Okay i admit, i'm a romantic comedy buff. But deep down, who isn't? Everyone loves that feeling in the pit of your stomach when the guy gets the girl, and it ends happily ever after. I mean, everybody loves a happy ending. Even the most cynical of all cynics or the hardest of hearts wants to have their own happily ever after.
I like action movies and suspense thrillers, (i hate horror movies! you can call me chicken... i'll attest to that.) but my most favorite genre of them all is romantic comedies. There's something about them, something so sweep-me-off-my-feet esque that makes me love being a girl. But there's also the aspect of those things not always happening in real life. But that's the allure of romantic comedies: They take us away from the more often than not brutal reality of love, and puts us right in the middle of a story we want to play a role in.
I haven't watched all the newest romantic comedies out there yet. (coughvalentine'sdaycough) But here i'll outline my personal top 10 romantic comedies. I won't put the synopsis anymore :)
10. 27 Dresses
This movie was jampacked with humor and love and irony. Irony because the leading man, James Marsden, is a cynic. He hates marriages and weddings, while his leading lady, Katherine Hiegl, simply adores them.The irony of all ironies, is that he is a very famous writer of a wedding column, and she's his biggest fan... and yet he doesn't believe in what he writes. James Marsden's character is absolutely ADORABLE, and i wish someone like him existed. His character is totally my type, hahaha! Anyway, the movie is hilarious and the script is fantastic.
If there was an award for most original storyline, this movie would win the title hands down. The story follows childhood best friends Jacob (Ben Stiller), Brian (Edward Norton), whose long lost childhood buddy Anna (Jenna Elfman) comes back to town. They're both in love with Anna, but the thing is, Jacob is a rabbi, and Brian is a priest. The film is a HILARIOUS and unorthodox story of love, religion, and well, love love love. And the soundtrack is great, too.
8. Hitch
7. Made of Honor
Patrick Dempsey is the perfect leading man. He is sooo charming that any girl would really fall for him! The film is typical in a sense that it's love between best friends, except that he has a fear of commitment (and is a playboy, as well), and she's getting married. She appoints him as her maid of honor, and he strives to be the perfect bridesmaid. As the maid of honor, he falls in love with her more than ever, and sets out to break the impending marriage. What i like about the movie is that she is a really likable leading lady, and Dempsey is the "wrong" man for her. But we still all root for him, anyway :)
Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey have so much chemistry that you'd wish they were together in real life. Kate Hudson is a magazine writer who wants to write articles with more substance, and she gets assigned to an article outlining the ways a woman could lose a guy... in a matter of ten days. Matthew McConaughey's buddies bet that he can't even stay in a relationship for more than a week. They start dating, and with that comes a whirlwind of laughter, heartache and frustration as we watch her drive him nuts. And even if they both have vested interest in the relationship, they eventually fall in love. This movie's a romantic comedy classic ;)
5. Notting Hill
She's a famous Hollywood actress, and he's a British bookstore owner from Notting Hill. He's a boy, she's a girl, they fall in love. I like the movie because there was truth to the celebrity coupled with a regular Joe thing, and it's a reality.
I mean, who can forget the lines, "I'm just a girl. Standing in front of a boy. Asking him to love her."
Made me cry, mehn. Haha! And their acting was very natural. Especially the ending! Waaaa. Watch it, it's a keeper.
4. The Wedding Planner
Jennifer Lopez plays a career oriented wedding planner who is very much sought after in the industry. She focuses on making other people's Kodak moments as memorable as possible, while she can't seem to make any of her own. One day, she was about to get hit by a car, when a doctor saves her life (and her Gucci shoe!). She develops a crush, and after a romantic date, the two never meet again... or so we thought. Apparently, he's the groom in a wedding she's supposed to plan, and the rest of the movie is a fun, frisky and very funny joyride as the two bicker, banter, pretend (in front of the bride) and... you guessed it! fall in love.
3. 10 Things I Hate About You
Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger <3 Haha! This movie portrays two sisters who couldn't be more different from each other. Julia Stiles is the non-conformist rebel girl, while the other is the social climbing party princess - who isn't allowed to date unless Julia Stiles dates. Heath Ledger is the rocker non-conformist dude who's paid by some skeezbag to date Julia, so the said skeezbag can get into her sister's pants. Soooo Ledger dates Julia only because he's getting paid for it, but they end up... FALLING IN LOVE! Hahhaa. Be prepeared for OMG THIS IS SO KILIG scenes and swoon worthy public displays of professing love. I cried in this movie out of happiness and butterflies in my stomach. (Yes, i am weird.) it was too adorable okay! Plus, it features a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt! <3
2. My Best Friend's Wedding
This film had two endings: The happy ending, and the another not-so-happy-yet-not-so-sad-either-ending. The producers went along with the latter, and i think that made all the difference. Julia Roberts has been in love with her best friend Michael for the longest time, and only her other very good gay friend , George (who is clever and sassy, by the way!), knows about it. When Michael returns from a trip from abroad with another girl, Kimi (Cameron Diaz) she is stunned... especially when they announce that they're getting married - and Julia is the made of honor. So Julia Roberts tries to singlehandedly sabotage the marriage, and does she succeed? Watch the movie to find out! This film was a pioneer in the romantic comedy business, if you ask me.
1. Pretty Woman
Julia Roberts, once again, enters our list and reigns supreme with Pretty Woman. this was i think, the very first romantic comedy i had seen, and i immediately fell in love with the plot, script, characters, and generally the entire happy ending thing.
Julia plays Vivian, a prostitute who is hired by Edward (Richard Gere) , a very rich businessman to be his +1 for several business and social events he will be attending the whole week.
This movie was heartwarming and highly entertaining. I found myself rooting for Vivian as she was snubbed by a saleslady, and as she transformed from a Hollywood Boulevard hooker to a society girl. It was a modern day fairytale, and it had the cutest, sweetest ending as Edward drove up to her "castle" (apartment) on his white horse (a fancy schmancy limousine) and climbed up to the tower (a storey building) and rescued his damsel in distress! Plus, Richard Gere was absolutely dashing.
Romantic comedies aside, the multi-million dollar industry of movies has been a key influence in people's lives. I've actually become a hopeless romantic and an old fashioned girl when it comes to love, influenced by the films i've seen over the years.
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Off the topic of romantic comedies... What saddens me (and frustrates, for that matter) is that our country just can't seem to produce the same quality of movies as the US, or India, or other countries. Okay so disregarding the budget and the technology, where are the hard-hitting plots? The indulging storylines? The heartwarming scripts? Not to mention competent actors. There are good indie Filipino filmmakers and such, but they are few and far between. There are only three main categories in Filipino films: Fantasy, Gag films, and Romantic Comedies. A lot of our movies star pretty yet untalented 'actors' who are also variety show hosts, VJs, singers, models etc. It's like there is only one pool of "talents" to choose from. You don't need to know how to act to star in your own movie. All you need is another guy to be part of your little love team, small Asian-ish eyes, and fair skin to hit it big. Add a 'rich guy, poor girl' plot to the mix, a tear-jerking scene, lots of very corny, cheesy and cliche' one-liners and there you have it: A Filipino romantic comedy.
Forgive my rambling, it's just that i feel like the good directors, actors and scriptwriters out there are cramped and outshadowed by the ones who sell out to to sell tickets.
Forgive my rambling, it's just that i feel like the good directors, actors and scriptwriters out there are cramped and outshadowed by the ones who sell out to to sell tickets.
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