THE TOP TEN ROMANTIC COMEDIES OF ALL TIMES

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1.ANNIE HALL: By many critics Annie Hall is considered to be a movie which dealt with  ‘ complexity of love’ in a time when people were satisfied with straightforward romantic comedies. It is considered to be a milestone in the career of Woody Allen. Many say that some parts of the movie have also been adapted form the real life of Mr. Allen.Alvy Singer is a gag writer based in New York city. He poignantly pot rays a confused lover who is in search for a true love but proves to be a failure in doing so. On the other hand Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) is a beautiful, attractive, confident and somewhat weird women who falls for Alvy. The film for the first time exposed the inventive strength of Woody as a film maker. Through out the movie one gets acquainted with the excellence of the team of Woody Allen and Marshall Brickmen(Screenplay). It is a movie made way ahead of it times, introducing several new concepts for script formation and costume.The primarily deals with the intricate shades  of what one calls ‘love’. It caters audience with  the likable and unlikable realities of romance. Annie and Alvy both realize that they can’t live with each other so well, as there are unfamiliar sides to their personalities which they didn’t like much. So they get separated and Annie comes to California to live with Toney Lacey(Paul Simon). However Alvy soon realizes that he still loves Annie and tries to win her back but is turned down. He comes back to New York and starts directing a play thinking that one can always remove the imperfection of ones life while re-enacting it via art. Annie goes back to New York to see Alvyn but this time not as a lover but as a friend.Annie Hall has been a trendsetter for a large number of movies and has left an indelible impression on the minds of romantic comedy lovers.
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2.      As Good As it Gets:      Who says that a successful movie needs to have a protagonist , this movie gave it’s entire cast an equal opportunity to play themselves at par with the leads of Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. Love knows no boundaries and certainly not age or status, these thoughts strike a chord when we here the title of the film which has cent percent lived up to it’s name.Jack Nicholson plays the character of Melvin Udall a ruthless, homophobic, self obsessive and a bestselling New York based author who is suffering from compulsive disorder. He has chosen a world of recluse for himself maintaining a distance from everybody around him. The brilliance of an actor is when he does not require to put in efforts while playing his character  and there would have been no better a choice than Jack Nicholson himself. Helen hunt has given the character of Carol Conelly a perfection with her childlike joy , she is a waitress at a café, a single mother of an asthmatic son.  Following a series of unconventional event, Melvin and Carol go on a trip to meet Simon Bishop’s( Greg Kinnear) parents. Simon is an artist , he is gay , has a boy friend who is an art dealer played by the very effervescent  Cuba Gooding Junior, both of them are in love with each other and their dog Udaal.According to me if Jack Nicholson is the lead actor in the movie the dog is the supporting actor, as he is the one who compels Melvin to go through a personality change. Brookes and Markus Andres developed a wonderful script over the time putting in a whole array of emotions and opening the floodgates of unexpected surprises in the movie. Overall a beautiful ,quirky and very enjoyable tale of weird but lovable characters.
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3. Jerry Maguire:       A delightful combination of comedy drama and romance, Jerry Maguire is very ‘hip’ and ‘upbeat’ movie meant for all the age groups. There is certain level of sweetness and innocence in the movie which allows us to cherish the very ordinary life at times.Tom Cruise and Rene Zellweger who were believed to be a very unconventional pair for the movie eventually were able to successfully lit up a torch for blockbuster. Jerry Maguire(Tom) is a sports agent who is one night stuck by his conscience( which he thought that he had totally lost) and questions himself of he has become.He just realizes that he has turned into a mean, self obsessed , opportunistic and a so called professional  who just knows how to live for one self.So he works on a mission statement “ The things we think and do not say. The future of our business” This essay changes his life , though applauded by his colleagues , he is dismissed from the job, at that moment there is only one women who supports him Dorothy Boyd(Renee)  who is a 26 year old single mother.  When Jerry decides to swim against the tides, he finds himself drowning in the unchartered waters. He is only supported by two people Dorothy and Rod Tidwell( Cuba Gooding Junior) who is a player for the Arizona Cardinals.Jerry Maguire is a very fine example of a redemptive Hollywood movie which encapsulates not only a very smart cast but a very fine screen play.
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4. Something’s gotta give:      Nancy Meyers is one film director how to add an extra class to her films. Romantic Comedy though the genre sounds extremely ordinary , Meyers always achieves a great success in giving her movies a mature dimension. How many movies have we seen where the lead characters are above 55 years of age and yet give all the young stars a run for their money. When we here a combination of the likes of Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson leave aside the script, people throng the theaters just to have their glimpse. The very subtle charm of Diane Keaton and the sweet mischievousness of Jack Nicholson did wonders for ‘Some things Gotta Give’.Harry Langer( Jack) is a rich music executive who is currently dating Marrin Baray (Amanda Peet), she takes him to her Hamptons beach house where the balancing of equations takes place. Erica(Diane Keaton) and Aunt Zoe( Francis Macdormand)  spot Harry nude, finding food in the refrigerator. Questioning happens , however they all spend a week together. In the mean while Harry gets a hear t Attack and the sexy doctor Julian Mercer(Keanu Reeves) comes to rescue. The young dove is smitten by the mature, beautiful and sexy Erica and falls for her. By the time Harry is being cured , he is advised to stay at Erica’s place. Finally Harry and Erica fall for each other and Dr Mercer finds himself out of the place.The most interesting and the noticeable aspect of the movie is how beautifully Harry removes all the insecurities from Erica’s heart, her misconceptions about love are over taken by her love for Harry. This movie is intriguing and surprises us at may moments, it is entertaining, soft and emotionally very touching.

