Romantic Movies

Reminiscent of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, A LOT LIKE LOVE is a modern take on the possibilities of chance encounters with love. En route from Los Angeles to New York City, Oliver Martin (Ashton Kutcher) and Emily Friehl (Amanda Peet) didn’t expect to have a one night stand, least of all 35,000 feet in the air. And, despite Oliver’s sincere attempts afterwards to get to know the mysterious, albeit brooding beauty, Emily won’t have any of it.

The cast includes: Amanda Peet,
Ashton Kutcher.

Directed by: Nigel Cole.
Written by: Colin Patrick Lynch.

Set in Africa, during WW II, when the Rev. Samuel Sayer suddenly passes away, steam boat “captain,” Charlie Allnut, finds himself transporting Sayer’s sister, Rose, back to civilization. In the meantime, however, the two will tackle their antithetical personalities, and, of course, the Germans, in this classic blockbuster Romance.

The cast includes: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley.

Directed by: John Huston.
Written by: C.S. Forester (novel “The African Queen”), James Agee and John Huston (screen adaptation).

In Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of the 1920 novel by Edith Wharton, romance between an upper-class gentleman and an outcast lady is doomed by 19th century New York society. Shortly after his engagement to the conventional and lackluster May Welland (Winona Ryder), Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) reconnects with May’s disreputable cousin Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). As the head of a socially elite family, Archer initially uses his status to try to revive Ellen’s reputation, but soon he finds himself drawn ever more strongly to Ellen’s disregard for the codes of New York manners.

The cast includes: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Geraldine Chaplin, Mary Beth Hurt, Jonathan Pryce.

Directed by: Martin Scorsese.
Edith Wharton (novel), Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese (screenplay).

AMERICAN DREAMER is the romantic comedy that tells of a frustrated house wife whose part time writing career and obsession with the Rebecca Ryan murder mystery novels has landed her an all expense paid trip to Paris where, for the first time, Cathy Palmer learns what love is all about.

The cast includes: JoBeth Williams, Tom Conti, Giancarlo Giannini.

Directed by: Rick Rosenthal.
Written by: Ann Biderman (story), David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf.

In AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN Richard Gere plays Zack Mayo, an aloof, taciturn loner who aspires to be a navy pilot. Once he’s arrived at training camp for his 13-week officer’s course, Mayo soon crosses paths with abrasive, no-nonsense drill sergeant Emil Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.). Mayo – or “Mayonnaise,” as Foley mockingly dubs him – is an outstanding cadet, but too self-involved. Foley rides him without mercy, sensing that the young man could be prime officer material. Zack’s affair with working girl Paula Pokrifi (Debra Winger) is similarly damaged by Foley’s unwillingness to give of himself. Only after a tragedy involving Mayo’s best friend Sid Worsley (David Keith) does Zack come out of his shell and mature into manhood.

The cast includes:
Richard Gere, Debra Winger, Robert Loggia, Louis Gossett Jr., David Caruso.

Directed by: Taylor Hackford.
Written by: Douglas Day Stewart.

Alvy Singer is a neurotic. He is also a comedian and the boyfriend of the equally eccentric Annie Hall. After a sudden break-up, Singer undergoes a “stream of consciousness” that recapitulates the trials and tribulations of his relationship with Annie in an attempt to deduce “what went wrong”. This wacky, off-beat comedy features animation, montage, personal testimony and other quirky oddities appropriate to a Allen film.

The cast includes: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, Colleen Dewhurst, Christopher Walken.

Directed by: Woody Allen.
Written by: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman.

Another classic screwball comedy from the 1930s. Jerry and Lucy Warriner are about to finalize a divorce which includes a custody case over the rights to their dog! But before matters are set in stone each decides to ruin all prospects for the other’s chances of remarriage. Though Jerry is intent on remarrying to socialite Molly Lamont, and Lucy to oil-mogul Daniel Lesson, each tries to outdo and undo the other which results in hilarious and rather compromising scenarios.

The cast includes: Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy.

Directed by: Leo McCarey.
Written by: Viña Delmar (screenplay) and Arthur Richman (play)

We’ve all seen it before: attractive but single mom, Daphne Wilder (Diane Keaton), rears three beautiful daughters alone; daughters grow up accomplished; daughters fall in love; daughters get married, save for, of course, the youngest. The youngest, Milly (Mandy Moore) is busy living the parallel life of her mother, 25 years her junior, and clueless doing it. Unaware of the life of constant misery she’s about to commit to, Daphne decides to intervene, involving herself in Milly’s love life at every painstaking moment.

The cast includes: Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Gabriel Macht.

Directed by: Michael Lehmann.
Written by: Karen Leigh Hopkins, Jessie Nelson.

