Anyone But You (2023)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Will Gluck
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp
Running Time: 103 minutes

 

After a chance encounter in a café, Ben and Bea spend an evening and night together that starts so well but falls apart. Six months later, they encounter each other again as they find themselves in the same wedding party. They have to travel to Australia with the group to take part in the destination wedding, blaming each other for the first date not having a successful end.

This is a really fun rom-com. The end is predictable, of course, but the road there is so entertaining. The dialogues are fun and the acting is very good. Watched this on Friday evening with the wife and we both enjoyed very much.

Rating: ««««

The Sweetest Thing (2002)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Roger Kumble
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Thomas Jane
Time: 85 minutes

 

Christina Walters is an interior designer that is known as a player on the dating scene. She hangs out with her best friends Courtney and Jane, and she makes a conscious effort never to get attached to the men she goes out with. All of this changes one evening when she meets a man named Peter in a club. Peter challenges her a bit, and she finds herself falling for him more and more.

This is a comedy written by Nancy Pimental, who wrote it based on her relationship with her friend Kate Walsh. It seems that her objective was to show that women can be just as crude and as playful on the dating scene as men. Mission accomplished.

As such, it is an entertaining flick, albeit very silly. A few scenes made me laugh out of loud. The ensemble is a little flimsy, story-wise, which is unfortunate. With such a loaded cast, stronger material could have made a killing.

Rating: «««

Book Club: The Next Chapter (2023)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Bill Holderman
Cast: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen
Time: 108 minutes

 

While the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force, the four best friends from the Book Club kept meeting online. Now, they are back together in person, and a member of the group is getting married. The four women decide to finally do the trip to Italy they never did before, so as to have a bachelorette party.

This was a nice follow-up to the first Book Club film, released in 2018. It was an appropriate touch to add the aspect of the pandemic for a group of aging characters. While not as fresh and tight as the original, plot-wise, this was still an entertaining flick with laughs and tender moments.

Rating: «««

Larry Crowne (2011)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Tom Hanks
Cast: Tom Hanks
Time: 99 minutes

 

Larry Crowne is a middle-aged Navy vet working at a big-box store. He is a hard worker, but, since he has no college education, he loses his job. Unable to find employment, he returns to college, and a class with blasé professor Mercedes Tainot will forever change his life.

 This rom com is cute, sweet and all, but is ends up being very bland. The whole thing feels uninspired, and, in the end, it is very unsatisfying. I think Hanks is better off concentrating on the acting alone.

Rating: «««

Warm Bodies (2013)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, John Malkovich
Running time: 98 minutes

 

Based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Isaac Marion and inspired by Romeo and Juliet, Warm Bodies tells the story of a budding relationship, in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, between a young woman called Julie and a zombie known as R. The presence of Julie in R’s life is slowly bringing him back to human form.

This film is a nice romantic comedy with an apocalyptic edge to it. I love how we are shown a different twist in the old zombie movie narrative. Here, zombies still have a few human traits. They can still speak a few words and feel some things. The story is fun and compelling, and the movie is without pretention. It doesn’t take itself seriously, and that makes it quite charming.

Rating: ««««

My Best Friend's Girl (2008)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Howard Deutch
Starring: Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Jason Biggs, Alec Baldwin
Running time: 101 minutes

 

Tank Turner is a help line operator with an interesting side gig. As a charming womanizer, he gets hired by guys looking to get a former girlfriend back in their arms. Tank takes them on the most horrible date possible, so that they go running back to their ex. When Tank tries his craft on a woman his best friend and step-cousin Dustin is trying to seduce, things do not go quite as planned.

While this film has moments that made me smile or laugh a bit, they are too few and far between. I did not expect much from Dane Cook, but Kate Hudson was disappointing here. I have seen her give more inspired performances. The material she was given was not great, I must admit. Overall, a very forgettable movie.

Rating: ««

The Wedding Date (2005)

 Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Clare Kilner
Starring: Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, Amy Adams
Running time: 90 minutes

 

As she is set to serve as maid-of-honor in her sister’s wedding, Kat Ellis is desperate not to go to the event alone, especially since her ex-fiancé, who recently broke her heart, will also be there, as best man to the groom. She decides to hire a male escort, Nick Mercer, to pretend to be her boyfriend, with the hope of making her ex jealous.

This is your run-of-the-mill rom com with oversweetness and predictable ending. That being said, the acting was decent and it was still fun to watch on a slow night. The kind of film that was fine for what it was but that I would not really care to revisit.

