In my last post, I brought up the question of why there were so many great love stories centered around death, or why it seemed like all of the great ones involved someone dying.
Maybe it was because I had just finished watching the Painted Veil and I fell in love with it, and I desperately wanted Edward Norton to live (who doesn't, really? Perhaps live right next door...)
And you know what? As soon as I posted it, I thought, well that's not right. There's a whole bunch of great love stories that don't revolve around death.
So to present a balanced view..... Here's some love stories that don't necessarily revolve around death. And maybe one or in some other in between category thrown in for good measure.
The Princess Bride
This has to be one of the most adorable, lovely, great love story films of all time. It's not overly schlocky. In the words of Fred Savage: Is This a Kissing Book? The tolerance for over sentimentality is nil, so we aren't reduced to tears by too much angst. What we are treated to is an exceptionally classic fairy tale, love story with all the great things: True love, dueling, life, death, murder, betrayal,pirates, an evil Prince....
you won't cry. but you'll laugh. your heart will be warmed. And if nothing else, you can oogle Cary Elwes when he's young and hot, before the whole Saw thing.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
absolutely fun. With a definite technology and comic book motif carried through, Scott Piilgrim Vs. the World is one of those special little films that just makes you laugh, and root for the guy like no tomorrow. I Love Michael Cera in this, and I have to say Kieran Culkin absolutely steals the entire show.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
This is in the Other Category. It does involve death, k as Captain Greg is dead. But it's still a beautiful paranormal love story.
A Life Less Ordinary
So under the radar and soo awesome. This a love story for grown ups, who may have some potty mouth issues and who take their chocolate as dark as possible.
Holly Hunter and the other guy (Terrible isnt it) play two angels who are sent from heaven to get to people to fall in love. Theya re the best at their job. Apparently God is angry with all the divorces, and He is coming down on the underlings in the corporation (again, terrible sounding, but, well go for it). Gabriel whose face you will recognize, is the boss and lays out the mission. Make these two people fall in love (Cameron Diaz's character and Ewan McGregor's character) or they (the angels) don't ever get to come back to Heaven.
Cameron's Diaz's character is a spoiled little rich girl who's all grown up. Ewan McGregor is a janotiro who works for Diaz's father's company. Unlikely to say the least.
The angels come to earth masquerading not as angels, but more along the lines of hitmen, people who 'solve problems' for money.
The Corpse Bride - another from the OTHER Category.
the trailer doesn't serve t justice. and youtube has the majority of the embedding disabled per request. While it is a tim burton film, and it looks creepy, it's actually a really beautiful story. Victor whose family is nuveau riche, is marryign into old money (except they have no money. The union is to solidify the other family's financial standing). Victor being nervous, fumbles at the rehearsal. Exasperated, he goes out to the woods to practice, and does a beautiful job, even slipping the ring on a long twig. But the twig isn't a twig. it's actually a skeletal bone. He has indeed, by accident, gotten married to a corpse - Emily. What follows is the story of what do you do? Victor is a good guy, and wants to do the right thing, but she's dead. And he thinks he might actually love, or might be able to love Victoria his living and breathing fiancee.
Beautiful, musical (by Danny Elfman who does the Simpsons), and not terribly long. It clocks in under two hours definitely. While it looks creepy, it's more humourous than grotesque, and per parental judgement might even be suitable for older children. (if they could do Nightmare before Christmas, they could do Corpse Bride. Corpse Bride isn't nearly as creepy as Nightmare Before Christmas.) (Watch it first and all. I'd be ok with showing it to my eleven year old neice, no problem. She's on the older spectrum of childhood..)
Jane Austen
you can pretty much put all of Jane Austen films in this. So honestly I will, but really truly, Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice are my favorites. Especially Persuasion. sigh. Ciarian Hinds.
But since I've already talked about Pride and Prejudice in the reviews, I won't talk about it again...
persuasion
This is probably my favorite. Anne is a spinster. she's in her upper twenties and people have basically writen her off of ever getting married. She had a proposal once, but she was just nineteen and he had nothign to recommend him, so at the advice of Anne's trusted older female friend and substitute mother (Anne's mother died when she was very young) she rejected him.
Then, of course, because it is jane austen, and it is semi predicatable and formulaeic, he comes back, and becomes reacquainted with her family, only to start wooing Anne's younger sister in law.
This is a truly beautiful film. A great one for the girls, kick the men out of the house and swoon and swoon and swoon.
The trailer doesn't do it justice.
emma
matchmaker matchmkaer, make me a match... except they're always wrong.
mansfield park
Fanny price is sent away to live with er rich aunt and uncle and to be brought up in society with the prospects of marrying well.
Sense and Sensibility
Yes that is the lovely Alan Rickman there again. sigh. How I could have been blind to him for so long, I don't know. What's the line, when i was a child i had chidish thigns, when i grew up I put away my childish things? I can only guess that, Alan rickman is of a more mature, sophisticated taste.
Now out of the Jane Austen vein,
Here is The Holiday
charming, sweet. Jack Black is charming, Jude Law is pretty. Kate Winslet is lovely and Cameron Diaz s just a bubbly all American irl. Sweet film. ovely lovely. great for a girls night in.
Under the Tuscan Sun
before, Eat, Pray Love, there was Under the Tuscan sun..
And of course there are any number of Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan Films... They should win the Nobel Prize for chemistry.
Joe Vs. the Volcano
Sleepless in Seattle
But I will say that Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr definitely give them a run for their money in chemistry..
Hope Floats
regardless your mood, there's something about a good love story to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
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