In 1795, Jane Austen is a feisty 20-year-old emerging writer who dreams of doing what was then almost unthinkable – marrying for love. While her parents are eyeing Mr. Wisley, nephew to the rich local aristocrat Lady Gresham, Jane encounters the roguish Tom Lefroy, provoking much flying of sparks and sharp repartee between the two. Lefroy’s intellect and arrogance arouse her ire – and then knock her head over heels. Now, the couple, whose dalliance flies in the face of social convention, must face an awful dilemma. If they marry, they will pay a very high price – in terms of family, friends and fortune. Is it worth it?

The cast includes: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, James Cromwell, and Maggie Smith.

Directed by: Julian Jarrold.
Written by: Jane Austen (letters), Kevin Hood and Sarah Williams (written by).

“Before Sunrise” director Richard Linklater has created a special dating movie. A French grad student, Celine (Julie Delpy), and an American boy, Jesse (Ethan Hawke), meet on a Budapest-Vienna train. What starts with a chance encounter goes throughout the night into the early morning, turning into a 14 hour date.

The cast includes: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy.

Directed by: Richard Linklater.
Written by: Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan.

Set in 1931, when a young Spanish soldier decides to desert the army, he winds up arrested by local police officials. Soon enough he is released, and befriended by a lonely local village man, Manolo. Problems arise, however, when Manolo’s four beautiful daughters come to visit their papa, provoking a complicated love tryst that has the soldier confused over which daughter he most loves, since, it seems, he can’t help but love them all.

The cast includes: Fernando Fernan Gomez, Jorge Sanz, Penelope Cruz

Directed by: Fernando Trueba.
Written by: Rafael Azcona (screenplay and story), Jose Luis Garcia Sanchez and Fernando Trueba (story)

In this beloved classic, American expatriate Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) plays world-weary host to gamblers, thieves and other habitués at “Rick’s Cafe Americain” nightclub in Morocco during World War II… He thinks he’s seen it all ? but he never thought the woman who broke his heart, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) would walk through his door again. She hopes Rick can help her and her fugitive husband (Paul Henreid) elude the Nazis and escape to America. Casablanca is chock-a-block with memorable movie quotes, including: “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”; “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.'”; “Round up the usual suspects.”; “We’ll always have Paris.”; and “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”

The cast includes: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre.

Directed by: Michael Curtiz.
Written by: Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein (screenplay), Howard Koch (screenplay), and Murray Burnett and Joan Alison (play).

When Gray Wheeler (Jennifer Garner) discovers her fiance, Grady, has died while partaking in some death-defying act or another on his bachelor trip, she awakens from the shock to find her world, and his three best friends, in shambles. Together, Gray, Dennis (Sam Jaeger), and Sam (Kevin Smith), prepare for the funeral. With the wedding now a distant dream, Gray settles into the comfort of her fiancé’s friends, sleeping in friendly quarters while mending fresh wounds.

The cast includes: Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Smith, Juliette Lewis.

Written and Directed by: Susannah Grant.

Set in contemporary Paris, Regina is intent on divorcing her husband after her return from vacation in Switzerland. Still, the last think Regina expects is for him to wind up dead: murdered nonetheless. Informed by CIA agent Hamilton Bartholomew that her husband was one of several convicts suspected of stealing money from the U.S. government during WWII, and coincidentally the government wants it back, Regina comes up empty handed both in cash and testimony. Likewise her husband’s former “partners in crime” start to show up and showing interest in Regina, and likely her money, which begins to compromise Regina’s safety: its one great big charade with Charles’ former accomplice Peter at the helm of the “treasure hunt.”

The cast includes: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy.

Directed by: Stanley Donen.
Written by: Peter Stone (screenplay and story) and Marc Behm (story).

A Civil War confederate soldier, Inman, is seriously wounded in battle and heads home to North Carolina to his pre-war sweetheart, Ada. Meanwhile, in his absence, Ada – with the help of a young drifter – desperately tries to hold onto the farm of her deceased father. Inman’s long journey home takes him through the crumbling confederacy, as he meets people from all walks of life who both aid and hinder him in his mission.

The cast includes: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Donald Sutherland, Cillian Murphy.

Directed by: Anthony Minghella.
Written by: Charles Frazier (book), and Anthony Minghella (screenplay).

French author Francois Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel Les Liasons Dangeureuses is the basis for this Academy Award-winning period drama directed by Stephen Frears. The plot focuses on an ugly wager between the beautiful but heartless Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) and her misogynistic ex-lover, the Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich). The Marquise challenges Valmont to seduce the virginal Cecile de Volanges (Uma Thurman) before the girl can be wed. Valmont responds with an even tougher counter-challenge: That he can bed the very moral and very married Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer).

The cast includes: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz, Keanu Reeves, and Uma Thurman.

Directed by: Stephen Frears.
Written by: Christopher Hampton (play and screenplay), and Choderlos de Laclos (novel “Les liaisons dangereuses”).

While spending her summer at a resort with her family, Baby meets Johnny Castle: dance instructor by day/dirty dancer by night. When Castle’s dancing partner undergoes an abortion, Baby steps in her place, (behind her father’s back), learning the routine and falling for Johnny along the way. As the end of summer nears, Baby and Castle are forced to reflect on their intentions, and the opinion of Baby’s father.