Rating: «««

Knocked Up (2007)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Judd Apatow
Starring: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann
Running time: 129 minutes

 

Alison Scott is an ambitious entertainment reporter living in her sister’s family guest house. After a night of celebration in a bar with her sister, she has a one-night stand with Ben Stone, an immature slacker working on a silly website with a group of friends. This affair leaves Alison pregnant, wondering what to do and if she can trust this new man-child in her life.

Revisiting this particular title years later, I did not like it as much as I originally did. It did not age so well. The chemistry, or lack thereof, between Rogen and Heigl is bad. You cannot even imagine that woman giving that guy a chance, even for one night. And, all through the movie, when they share scenes, you never really believe it.

In spite of the flaws, Knocked Up still has quite a few good gags throughout. While, as an ensemble piece, it is quite flawed, it still gives a certain dose of entertainment.

Rating: «««

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Nora Ephron
Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman
Running time:105 minutes

 

After losing his wife to cancer, architect Sam Baldwin decides to move from Chicago to Seattle to turn a new page in his life with his 7-year-old son Jonah. With his father still heavily mourning his lost life partner, Jonah decides to call a radio talk show to say he wishes his dad had a new wife. Sam eventually gets on the air, and Annie Reed, a Baltimore Sun reporter, hears the exchange on the radio. In spite of the fact that she has recently gotten engaged to a man she loves very much, she becomes enamored with Sam and his story.

Sleepless in Seattle is greatly inspired by the film An Affair to Remember. That is a nice touch, and it makes me want to watch that film again. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are both very solid in their respective roles. It is weird to have your two main characters barely interact over the course of a movie, but, here, it works. Their chemistry together, once they reach each other, is undeniable. The movie is a little over-the-top in the sappiness department and some of the aspects of it make you roll your eyes a bit, but it is still a very entertaining romantic film. It is a lot of fun to watch.

Rating: ««««

Hope Springs (2012)

Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama
Directed by: David Frankel
Starring: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell
Running time: 100 minutes

 

Kay and Arnold Soames are a couple of empty nesters whose marriage has grown stale after more than 30 years together. In a last ditch effort to find the spark that will reignite the flame in their couple, Kay forces her husband’s hand a bit to have him travel with her to a coastal town in Maine for marriage counselling with a psychiatrist named Dr. Feld.

This is a cute romantic comedy with a very mature story, which is actually refreshing. The performances offered by the three leads raise this movie to another level. Meryl Streep is truly believable as this uptight housewife trying to save her marriage. Tommy Lee Jones plays a version of his usual character, and he does it well. Carell showed much restraint in a role that did not demand being overly funny. All things considered, this was a fun evening of movie-watching with the wife.

Rating: ««««

Two If By Sea (1996)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Bill Bennett
Starring: Colin Firth, Heather Graham, Minnie Driver
Running time: 96 minutes

 

Frank O’Brien is a petty thief who is trying to pull a last job with his girlfriend Roz, hoping to then settle down for a more normal life away from crime. They steal a valuable painting, with the hope of selling it to an unknown buyer. As they travel to the meeting point, on an island on the coast of New England, things unravel.

This is a silly film. The acting is very uninspired, the characters are all one dimensional, the story is full of clichés, and it all goes nowhere fast. The kid character brings a little sweetness to the deal, but, overall, this is a very forgettable movie, other than for the Nova Scotian scenery.

Rating: ««

Hope Springs (2003)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Mark Herman
Starring: Colin Firth, Heather Graham, Minnie Driver
Running time: 92 minutes

 

Colin Ware is a British artist that travels from the UK to the little town of Hope, is the US, as a means to run away from issues with his fiancée. In Hope, he meets Mandy, a nursing home worker, that helps him get over his heartbreak. Things get complicated when Vera, Colin’s fiancée, tracks him down in America.

As your run-of-the-mill rom-com, this film is nothing much to write home about. It is not great, but it is not bad either. The acting itself is decent. It is filled with clichés, but it is not without charm. A nice little simple movie for a slow night where one does not want to think too much.

Rating: «««

The Family Man (2000)

 Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Brett Ratner
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle
Running Time: 125 minutes

 

Through a bit of Christmas magic, Jack Campbell, a successful Wall Street executive living a luxurious lifestyle, gets a glimpse of what he missed out on by walking out on his girlfriend Kate 13 years prior to focus on his career.

The “this could have been your life” thing has been overdone in Hollywood. Here, with a compelling rehash and some pretty decent acting, it is entertaining enough, albeit not very fresh.

Rating: «««

Beginners (2010)

 Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Mike Mills
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent
Running Time: 105 minutes

 

As he starts a new relationship with a French actress he met at a costume party, Oliver looks back on the last moments of the life of his father, who, at the age of 75, after losing his wife, came out of the closet and was then diagnosed with terminal cancer.

