For some reason, many of the cable channels I frequently watch have taken Labor Day weekend to mean Rom-Com weekend. Which is fine; I just don't understand the parallel. So as I sat in my apartment crafting away, watching one delightfully cheesy romantic comedy after another, I began to think about the ones I love. There is a handful of rom-coms that I enjoy more than others, mainly because I had always hoped in that irrational, girly section of my brain/heart that one day I would have a romance
just like that. Hey, a girl can dream. Though I am quite aware that life isn't the movies and men don't have scripts, here is a list of rom-coms of which I am particularly fond, and find particularly... rom. :) Sorry this is so sappy-- I'm not
always so girly. I simply got inspired. Hey, I'm a single girl-- isn't this accepted, if not
expected of me?
The Sound of Music
I suppose this is not so much a rom-com as it is a musical, but I have always thought that the story of a woman capturing the hardened heart of a widower with children was just sigh-inducing. I love the internal war Maria has with her feelings, and how she runs from them, only to later muster up the courage to confront them head-on. I also love that the straight-laced Captain finds himself in love with the free-spirited Maria. So sweet.
The Quiet Man
John Wayne's character thinks he's seeing a dream when he spots Maureen O'Hara's red head in an Irish pasture. It's a bit of a
Taming of the Shrew story, and I love those. She's got a fire in her, and he tames her with tough love. It's so romantic, but not in a shmaltzy way. I feel the same about this movie:
McLintock
But for the record I do
not advocate domestic violence. Haha. But I've always known I'd need a man who could calm me down. Just maybe not drag me around.
27 Dresses
I think that whole "we hate each other so much but wait, we're starting to realize that we actually are falling in love, and yep look at that, our anger was actually love all along" thing in movies like this is fascinating and there's a part of me that has always wanted it, but maybe not
really. I love this one more than others like it because I relate to Jane more than any other rom-com heroine (over-committed, over-planning, over-controlling, overlooked, and taken-advantage-of), and I also love the way he pursues her relentlessly and tells her what her problem is, straight up. But loves her anyway. And also that he has a sweet heart under a rough exterior. Cute and irresistible.
You've Got Mail
I suppose this is another hate-each-other-then-love-each-other movie, but I think the way their friendship grows is sweet. I love how he has fallen for her, but wants to really hook her for real before he tells her it's been him emailing her all along. I enjoy their believably funny conversations (especially about his handle-- 152 something...):
"Mr. 152 insights into my
soul!"
"Maybe he had 152 moles removed and now has 152 pock marks on his face."
"152 people who think he looks like Clark Gable."
"152 people who think he looks like a Clark Bar!"
Emma
They're longtime friends, something I've never had in a guy but have always thought is wonderful (though not often possible). He chastises her for poor behavior. She makes him want to be a better man. Together, they improve each other. Their love is deeper than passion. It has a foundation of friendship, which is why I think Mr. Knightley's proposal is the sweetest ever:
"Maybe it is our imperfections which make us so perfect for one another. Marry me? Marry me, my wonderful, darling friend."
Return to Me
This is a unique instance where it is not the leading man and woman that I find so wonderful. In this movie, Bonnie Hunt and Jim Belushi are a couple who have been married a while, with several kids. I think they are hilarious, as they obviously still love each other and find each other hilarious, even thought they fight. Both are so drastically imperfect, but so perfect for each other. Every time I watch the movie, I maintain that I would rather have
that than the hyper-romantic relationship of the leading man and woman.
It Happened One Night
This is one of the most hilarious, romantic movies ever. They are opposites who hate each other (of course) but are thrown together nonetheless. The dialogue is quick-witted and fast-paced, and again, he doesn't take any of her crap. Instead he is the strong one she needs, and she softens his manly heart. Love it so much. It made me want to get on a bus, fall asleep on a stranger's shoulder, pick a fight, get lost together, and make him admit he loves me against his better judgment.
Win a Date With Tad Hamilton
While
completely cheesy, I love that these two were friends for years and years, and Topher Grace's character has been in love with her for a long time. His jealousy is super cute, though it rarely is in real life, I guess. But who wouldn't agree that the fact that he knew all 7 of her smiles and what they meant was really adorable? I always wanted a guy to know and love me that well.
While You Were Sleeping
I adore the friendship that develops between these two as they wait for her "fiance" to awake from his coma. They share a lot with each other, including a hilarious/romantic scene in which they fall on the ice and he rips his pants. This led to my friends insisting that we've always wanted a "Bill Pullman moment" with a guy. And when he tells his comatose brother that he's jealous of him because he has Lucy? Adorable.
And you know what else? All these characters had chemistry. That je ne sais quoi that I can't put my finger on. Anyway. I know my life will not play out like any of these movies. But my one-day romance will be my own story, something written just for me, and I look forward to it. Excuse the girly-ness. I just couldn't help myself. I blame cable TV.
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