The cast includes: Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach, Jack Weston.

Directed by: Emile Ardolino.
Written by: Eleanor Bergstein.

Set during the historic Russian Bolshevik Revolution, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO follows the trials and tribulations of its eponymous lead character as he marries and raises a family, only to have his life tragically disrupted by WW I and then the Russian Revolution. As Dr. Zhivago’s freedom and life are taken away, struggles to survive and live an honorable and fulfilling life.

The cast includes: Omar Sharif,
Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Courtenay, Alec Guinness, Ralph Richardson, Rod Steiger, and Klaus Kinski.

Directed by: David Lean.
Written by: Boris Pasternak (novel), and Robert Bolt (screenplay).

An adaptation of Jane Austen’s same-named novel, the film features Emma Woodhouse, a young and congenial beauty who helps herself to playing the role of cupid to family and friends. Still, despite her penchant for match-making she is, nonetheless, quite bad at it; constantly attempting to unite couples that are completely wrong for one another.

The cast includes: Gwyneth Paltrow, Greta Scacchi, Sophie Thompson,
Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette.

Directed by: Douglas McGrath.
Written by: Jane Austen (novel), Douglas McGrath (screenplay).

In a field hospital in Italy, a nurse named Hana (Juliette Binoche), cares for a pilot (Ralph Fiennes) known simply as “the English Patient” because of his accent, who has been horribly burned in a plane wreck and has no identification and cannot remember his name. When the hospital is evacuated, Hana sees that the patient can’t be moved far due to his condition, so the two are left in a monastery to be picked up later. In time, Hana pieces together his story from the fragments of his memories and learns that he’s actually Count Laszlo Almasy, of Hungarian nobility – an explorer working with a group mapping uncharted territory in North Africa.

The cast includes: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Colin Firth.

Directed by: Anthony Minghella.
Written by: Michael Ondaatje (novel), and Anthony Minghella (screenplay).

Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry bring you one of the most unique love stories of all time. “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” tells of the plight of one man, Joel Barish, after the love of his life, the quirky Clementine, impulsively has him erased from her memory. Disarmed, Joel decides to then erase Clementine from his memory.

The cast includes: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson.

Directed by: Michel Gondry.
Written by: Charlie Kaufman… (story and screenplay), Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth (story).

A modern day, “realistic” adaptation of “Cinderella”, when Danielle’s father suddenly dies, her stepmother takes her in as the new servant. Accordingly, there are the two stepsisters, though the word “evil” is only applicable to one, whereas the other sister is quite agreeable. All the same Danielle grows up a content, independent woman who is quite prepared to handle a sudden change of fate when Prince Henry decides to make his way into her life.

The cast includes: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott.

Directed by: Andy Tennant.
Written by: Susannah Grant, Andy Tenant, and Rick Parks (screenplay).

Daniel McCormick (Mel Gibson) volunteers for a scientific experiment that puts him in a state of ageless suspended animation in FOREVER YOUNG. In 1939, McCormick is a test pilot who’s brave in his test flights but lacks the nerve to ask his girlfriend Helen (Isabel Glasser) to marry him, even though he loves her. When Helen is hit by a truck and falls into a coma, Daniel is devastated. He approaches his best friend, Harry (George Wendt), a scientific researcher working with the military, who’s been experimenting with cryogenic suspension; Daniel asks Harry to have him frozen for a year rather than go through the ordeal of waiting to see if Helen lives or dies. But then one year turns into 50 in this romantic sci-fi tale.

The cast includes: Mel Gibson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Elijah Wood, George Wendt, Walton Goggins.

Directed by: Steve Miner.
Written by: J.J. Abrams.

A timeless fantasy about the power of love. Walking back to their apartment one night, Sam and Molly are mugged, leaving Sam murdered in a dark alley. Unable to fully leave Molly, especially now that she is in grave danger, Sam is trapped as ghost between this world and the next. With the help of an eclectic medium, Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly…

The cast includes: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn.

Directed by: Jerry Zucker.
Written by: Bruce Joel Rubin.

Director Victor Fleming’s 1939 epic telling of Margaret Mitchell’s classic Civil War novel features Vivien Leigh as self-centered, willful Scarlett O’Hara – the indomitable Southern Belle who meets her match in the person of dashing rogue Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), even as she pines for unattainable Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard). Mistress of the legendary Georgia cotton plantation Tara in 1861, Scarlett watches helplessly as her beloved home and life come to ruin along with the rest of the Confederacy at the hands of Sherman and the Union. She vows to build it back, bigger and better than before, even if it costs her the love of her life and all personal happiness.

The cast includes: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Thomas Mitchell, Hattie McDaniel, Ward Bond, Butterfly McQueen, and Evelyn Keyes.

Directed by: Victor Fleming.
Written by: Margaret Mitchell (novel) and Sidney Howard (screenplay).

