although the story is liberally manipulated from the original dickens' novel, the movie really wins my heart over as one of my favorite romantic/sexy movies of all time.
the chemistry between ethan hawke & gywneth paltrow is great which makes it hard to pick the most romantic moment, but here it is:
hawke's finn interrupts paltrow's estella while at dinner. he bursts into the restaurant & asks her to slow dance (in front of her fiance) in the middle of a quiet nyc bistro. the heat between them as they dance is intense, leading them to dance their way out of the restaurant and into the rain storm outside. they passionately kiss and then run away to finn's loft where they make love. after which, estella says "i do love the way you dance."
***runner up moment: finn's passionate plea outside estella's nyc mansion after his sold out art show. key line: "don't you understand, that everything I do, I do it for you. anything, that might be special in me, is you."
swoon.
2. Pretty in Pink: Team Blane
perfectly cliche (wrong side of the tracks romance). perfectly 80s (soundtrack, costumes, j.hughes).
from the molly ringwald trilogy, this is always my pick. mostly because i totally developed a crush on andrew mccarthy as blane. yes, jon cryer is brilliant as duckie and his otis redding tribute to andie is very sweet.
but i'm team blane all the way. mostly because of his beautiful speech at the end of the movie:
"you said you couldn't be with someone who didn't believe in you. well I believed in you. you just didn't believe in me. i love you... always."
andie races after blane & they kiss (in the mist).
3. Atonement: Libraries are Hot.
so are secret love notes. green dresses. and james mcavoy.
the scene is well known. cecilia & robbie sneak away to the library & have quick, hot sex against some books. the misinterpretation of this scene by cecilia's younger sister briony sets the rest of the plot into motion.
equally romantic/heartbreaking is cecilia's final plea to robbie as he is (mistakenly) arrested:
"i love you. come back. come back to me."
4. Before Sunset: Waltz
a sequel that is perhaps better than the first. it is more realistic, perhaps because it is less idealistic, but still builds a great sense of tension between these two "what might have been" lovers.
the ending is quite good because nothing is entirely resolved and the viewer is left to wonder: did jesse miss his flight (probably) and did jesse & celine actually end up together (let's hope).
but these parting questions don't really matter. the whole movie is one entire flirtation. a courtship dance. a hope to build something based on one magical night in the past.
but one that is done so easily that i want to instantaneously walk the streets of paris.
the most romantic moment for me is celine singing her waltz. as much as jesse's novel is a love letter to celine about their romance that could have been, celine's song (played only for jesse) is far more personal. and as it is well placed at the end of the film, the viewer finally realizes that yes, celine has been thinking about jesse after all these years.
serious girl crush on julie delpy & her singing.
5. 10 Things I Hate About You: Sweet Serenade
teen comedy at its perfection. yes, it possesses the typical plot devices of the genre: underage partying, a horrible bet/deal gone wrong, social group friction.
but the performances are well acted. julie stiles & heath ledger are immensely enjoyable and believable in their performances.
swoon worthy moment: patrick verona (heath ledger) serenading kat stratford (julie stiles).
totally unrealistic. but totally perfect.
***runner up moment: kat's poem.
6. Reality Bites: You, Me, and Five Bucks
full disclosure: i have an unnatural affection for this movie. i'm willing to admit that it is not a great cinematic achievement. however, it instills a complete irrational love in my heart. and even though i was probably only a pre-teen when i first saw it, i desperately wished i was a gen X-er. so, this movie somehow had to make it on the list.
the romantic moment for me: after being fired from her awful job (working for the villianous "good morning grant"), troy takes lelaina for a pep talk walk where he recounts his far worse employment history. the two dear friends chat, smoke, and drink coffee. both realize that all they really need is each other's company (you, me & five bucks). the romantic-friend moment quickly shifts into a desire for something more (at least on troy's part) as he leans in for a kiss.
this moment rings honestly true as the two "friends" nagivate the grey area of friendship or something more throughout the rest of the movie.
7. Manhattan: NYC Love Letter
i do not have a nyc obsession like some people. but woody allen's opus to manhattan makes me fall in love with the city every time.
the black & white. the music. every shot of a different landmark or bustling street. it captures the romance of a city that has captured the hearts of so many.
the opening sequence is classic. just watch & enjoy.
8. Sabrina (1954): The Magical Audrey Hepburn
a classic ugly duckling transformation story. hepburn's sabrina fairchild transforms from the plain chauffeur's daughter into a cosmopolitan lady. she finally catches the eye of wealthy playboy david larabee (played by swoon worthy william holden).
her entrance in a gorgeous givenchy gown captures every man's heart, including david's. and while they dance, one is willing to believe that he might actually cast aside his playboy ways for sabrina. the whole movie is classic romance at its best.
9. Never Been Kissed: Completely Awkward is Completely Endearing
a totally cheesy comedy that's made supremely enjoyable because of drew barrymore's earnestness. and yes, more movie cliches are at play here with the hidden identity plot line causing much complication for the budding romance between teacher and "student." but as smarmy as it could have come off, barrymore and michael vartan really make it work.
the final kiss on the baseball field is over the top, but perfect. plus, who hasn't had a crush on a teacher?
10. Jerry Maguire: I Don't Care If It's Super Cheesy
i don't care that this scene is cliched, over-quoted, or constantly spoofed. it makes me cry everytime. and i don't even care that tom cruise is now crazy-pants & renee zellweger has dropped off the face of the earth.
"you complete me" is simply perfect.
okay first of all, i cannot believe you didn't have little women on here somewhere. it was close on my list...Laurie's speech that ends somewhere along the lines of "and i'll be hanged if i stand by and watch". fucking great. second of all, many of your list were on my initial list, which i whittled down, including:jerry maguire (for sure!), reality bites, and before sunrise (not sunset). My problem with reality bites is that i couldn't really think of one moment that totally swept me away, but i get what you are saying.
ReplyDeletei'm glad you put ten things on here. it's a favorite of mine. but you seriously should have put lloyd dobler on, even though i already did.
the scene from atonement is hot, but overall the movie totally pissed me off. but i suppose i would have specifically listed romantic movies instead of moments if i wanted the whole film to be great.
but seriously. how could neither of us end up with little women on our list?
little women totally popped into my head too! but i had to discount it because i always hated the fact that laurie ended up with amy. sometimes i can't even watch the rest of the movie after his ill fated proposal to jo.
ReplyDeleteagreed. i pretty much cry the entire way through the second half, sometimes out of sadness, and others out of frustration. how, how could laurie love both jo and then amy? they are polar opposites and even if they weren't, amy is a total bitch whore from hell. the limes, the burning of the manuscript...she is completely unforgivable. doesn't matter if everyone else forgives her. i don't.
ReplyDeletecome on L.P., whats taking you so long?