with my recent infatuation with lists & ongoing love
of romantic movies, i decided to compile my all-time favorites in honor of the
holiday that folks either heart or hate. & whether you refer to it as
valentine’s or singles day, these movies are bound to make you smile, laugh,
cry…or preferably all of the above. mental & emotional cleansing is good
for the soul, people. keep in mind, my idea of oober romantic isn’t always the
most conventional, so if you find yourself saying “wha?” it’s cool. now, grab
some kleenex (just in case) & enjoy!
1. ‘can’t buy me love’ (1987) patrick dempsey, amanda
peterson. a “nerd” gets a makeover by the girl of his dreams. best line:
“nerds, jocks. my side, your side. it’s all bullshit. it’s hard enough just
trying to be yourself.”
2. ‘an affair to remember’ (1957) cary grant, deborah
kerr. where will you be in 6 months? best line: “i was looking up…it was the
nearest thing to heaven! you were there.”
3. ‘casablanca’ (1942) humphrey bogart, ingrid bergman.
one man is torn between “love & virtue.” best line: “of all the gin joints
in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”
4. ‘romeo & juliet’ (1996) leonardo dicaprio, claire
danes. “star-crossed lovers.” best line: “did my heart love 'til now? forswear its sight. for i never
saw true beauty 'til this night.”
5. ‘breakfast at tiffany’s’ (1961) audrey hepburn, george
preppard. a free spirit struggles to surrender to true love. best line: “i'm like cat here, a no-name slob. we
belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. we don't even belong to each other.”
6. ‘the notebook’ (2004) james garner, gena rowlands,
ryan gosling, rachel mcadams. two lovers are separated by the differences of
their social class. best line: “well
that's what we do, we fight... you tell me when i am being an arrogant son of a
bitch and i tell you when you are a pain in the ass. which you are, 99% of the
time. i'm not afraid to hurt your feelings. you have like a 2 second rebound
rate, then you're back doing the next pain-in-the-ass thing.”
7. ‘titanic’ (1997) leonardo dicaprio, kate winslet. an
unsinkable love affair. best line: “rose,
you're no picnic, all right? you're a spoiled little brat, even, but under
that, you're the most amazingly, astounding, wonderful girl, woman that i've
ever known...”
8. ‘dracula’ (1992) gary oldman, winona ryder. love never
dies. best line: “ i have crossed oceans of time to find you.”
9. ‘a lot like love’ (2005) ashton kutcher, amanda peet.
fate keeps crossing their paths…meant to be? best line: “well, if it wasn't love, it was a lot
like it.”
10. ‘edward scissorhands’ (1990) johnny depp, winona
ryder. welcomed into suburbia, an “uncommonly gentle” man falls in love with a
teenage girl. best line: “before
he came down here, it never snowed. and afterwards, it did. if he weren't up
there now...i don't think it would be snowing. sometimes you can still catch me
dancing in it.”
11. ‘valley girl’ (1983) nicholas cage, deborah foreman.
opposites attract, like, for sure! best line: “man, he’s like tripendicular, ya
kow?”
12. ‘overboard’ (1987) goldie hawn, kurt russell.
sometimes love is tricky. best line: “it’s a helluva day at sea, sir!”
13. ‘the girl next door’ (2004) emile hirsch, elisha
cuthbert. a former porn star moves in
next door to an overachieving high school senior. best line: “because in your heart you know, that the
juice is worth the squeeze.”
14. ‘dirty dancing’ (1987) patrick swayze, jennifer grey.
when baby meets johnny. best line: “most
of all i'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my
whole life the way i feel when i'm with you.”
15. ‘the way we were’ (1973) barbra streisand, robert
redford. political views & values weigh heavy in a wonderful romance. best
line: “your girl is lovely, hubbell.”
16. ‘brokeback mountain’ (2005) heath ledger, jake
gyllenhaal. modern day romeo & juliet. best line: “i wish i knew how to
quit you.”
17. ‘romancing the stone’ (1984) michael douglas,
kathleen turner. a romance writer stumbles into a dangerous adventure. best
line: “what did you do, wake up
this morning and say, ‘today, i'm going to ruin a man's life’?”
18. ‘the holiday’ (2006) cameron diaz, kate winslet, jude
law, jack black. house swappers find true happiness. best line: “legend has it, when the santa anas blow,
anything can happen.”
19. ‘empire records’ (1995) johnny whitworth, liv tyler. waiting for the
perfect moment to profess his love. best line: “damn the man!”