Dustin Hoffman burst onto the cinematic scene with his memorable performance as a naive college graduate seduced by a middle-aged neighbor (Anne Bancroft), though he ends up falling for her beautiful, young daughter (Katharine Ross) – with consequences both traumatic and comedic. Mike Nichols captured a Best Director Oscar for this quintessential ’60s tale, graced with a hugely appealing Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack featuring their iconic pop classic “Mrs. Robinson.”

The cast includes: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, and Norman Fell.

Directed by: Mike Nichols.
Written by: Calder Willingham and Buck Henry (screenplay) and Charles Webb (novel).

When a weatherman is assigned to cover the story about the notorious rat for the fourth year in a row, upon awakening the next day, he discovers its somehow managed to be Groundhog Day once again, and again, and again, and again, ad nauseam. Needless to say, when the novelty of groundhog-day-infinitude begins to wear off, our poor weatherman begins to try his best to evade his doomed time-locked status.

The cast includes: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray.

Directed by: Harold Ramis.
Written by: Danny Rubin (story and screenplay) and Harold Ramis (screenplay).

When star quarterback Joe Pendleton is nearly killed in a car accident, a zealous angel rushes him to heaven’s gate, only to discover that it wasn’t his “time.” But with his body cremated, the only option is to find a new body. Enter a newly murdered millionaire corpse. Taking on his corporeal guise, Joe confuses the alleged perpetrators: his wife and accountant, as he purchases the Rams in hopes of once more quarterbacking them to the Superbowl.

The cast includes: Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, James Mason, Jack Warden, Charles Grodin, Dyan Cannon, Buck Henry, Vincent Gardenia.

Directed by: Warren Beatty, Buck Henry.
Written by: Elaine May and Warren Beatty (screenplay) and Harry Segall (play).

Amanda (Cameron Diaz) is your typical California girl: tall, blonde, and beautiful. Commitment and drive taint this bubbly blonde in her successful, megabucks career of entrepreneurial movie advertiser. With a history of dating Mr. Wrong, Amanda isn’t too terribly surprised to find her recent long-term beau, Ethan (Ed Burns), has been cheating on her with his secretary.

The cast includes: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Bill Macy.

Written and Directed by: Nancy Meyers.

Maggy Mae (Cameron Diaz) is a delightfully sexy thirty something woman with no resume or cash to her name. Illicit affairs by night, fabulous shoes by day: that’s Maggy’s life. Her sister, on the other hand, is her polar opposite. Rose is the uptight, a-positive personality, and a lawyer to boot. While Rose works relentlessly setting up her life, Maggy works tirelessly at destroying hers and her sister’s, pilfering Rose’s fabulous shoe collection in the process of doing her dirty work.

The cast includes: Cameron Diaz, Shirley MacLaine, Toni Collette.

Directed by: Curtis Hanson.
Written by: Jennifer Weiner (novel), Susannah Grant (screenplay).

Big Apple-bound and planning to elope with a ne’er-do-well flyboy, fugitive socialite Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) runs into out-of-work newspaperman Peter Warne (Clark Gable) and the sparks fly. As they set out on a string of madcap adventures, Warne thinks of selling Ellie’s story to the newspaper to get his job back, but eventually realizes he’s in love with her — as she is with him.

The cast includes: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Alan Hale.

Directed by: Frank Capra.
Written by: Robert Riskin (screenplay), Samuel Hopkins Adams (short story).

When sports agent Jerry Maguire has an epiphany about his unethically bureaucratic ways he publishes a manuscript that ultimately costs him his job. As Jerry goes independent he is left without help and clients, save for an egomaniacal football player Rod Tidwell and a mousy single-mother secretary Dorothy Boyd.

The cast includes: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renee Zellweger, Kelly Preston, Jerry O’Connell, Bonnie Hunt

Written and directed by: Cameron Crowe.

Woody Allen marshals a potent combination of witty dialogue, the music of George Gershwin, and atmospheric location shooting in MANHATTAN, one of his best early romantic comedies. Isaac, a neurotic writer in his forties, is romantically involved with Tracy, a 17-year-old student. But things get complicated when he starts to date Mary, his best friend’s ex-mistress.

The cast includes: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, and Meryl Streep.

Directed by: Woody Allen.
Written by: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman.

When there’s a full moon over Brooklyn, anything can happen, and everything seems to be happening in the neighborhood where widowed bookkeeper Loretta Castorini (Cher) lives. First, Loretta agrees to marry a man (Johnny Cammareri, played by Danny Aiello) she does not love – simply because he knows how to propose properly. But then she falls for Johnny’s brother, Ronny (Nicolas Cage).

The cast includes: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia, Olympia Dukakis, and Danny Aiello.

Directed by: Norman Jewison.
Written by: John Patrick Shanley.

This modern-day take on Shakespeare’s classic features a sharp tongued woman, and the man she most loves to hate, who are, nevertheless, tricked into a romance by scheming friends. As lovers Hero and Claudio pass time before their marriage (only a week away), they set a trap to make the arrogant bachelor, Benedick, and his rivaling banter-buddy, Beatrice, fall in love.