This is a very compelling story of humans living their human lives. The pace is slow, but the screenplay is well done, the characters are well defined and the actors do a solid job. Overall, this is a very good film. It dragged in a few spots, but I was quite touched by this one.

Rating: ««««

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

 Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Stanley Kramer,
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton
Running Time:108 minutes

 

Joanna Drayton is a 23-year old white woman who flies into San Francisco after a vacation to Hawaii to make a surprise visit to her parents. The goal of her visit is to introduce her new boyfriend, Dr. John Prentice to her parents. She intends to marry Dr. Prentice, even though he’s a black man. Joanna’s father, an otherwise very Liberal man, has a hard time accepting the idea of his daughter embarking into multi-race marriage.

This film was way ahead of its time. It must have been very hard to make such a film in the 60’s, with all the racial tensions around. Tensions still do exist, but we have evolved somehow as a society. In that sense, the filmmakers did a brilliant job tackling a difficult topic like racism in such a masterful way.

The acting was superb here, which is no surprise. I mean with such names as Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier, you could expect greatness. The ending speech by Tracy’s character was a good closure, though the tearful eyes around were a bit much. There is also the dance moment, in the middle of the movie, with the delivery guy and the maid’s daughter, that felt really out of place. In spite of these little flaws, I consider this a masterpiece.

Rating: ««««

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

 Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Lorene Scafaria
Cast: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Adam Brody
Running Time:101 minutes

 

A giant asteroid is coming towards the earth, spelling doom for all of humanity within three weeks. In this apocalyptic setting, Dodge Petersen and Penny Lockhart are two strangers who meet in New York City and end up helping each other find closure before the end comes.

This is a very charming film greatly helped by the solid performance offered by the two leads. Carell and Knightley make their characters believable and share a great chemistry on screen. The story gets a little messy and sidetracked at one point, but, overall, I was entertained and touched.

Rating: ««««

Hysteria (2011)

Genre: Biographical / Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Tanya Wexler
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jonathan Pryce
Running Time: 95 minutes

 

In the London of the 1880’s, Dr. Mortimer Granville starts working for Dr. Robert Dalrymple, an old doctor that specializes in the treatment of women’s hysteria. Granville’s work leads him to the creation, with a friend of his, of the first vibrator.

These Victorian period films are usually not my cup of tea, but, between the solid acting offered by all involved here and the cheekiness of the tone, I thoroughly enjoyed this. As usual, Maggie Gyllenhaal is a breath of fresh air, and the rest of the cast do a good job also.

Rating: ««««

The Graduate (1967)

 Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Cast: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross 

Running Time: 106 minutes

 

A recent college graduate, Benjamin Braddock, is seduced by the mature wife of his father’s law partner, Mrs. Robinson. The affair becomes that much more complicated after Benjamin falls in love with Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, Elaine.

This is a cinema classic, thanks in large part to the acting work done by Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman. The movie is a lot of fun, despite the cartoonish silliness towards the end. The soundtrack, provided by Simon and Garfunkel, is great too, though some songs get repeated a little too much. Overall, a fun film that has aged quite well in spite of a few flaws.

Rating: ««««

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Cast: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger 

Running Time: 139 minutes

 

Jerry Maguire is a sports agents working for a big agency called SMI. One night, he gets an epiphany about his job and writes a mission statement that he distributes to everyone at the office. The document gets him fired, so Jerry Maguire starts his own business with one client, a brash football player called Rod Tidwell, and Dorothy Boyd, an employee at SMI who has a crush on him and felt bad that he got fired. Can Dorothy be more than an assistant to Jerry?

This film made quite a splash when it came out and became kind of a cult classic. It is loaded with material, maybe even a little too much, so it looses focus at times. There is a lot of sappiness too. The film’s saving grace is the acting performances given by all involved. The writer also struck gold with the amount of lines that became part of pop culture.

Rating: ««««

Coming to America (1988)

 Genre: Romantic Comedy
Directed by: John Landis
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones
Running Time: 127 minutes

 

Crown prince Akeem Joffer, of Zamunda, Africa, is set to marry in an arranged marriage after his 21^st birthday. Unwilling to marry a woman he does not know or love, Akeem travels to America, with his best friend and personal aide Semmi, to find a bride of his choice. He ends up in New York working for Cleo McDowell, in a fast-food restaurant. There, he falls in love with Lisa McDowell, his boss’ daughter.

Here, we have Eddie Murphy in top comedic form. Murphy’s comic mojo even manages to raise Arsenio Hall’s performance to a point I can appreciate it. The rest of the cast is also quite solid. The story is fun, and it is delivered on screen with much talent. This film makes laugh, it makes me smile. It is feel good through and through.

Rating: «««««