Brad DeLong rightly rips into A.O. Scott for stupidly thinking that "The Devil Wears Prada" was a romance and for comparing modern romance films with the old classics.
He lists his favorite modern romances are: "Moonstruck," "Four
Weddings and a Funeral,"* and the Jennifer Ehle-Colin Firth "Pride and
Prejudice" from 1995.
Loved "Four Weddings and a Funeral" — back before Hugh Grant was getting blow jobs from hookers. Anything with Colin Firth in it is seriously drool-worthy. Not so much with "Moonstruck". So what would you add to the list?
My pix: "A Room With A View", "Shakespeare in Love," "While You Were Sleeping," "The Age of Innocence," and "Bull Durham." Perhaps "Knocked Up," "40 Year Old Virgin," and "The Wedding Crashers." Maybe "Sweet Home Alabama."
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Apt. 11d 
I loved Music and Lyrics. I also think Overboard is seriously underrated. š
I agree with your first batch but disagree with the Apatow/Apatowish choices in the second batch.
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What about The Lake House? It’s even (partly) epistolary.
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Shallow Hal?
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I don’t know if this fits your definition of romantic comedy, but it fits mine: High Fidelity.
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I’d definitely agree on “Bull Durham” — fun, romantic and philosophical. I’d also nominate Emma Thompson’s lovely adaptation of “Sense and Sensibility” (right on the cusp of Hugh Grant’s blow job outing, however) along with “Sleepless in Seattle” (although almost anything that pairs up Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan works for me, even that rather uneven “Joe vs. the Volcano”).
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is way up there. And can a ghost movie be a romance? If it can, then Truly, Madly, Deeply makes the top ten.
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YAY! I didn’t want to jump into the fray on Brad Delong’s site, but this is a little more appropriate.
Romantic comedies are genre movies, let’s remember, so they (usually) have to play by certain rules. Character A meets B, sparks somehow, things threaten their relationship, things to overcome, then finally LOVE. Whatever the creators want to do with their movie, it always has to play by these basic rules or else it’s unsatisfying, and our expectations aren’t met.
This doesn’t mean a happy ending, necessarily.
So my top romance movies are heavier on the romance and lighter on the comedy.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
Before Sunrise
Before Sunset
All the Real girls (more of a romance/drama)
Walking and Talking
Lost in Translation
Sliding Doors
Eternal Sunshine… (!)
Conversations with Other Women
Once
A little more left-field would be the remake of ‘Solaris’, with Mr Clooney. Sci-fi romance?
An indie goodie that’s charming and makes the most of a limited budget is “Two Ninas”.
And after years of avoiding it I finally saw “The Notebook” and guess what –it’s quite nice. Very sentimental, but so honest and emotionally based, not all up trying to be clever. Really liked it too.
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Romantic movies are pretty cool. Not that I’d redally admit that to anyone. Though they do help if there’s a romance going on in your own life ’cause they make great watching for couples in love.
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the best is “the notebook” if u hv’nt seen that u really missing something………
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I would have to say:
Pride and Prejudice
Love me if you dare
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it is cool
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I missed this thread last time around. Don’t have much to add, except that Melissa and I recently rewatched the Hugh Grant-Julia Roberts flick “Notting Hill,” and found it just as charming and believable a modern romantic comedy as it seemed to be when we saw it in the theater.
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“The Notebook” best romance movie i’ve seen in my young life.
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My romance movies have to have a little something extra, though I do enjoy your everyday cliche ’80s romance.
My choices are:
V for Vendetta (although more action than romance)
Twilight (for a Potter lover like me, this was difficult to admit)
Serendipity (FATE RULES)
The Notebook (I had buckets of tears)
Amelie (it’s in french so make sure you have subtitles!)
Casanova (Heath Ledger ā¤ )
The Illusionist (Jessica Biel was gorgeous and I pretty much fell in love with Edward Norton)
The Count of Monte Cristo (The 2000 one. Read the book first; the book has a much deeper plot)
Girl With a Pearl Earring (Colin Firth RULES. Read the book first)
Love Actually (this is why Britain rules)
There's definitely more but these are ones that just come to my head.
Note:
-Never see anything with Matthew McConaughey. He's another Keanu Reeves with amazing looks, indistinguishable accent, and horrible acting.
-Watch any British romance you can get your hand on.
"What about The Lake House? It's even (partly) epistolary.
Posted by: Kai Jones | February 05, 2008 at 01:26 PM"
KEANU REEVES!!?!?!?
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I can’t believe everyone has forgotten to mention “A Walk To Remember”!
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um defintly
The Notebook
A walk to remember
The titanic!?!
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