The cast includes: Kate Beckinsale, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves.

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh.
Written by: William Shakespeare (play), and Kenneth Branagh (screenplay).

Toula Portokalos is a 30 year old Greek woman who feels trapped working in her family’s Greek restaurant. After an embarrassing experience she develops a strong desire to remake her appearance and update her job skills, which all leads to a romance with a non-Greek, causing a stretching of attitudes of all concerned.

The cast includes: Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine, John Corbett.

Directed by: Joel Zwick.
Written by: Nia Vardalos.

One of the earliest and one of best “Screwball Comedy” from the 1930s. William Powell stars as the derelict Godfrey who falls into acquaintance with socialite Irene Bullock. After hiring Godfrey to work as her family “butler” she begins to fall in love with the man, despite his perception that she is the epitome of the idle rich incarnate.

The cast includes: William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady.

Directed by: Gregory La Cava.
Written by: Morrie Ryskind and Eric Hatch (screenplay) and Eric Hatch (novel).

Centering on an old man and his arbitrary relation to an elderly, albeit regal, woman in a nursing home, “The Notebook,” takes us back in time to trace the beginning steps of their affiliation in a classic love story that is sure to please. As the “unnamed” man (James Garner) begins to read to Allie (Gena Rowlands), an odd nostalgia strikes the woman and she finds herself irresistibly pulled into the romantic tale of Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and his first love, a woman coincidentally with the same name as herself, Allie Carver (Rachel McAdams).

The cast includes: Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Ryan Gosling,
Rachel McAdams.

Directed by: Nick Cassavetes.
Written by: Jeremy Leven (screenplay), Jan Sardi (adaptation), and Nicholas Sparks (novel).

Despite her popular status in high school status, as a 43 year-old mother currently facing a divorce from her adulterous high school sweetheart, Peggy Sue feels anything but on top of the world. As the traditional high school reunion approaches, Peggy Sue finds herself fainting, only to awaken back in her former high school days of yore. With a chance to start over, Peggy Sue undergoes a serious, literal retrospective critique of the decisions she’s made that has led her to her problematic life of present. But can Peggy Sue really change the future, or will she still be tempted to make the same decisions/mistakes as before?

The cast includes: Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage, Catherine Hicks, Joan Allen, Kevin J. O’Connor, Jim Carrey.

Directed by: Francis Coppola.
Written by: Jerry Leichtling, Arlene Sarner.

This Romantic tale takes place in 1813 British society: featuring the personal tribulations of Anne Elliot who suddenly discovers her path has crossed once again with her once rejected suitor who is now a wealthy Captain in search of a wife. Can time change the tides and is there really such a think as second chances?

The cast includes: Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds.

Directed by: Roger Michell.
Written by: Jane Austen (novel), Nick Dear (screenplay).

Philadelphia socialites Tracy Lord and C.K. Dexter Haven married in a fit of passion, and their divorce was equally passionate. They broke up when Dexter’s drinking — a coping mechanism he used to deal with Tracy’s unforgiving manner — became a problem. Two years later, Tracy is about to remarry, with the ceremony set to take place at her mansion. Tracy’s bridegroom is nouveau riche businessman and neophyte politician George Kittredge, an otherwise ordinary man who idolizes Tracy. The day before the wedding, three guests show up unexpectedly: Macaulay Connor, Macaulay’s friend Elizabeth Imbrie, and Dexter himself. It seems that Dexter, now an employee for a tabloid magazine, has made a deal with its publisher and editor to get the inside story on Tracy’s wedding – the wedding of the year.

The cast includes: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey, John Howard, and Roland Young.

Directed by: George Cukor.
Written by: Donald Ogden Stewart (screenplay), and Philip Barry (play).

When passive film critic Allan Felix’s fed up wife suddenly leaves him, he begins to see his idol, tough-as-steel Humphrey Bogart, appearing as an apparition with advice. Together the advice of Bogart and Felix’s married friends gets Allan back on his feet and in the dating world where he is forced to learn how to relax and either be himself, or be single.

The cast includes: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts.

Directed by: Herbert Ross.
Written by: Woody Allen (play and screenplay).

“Pretty Woman” is your not-so-traditional “fairy tale” romance that features megastars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in their first of what would become several appearances together. Gere plays your typical cut-throat business mogul whose specialty is to “de-center” companies (e.g. buying them out and selling them off, in pieces, for profit, large profit). While in L.A. on a routine business trip he decides to pick up a prostitute, Roberts, after some witty street-side banter. Unexpectedly, the two take a liking to one another and Gere sets about turning this street girl into quite a pretty woman in deed. But with her reckless past now connected to Gere’s reputation, there’s trouble in the forecast for these two unlikely love birds.

The cast includes: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Ralph Bellamy, Jason Alexander.