20. ‘working girl’ (1988) melanie griffith, harrison
ford. she pretends, he falls for her. she gets busted, he’s still all in. best
line: “i have a head for business & a bod for sin.”
21. ‘the fifth element’ (1997) bruce willis, milla
jovovich. good vs evil. best line: “i
don't know love. i was built to protect not to love, so there is no use for me
other than this.”
22. ‘somewhere in time’ (1980) christopher reeve, jane
seymour. falling for a picture on a wall…a little self-hypnosis…time travel.
best line: “come back to me.”
23. ‘milk money’ (1994) ed harris, melanie griffith. a
little boy wants to find his dad a wife. best line: “there is a place you can
touch on a woman that will make her go crazy”…”where?”…”her heart.”
24. ‘chasing amy’ (1997) ben affleck, joey lauren adams.
sexual orientation & attraction & love & pasts equal tension &
confusion. best line: “this is all gonna end badly.”
25. ‘annie hall’ (1977) woody allen, diane keaton. “a
nervous romance” best line: “that sex was the most fun i’ve ever had without
laughing.”
26. ‘legend’ (1985) tom cruise, mia sara, tim curry. a
fantastical tale where light challenges dark. best line: “love you say? well,
love is another matter.”
27. ‘kissing jessica stein’ (2001) jennifer westfeldt,
heather juergensen. looking for the perfect man leads to finding the perfect
woman. best line: “i took out an
ad for christ's sake. and i ended up with the jewish sandra dee.”
28. ‘bridget jones’s diary’ (2001) renee zellweger, colin
firth, hugh grant. self exploration & improvement through keeping a diary.
best line: “i choose vodka & chaka khan.”
29. ‘natural born killers’ (1994) woody harrelson,
juliette lewis. mickey & mallory are crazy about each…& just plain
crazy! best line: “you make every day feel like kindergarten.”
30. ‘benny & joon’ (1993) johnny depp, mary stuart
masterson. there’s someone for everyone. best line: “you know, it seems to me that, i mean, except for being a
little mentally ill, she's pretty normal.”
31. ‘dream a little dream’ (1989) corey feldman, jason
robards, meredith salenger. accidental body swapping & dreams vs reality.
best line: “thank you for a
frightening, confusing, strange and dangerous time. what more could a girl ask
for?”
32. ‘coming to america’ (1988) eddie murphy, shari
headley. a prince goes undercover in hopes of meeting his soulmate. best line:
“girl, you look so good, someone
ought to put you on a plate and sop you up with a biscuit.”
33. ‘cruel intentions’ (1999) sarah michelle geller, ryan
phillipe, reese witherspoon. a womanizer finally lets real feelings & love
in. best line: “it’s okay, you can laugh. i promise i won’t tell anyone.”
34. ‘some kind of wonderful’ (1987) eric stoltz, mary
stuart masterson, lea thompson. love might just be right in front of you the
whole time. best line: “don’t go mistaking paradise for a pair of long legs.”
35. ‘wedding singer’ (1998) adam sandler, drew barrymore.
you don’t have to settle…for companionship. best line: “well, i have a microphone, and you don't, SO YOU WILL
LISTEN TO EVERY DAMN WORD I HAVE TO SAY!”
36. ‘sex & the city’ (2008) sarah jessica parker, kim
cattrall, kristin davis, cynthia nixon. whether there’s a mr. big or not, best
friends are there ‘til death do you part. best line: “just calling to make sure
you aren’t hanging from your shower rod.”
37. ‘how to marry a millionaire’ (1953) marilyn monroe,
betty grable, lauren bacall. set on finding fortune results in finding love.
best line: “wealthy men are never old.”
38. ‘the princess bride’ (1987) cary elwes, robin wright.
a grandfather reads a romantic & adventurous fairy tale to his grandson.
best line: “hello. my name is inigo montoya. you killed my father. prepare to
die.”
39. ‘stealing home’ (1988) mark harmon, jodie foster. a
man must finally let go of his first true love, his babysitter. best line: “i
love you, billy boy!”
40. ‘say anything’ (1989) john cusack, ione skye. he
holds up a boom box outside her window, for goodness sakes! best line: “she’s
gone, she gave me a pen. i gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.”
*these are in no way in any particular order, & there
are only a bazillion more out there. These are just truly some of the best; per
moi. did you agree with any of them? you’re already on Netflix, aren’t you?