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5.   Love Actually:         Richard Curtis has proved that what ever British do , they do it with perfection. Love Actually encapsulates 10 love stories, dealing with different dimensions of love and it’s complexities. With an ensemble cast , predominantly of British actors, the film has given whole new meaning to the genre of Romantic Comedies.Love comes with frustration, distress, misery, and emotional paralysis, the very exuberant cast has dealt with all this issue.Hugh Grant who happens to the Sultan of Romantic comedies, has once again proved that his gold locks, his  butter pink skin and that confusion on his face makes him the most attractive poster boy of the British film Industry today. Emma Thompson is once again in a mature role as the wife of Hary( Alan Rickman)  , who is trying to venture out of his marriage and has some what succumbed to seductive foxy, secretary Mia(Heike Makatsch). Laura Linney , Rodrigo Santanoro, Colin Firth , Marlin Freeman and Jonna Page have explored the superlative of excellence in the film.

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6.     Four Weddings and  Funeral:        As I mentioned earlier Richard Curtis is a perfectionist and so he proved in his much earlier work ‘Four Weddings and Funeral’. With the superb direction of Mike Newell this movie made up to the (34th of the top 100 of the best British films by the Times Magazine). This film is a delicious blend of sensitivity , elegance and fun.Hugh Grant plays the role of a nervous and confused Charles who is always late for his friends weddings and committing faults all the time. Andie Macdowell  plays Carrie, a carefree American women who puts Charles into bewilderment and he finally falls for her.The movie suggests that friends are bound together and no matter what , this bond is stronger than marriage.

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7.     My Big Fat Greek Wedding:     Nia Vardolas and John Carbetts acting excellence transformed the Greek cliché into something enjoyable and worth watching. When Nia Vardolas made it into a play, she would have never imagined that her thoughts would after sometime become a product worth more than 300 million dollars.A girls bumpy road, to her alter becomes a package full of fun and laughs for the audience. The Midas touch of veteran Tom Hanks made this movie  worth remembering.
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8.    My Best Friends Wedding:       Julia Roberts  represents America’s finest, her competence and comfort on the screen is visible each time we become a witness to this silver screen goddess. Cameron Diaz comes out like a flickering light but does not outshine Julia. Dermot Mulroney has done a very low profile role and plays the fiancée of Cameron Diaz, where Rupert Everet who plays the Gay editor and a fast friend of Julia.This movie is an example of a smart script and deft direction and maintains a suspense till the end of who will end up with whom. The movie starts slowly but gains momentum near the end. A very simple and lovable motive but deals with the same serious intricate issues of love, friendship and jealousy and questions whether love can replace friendship or not, if yes, how correct is it?
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9.        Bridget Jones Diary:     Sharan Maguire displays her directorial excellence by adapting Helen Fielding’s novel Bridget Jones into a movie which is beyond funny and delightful.The character of Bridget Jones is played by Renée Zellweger and she does it with a great finesse. Pleasingly plump Bridget is a firm believer in true love and is an optimist.  There are two leading men in the movie, the fun and sexy Daniel Cleaver(Hugh Grant) and the very subtle and sincere Mark Darcy( Colin Firth).Helen Fieldings appreciation for Jane Austin’s novels is very evident , though not that seductive, there can be some parallels be drawn. A suave charmer Collin Firth settles down for a least appropriate women and Hugh Grant plays the naughty vagabond for whom love is nothing but an interesting experiment.The movie overall depicts certain truths of life and compels us to cling to a hope that things do get better after a while.

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10.       Sense and Sensibility:      An exuberant and deft adaptation of Jane Austen’s magnum opus. The film is very intelligently made and written. It manages to maintain the British mannerisms yet does not  compromise with the very essence of comedy .Directed by critically acclaimed Ang Lee, has wonderfully portrayed the British  Period , the high society, certain requirements of high society, suffocation of being a part of it, the need of braking barriers and fall freely in love.With the exquisite cast members and the genius of Emma Thompson, the master piece which will cherish in the times to come. From the beginning of the movie till the end every emotion, every struggle and every frustration has been excellently portrayed.A movie that teaches us that life changes and fate is very funny thing, whatever is supposed to happen , happens at the end.

 

 

 

 

 

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