Directed by: Garry Marshall.
Written by: J.F. Lawton.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is an historic adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, the classic sweeping romance of the same name. The film follows the adventurous musings of the five Bennett sisters, specifically Elizabeth, in their wild romps towards marriage. With gumption, country travels and much drama to ensue, the film promises to be a comic, romantic, light-hearted, satisfying retreat into one of historic England’s classic love-stories.

The cast includes: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Judi Dench, Rosamund Pike,
Carey Mulligan, Donald Sutherland.

Directed by: Joe Wright.
Written by: Jane Austen (novel), Deborah Moggach (screenplay).

Returning to the Ireland of his birth, John Ford directed this soulful valentine to the “Auld Sod” in THE QUIET MAN. Irish-American boxer Sean Thornton (John Wayne), still reeling from the trauma of accidentally killing a man in the ring, arrives in the Irish village where he was born. Intent on burying his past and settling down to a peaceful life, Wayne has purchased the home of his birth from wealthy local widow Sarah Tillane (Mildred Natwick), a transaction that has aroused the anger of pugnacious Squire ‘Red’ Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen), who desired the property himself. Gradually, Wayne falls in love with McLaglen’s beautiful, high-spirited sister Mary Kate (Maureen O’Hara).

The cast includes: John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond, and Victor McLaglen.

Directed by: John Ford.
Written by: Frank S. Nugent (screenplay), and Maurice Walsh (story).

After a young woman falls in love and marries a rich widower in Monte Carlo, they go home to Manderley in Cornwall, where the 2nd Mrs. de Winter discovers that the late first wife still has influence over the household, especially the housekeeper who is bent on driving this Second Mrs. de Winter crazy.

The cast includes: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson, Nigel Bruce.

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock.
Written by: Daphne Du Maurier (novel), Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison (screenplay) and Philip MacDonald and Michael Hogan (adaptation).

When romance novelist Joan Wilder travels to South American in search of her recently kidnapped sister, she finds herself in need of some help. Taking to the wild forests with the help of the precariously mercenary Jack Colton, Joan goes in search of her sister, dodging bullets, near-death scenarios, and interesting plot twists alone the way.

The cast includes: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito,
Ron Silver.

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis.
Written by: Diane Thomas.

A modern day adaptation of Edmond Rostands “Cyrano De Bergerac”, the film features notorious fire chief C.D. Bales: the man with the large proboscis (nose). Bales hires a new firefighter, Chris, who is, despite his deftness with a hose, all thumbs when it comes to women. When a sexy astronomer moves into town Chris immediately falls for her, though he doesn’t quite have the “skills” to make the match work. Asking the charismatic C.D. Bales to assist his efforts, the last thing Chris is expecting is for Bales to have a personal motive of his own with all his suave wooing.

The cast includes: Steve Martin, Shelley Duvall, Fred Willard, Damon Wayans.

Directed by: Fred Schepisi.
Written by: Edmond Rostand (play), Steve Martin (screenplay).

High school senior Lloyd Dobler wants nothing more than to win over the affections of beautiful and intelligent high-school valedictorian Diane Court, before she flies overseas in the fall for a scholarship in England. He pursues her over the strenuous objections of her over-protective father, who runs a nursing home. For a time Lloyd captures Diane’s interest, but then she breaks it off. Will he be able to win her back?

The cast includes: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney, Lili Taylor, Jeremy Piven, Eric Stoltz, and Chynna Phillips.

Written and Directed by: Cameron Crowe.

“Sense & Sensibility” is a 19th century Romantic comedy which features three young sisters in their quest for love. When English country gentleman, Mr. Dashwood, dies, his second wife and their three daughters are left with little to live on, and nothing for their dowries, which sorely tests their relationships with suitors that they deeply care about. Hoping to marry and ensure economic security, the sisters undergo wily adventures to make themselves the next Mrs. Right for those potential suitors that come their way.

The cast includes: Tom Wilkinson, Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant.

Directed by: Ang Lee.
Written by: Jane Austen (novel), Emma Thompson (screenplay).

The setting is London in the summer of 1593, where a struggling playwright, known as William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes), seems to have developed a severe case of writers block over his latest piece of work. This is primarily due to guilt over his failed marriage, & the lack of a meaningful, captivating female companionship. It isn’t until he gets caught up in a meaningful, intense love affair, with the lovely Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), that he can get the quill flowing again.

The cast includes: Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson, Joseph Fiennes, Judi Dench.

Directed by: John Madden.
Written by: Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard.

SIDEWAYS is one big montage to all things grape! The film is an ode to California wine country and two detestably enjoyable antiheroes: college buddies and parallel opposites Miles and Jack and their adventures within the confines of wine fields, wine bottles, and many a full wine glasses.

The cast includes: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh.

Directed by: Alexander Payne.
Written by: Rex Pickett (novel), and Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor (screenplay).

Sixteen Candles explores the trials and tribulations of a young girl turning sixteen, dealing with the unwanted, amorous attentions of a nerdy freshman, her terrible crush on a hunky senior, and her distracted, and sometimes annoying family.

