25 Modern Romantic Movies

Just in time for Valentine’s Day. Your mileage may vary.

Top of the Heap
The English Patient 1996
Wings of Desire 1987
Pride & Prejudice 2005
Pride and Prejudice 1995

Lost Love
(not lost hope)
*Truly Madly Deeply 1990
(500) Days of Summer 2009

Reheated
(movies made and remade, both wonderfully, in which food prep takes center stage)
*Eat, Drink, Man, Woman 1994 /(Tortilla Soup 2001)
No Reservations 2007 /(Mostly Martha 2001)

Some You May Have Missed
(as Romances)
Julie & Julia 2009
Slumdog Millionaire 2008
National Treasure 2004
Bourne Identity 2002

(lesser known gems)
Elizabethtown 2005
Oyster Farmer 2004
Dear Frankie 2004
+Mumford1999
Sliding Doors 1998
Ever After 1998

Teen Romantic Comedies
(worth watching)
What a Girl Wants 2003
She’s All That 1999
Say Anything 1989
Some Kind of Wonderful 1987
The Sure Thing 1985

Comments, questions, and complaints welcomed. 
Fabulous romantic movies I’ve missed, requested.

These titles represent what I could remember, and with the exception of the first four, not necessarily what I hold as the best romantic movies.  
*I do count these among the best.
+Disturbing and dark in places.

Comments

C. August said…
I just watched the '05 version of Pride & Prejudice two nights ago, and immediately sent a note to Rational Jenn saying "YOU MUST WATCH THIS MOVIE!" It was brilliant.

I also highly recommend (500) Days of Summer. Man, what a refreshing and wonderful movie. One thing I noted was that, as opposed to how such a story would be treated now, this was a tale of love found and lost, and not once was infidelity or lying involved. How rare is that? No one tried to evade reality, even when things were going badly. There were lots of other good things about the movie, but this struck me.

I also loved Julie & Julia, though I could have watched an entire biography of Julia Child as played by Meryl, and skipped the rest of the film.

Back to P&P, as the movie was starting, it said "brought to you by the same production team as Notting Hill" or something. That is one of my all time favorite romantic comedies, and in it, Hugh Grant even suggests to Julia Roberts' character that she should stop doing mindless sci-fi and do a period piece instead... "a good Jane Austen film."
February 17, 2010 at 4:14 PM
Lynne said…
I think she's seen it!

Also, I almost included Notting Hill because I love the song, She, written and performed by Elvis Costello for the movie.

I have to say that I found the love story between Julie and her husband pretty good too, even though it was overshadowed by the awesome performance of Streep and more compelling love story between Child and her husband.
February 17, 2010 at 4:39 PM
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