of itself, and these characters are worth knowing.

6. "Four Weddings and a Funeral"--Like "Love, Actually" this film throws a number of adorable couples into a pot and sees who gets together with whom. The coupling of Hugh Grant's and Andie McDowell's characters is made inevitable by the movie poster, but the other couples come together, as the nurse from "Rear Window" would say, like two taxis on Broadway. What works best about the film is its acknowledgement of romantic disappointment. There's a perfectly adorable potential coupling in the film that never works out, causing intense suffering for one of the characters. And of course, there is death.

7. "Victor/Victoria"--Love is strange, but seldom does a couple get together like this. Victoria is a despairing singer, played by Julie Andrews, who, with her gay friend Caroll Todd (Robert Preston), invents a new stage persona for herself--as a man, pretending to be a woman. She's a hit, and she attracts the attention of a nightclub owner (James Garner) who falls in love with her/him. She falls for him too, but can't admit to him that she is, in fact, a woman, because it would spoil her act. Caroll Todd also finds an interest, in the person of the nightclub owner's bodyguard (Alex Karras). Hilarity ensues.

8. "Tootsie"--Another gender-bending comedy, this time with the man in drag. Michael Dorsey, a despairing actor, comes up with a plan to get work after his agent tells him that no one in New York, L.A., or the Outer Mongolian Goat Theater Society, will hire him because he's so difficult. He becomes Dorothy Michaels, and immediately lands a role on a big-time soap opera. He falls in love with one of the cast members (Jessica Lange), but can't admit his true gender because...well, you read the Victor/Victoria review. Anyway, a couple of guys also fall in love with Dorothy, creating no end of trouble--especially because one of them is the Lange character's father. Hilarity ensues.

9. "Casablanca"--You know the damn story, a fight for love and glory.

10. "The Princess Bride"--I'm getting tired, so I won't go over much here. For all the special effects of Lord of the Rings, this is my favorite fantasy romance. It's light, but has genuine emotion. It's funny and wise. It has Peter Cook playing a clergyman. What else do you need? Well, maybe you need me to stop. This post has grown long. Would you like me to quit?

As you wish.