The cast includes: Molly Ringwald, Justin Henry, Anthony Michael Hall.

Written and directed by: John Hughes.

Finally ready to move beyond the pain of his wife’s death, Sam resolves to start dating again. His eager son, Jonah, decides to help out his dad by putting him on a national radio show that leads to an overwhelming influx of mail from interested women, one of whom is Annie: a woman engaged to a precarious man by the name of Walter but is still determined to confirm whether or not Sam is the man for her after all. As she forges her way to Seattle, the brief interlude seems in vain, and Annie heads home to New York to live out her life in peace, that is, until her un-posted letter makes it way to Jonah’s footsteps and once more brings the boy, his father, and Annie face to face. But is it love after all, or a final farewell that awaits the two…

The cast includes: Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Meg Ryan, and Bill Pullman.

Directed by: Nora Ephron.
Written by: Jeff Arch (story), Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, and Jeff Arch (screenplay).

The day Helen gets fired from her savvy British PR job is both the first day of her new life and the last day of her old. With fate hanging on the timing of a certain pair of “sliding doors”, whether or not Helen catches the subway home to her flat will ultimately determine the future course of her life; the audiences being privy to witness both possibilities simultaneously.

The cast includes: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, Jeanne Tripplehorn.

Written and directed by: Peter Howitt.

After having the bad luck of witnessing a mob hit, musicians Jerry (Jack Lemmon) and Joe (Tony Curtis) hightail-it out of town in the usual way — in women’s’ clothes. Joining an all-girl traveling band, they meet and befriend a voluptuous ukulele-playing blonde (Marilyn Monroe) and all manner of hi-jinx ensue.
‘s screwball comedy, packed with wild plot twists, laugh out-loud dialog and absurd chases, won a Golden Globe for Best Comedy and was nominated for six Oscars.

The cast includes: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft, Joe E. Brown.

Directed by: Billy Wilder.
Written by: Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond (screenplay).

STRICTLY BALLROOM is a warm and wonderfully off-beat comedy about a dancer, Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio), who refuses to follow the accepted rules of ballroom dancing and creates his own steps and style, thereby driving the local ballroom dancing establishment, including his own mother, absolutely nuts. Before he’s scheduled to compete in an upcoming ballroom championship, his against-the-grain stubbornness blows up in his face and forces him to take up with a new partner, Fran (Tara Morice) – a beginner who initially shows little promise. Under his tutelage she blossoms into an assured and wonderful dancer. Baz Luhrmann’s visual style is bright and sometimes overly gaudy, but his compassionate treatment of his characters is just one of many things that makes Strictly Ballroom the utterly engaging film that it is.

The cast includes: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter, Pat Thomson, Gia Carides, Peter Whitford, and Barry Otto.

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann.
Written by: Andrew Bovell, Baz Luhrmann, and Craig Pearce (screenplay).

Mary was and still is the “It” girl of geeky Ted’s dreams. Now out of high school, Ted packs away horrors of high school, polyester prom suits, and other atrocities that prevented his dream night with Mary from ever being fully realized, and heads out to find her thirteen years later to fulfill his unrequited love. Hiring a P.I. to track her down, Ted is taken aback when he discovers the investigator may also be falling for Mary, consequently giving Ted false information about the updated status of her persona and whereabouts. Without the help of the P.I., Ted manages to squeeze back into Mary’s life, which, of course, provokes one uncomfortably comic scenario after the next.

The cast includes: Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon, and Chris Elliott.

Directed by: Peter and Bob Farrelly.
Written by: Ed Decter and John J. Strauss (story), and Peter and Bob Farrelly, and Ed Decter and John J. Strauss (screenplay).

Abandoned as a baby, Tom Jones is raised by the benevolent Squire Allworthy. Allworthy’s heir, Blifil, resents the amiable Jones; however, Jones is too busy wooing the women to notice. When caught with a local girl, Allworthy banished Tom, and he goes in search of a new life, and a new mistress, in London. Meanwhile, Squire Western’s daughter, Tom’s original love, is to be wedded to Blifil. Not amused, Sophie runs away to London in search of Jones, hooking up with one Mrs. Fitzpatrick in the process, a woman also on the run. The plot thickens as Mr. Fitzpatrick suspects Jones of seducing his wife. Once a playboy, always a playboy!

The cast includes: Albert Finney, David Warner, Hugh Griffith, Susannah York.

Directed by: Tony Richardson.
Written by: John Osborne (screenplay), Henry Fielding (novel).

Down and out Michael Dorsey is hedging his bets, that is, on becoming an imposter female soap star. While the world falls in love with “Tootsie,” completely unsuspecting that “she” is really a he, Dorsey’s emotional attachment to his fellow leading actress begins to complicate things. The question remains, how exactly does one confess their love to a woman when she thinks you’re just another one of the “girls”?

The cast includes: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill Murray, Geena Davis.

Directed by: Sydney Pollack.
Written by: Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal (screenplay), Don McGuire (story) and Larry Gelbart (story).

This pseudo-documentary is a romantic comedy featuring divorced L.A. bachelor Myles. Desirous of a film career and a successful love life, Myles decides to do both at the same time. His plot includes going on 20 dates and filming each in hopes of spotting true love in front of a camera. With a shady investor, Elie, shoveling out the $60,000 needed to launch the project, Myles begins his “date-a-mentary”, though some of his dates are not aware of their being filmed. Meanwhile Elie stars to make demands on the project’s content though Myles want to keep it “real”.

The cast includes: Tia Carrere.

Written and directed by: Myles Berkowitz.

One year after a painful divorce, novelist and book reviewer Frances Mayes decides to take a Gay and Away tour of Tuscany at the urging of her good friends Patti and her gay partner, in hopes of breaking through her depression and writer’s block. The warmth and beauty of Cortena offered a comfort to Frances, inspiring new ideas. One thing leads to another and Frances winds up buying a fixer upper, charming villa, the vehicle in which she begins to rebuild her life.

The cast includes: Diane Lane, and Sandra Oh.

Directed by: Audrey Wells.
Written by: Frances Mayes (book), and Audrey Wells (screen story and screenplay).

When an ex-cracking husband and wife duo, conveniently ex-spies on maternity leave with their new baby girl, arrive in New Orleans, they are surprised to find that even vacation doesn’t elude necessary work. Together the two take on yet another case when their FBI boss refuses to leave them alone with the latest Intel on a top-secret assignment just too hard to resist.

The cast includes: Kathleen Turner, Dennis Quaid, Fiona Shaw, and Stanley Tucci.

Directed by: Herbert Ross.
Written by: Ian Abrams.

Katie and Hubbell are former college mates who, coming from two different worlds, manage to form a friendship. Twenty years later, circumstances reunite the two, leading to a serious relationship. With the support of Katie, Hubbell strives for fame. Soon, however, Hubbell is discontent with his situation, and his new friend JJ threatens to undo all that Katie and Hubbell have become.

The cast includes: Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Lois Chiles, Murray Hamilton, Sally Kirkland.

Directed by: Sydney Pollack.
Written by: Arthur Laurents.

Entertainer Robbie Hart loves to croon away 1980s’ classics at weddings and other celebratory nuptials. A cavalier good-guy, Hart’s optimism is crushed when his longtime fiancee dumps him at the alter, leaving him cynical about his profession and all things love in general, that is, until the pretty Julia walks into his life. Though she’s engaged, her fiancee is the typical schmuck; but Julia’s too naive to notice. As Robbie begins falling for Julia’s, he resolves to expose her fiancee’s reckless lifestyle and win her heart one song at a time.

The cast includes: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine Taylor.

Directed by: Frank Coraci.
Written by: Tim Herlihy.

Upon graduating from the University of Chicago, Harry and Sally take a ride to New York together. Having never met before then, their trip is anything but boring. Still, once in New York, the two go their separate ways, searching for love in the “Big Apple,” all the while not realizing that they may have already found true love those many years ago, in a strange car ride, from Chicago to New York.

The cast includes: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher.

Directed by: Rob Reiner.
Written by: Nora Ephron.

Lucy is a lonely Chicagoan, and a ticket seller who has coincidentally fallen in love with a commuter who daily passes by. When that commuter, Peter, tragically falls onto the rails on Christmas day, Lucy intervenes and saves his life. At the hospital however, Peter’s family mistakes her for Peter’s actual fiancee and everyone falls in love with Lucy and her heroic tale. Still, Peter’s brother Jack is skeptical and as he begins his inquiry he and Lucy discover they have a rather good rapport.

The cast includes: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden.

Directed by: Jon Turteltaub.
Written by: Daniel G. Sullivan, Fredric LeBow.

Tess MgGill is an aspiring New York corporate slave who desires to be on top of the world, though currently her station is reserved to the title “secretary.” Still, when her boss breaks her leg on holiday, MgGill jumps at the opportunity to elevate her career. Teaming up with broker Jack Trainer, McGill hopes to nail a big deal to give her resume the boost it desperately needs. But when her boss returns after recovery, things get sticky.

The cast includes: Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Melanie Griffith, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Philip Bosco, Oliver Platt, Kevin Spacey, Olympia Dukakis.

Directed by: Mike Nichols.
Written by: Kevin Wade.

When the owner of a large bookstore chain begins cramping a charming small local bookstore’s style, the last thing either of the two would expect is for love to linger in the air. Still, when the two begin corresponding anonymously over the internet, they just may find that, despite their differences in business ethics, the two may have more in common than they initially think. As they continue to spar over bookstore favoritism, their private internet liaison is about to bring the two face to face with an inevitably comical ride to personal revelations.

The cast includes: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, Dabney Coleman.

Directed by: Nora Ephron.
Written by: Miklos Laszlo (play “Parfumerie”), Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron (screenplay).