We all agree that there is something special and unique about romantic comedies. Some of their elements make them pretty fit for the cinema, and vice-versa. All of those elements are making special alchemy that allows the observers to believe in these romantic stories as they were real. Moreover, as a genre, they give a fantastic opportunity to the storytellers to use some of the most exceptional life stories and convert them to fantastic fables that are really close to real life. Some of them can touch even some more fantastic aspects, even sci-fi. However, we are going to focus on traditional romantic movies.
Naturally, there are some classic movies within this genre, like “Pretty Woman” and some newer ones who need to achieve the cult status like “Notebook”. Moreover, there are a lot of less known titles that of high quality in terms of cinematography, storytelling, and acting. These movies are popular, as you can imagine, for romantic couples. Sometimes, there are special occasions for partners to watch them. You can watch these movies on anniversaries or some other kind of special occasion. Naturally, there are gifts you need to gift your partner with on these occasions. Here you can take a look at some of them. This was the reason we’ve decided to compile a list of the best movies for special occasions. You should have in mind that this is not a ranking and that we are just naming movies we consider the best.
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
“The Philadelphia Story” is among the oldest movies on the list. It was directed by a famous old-school movie director George Cukor. Moreover, it is probably the best movie with Katharine Hepburn. There is a reason for this claim. It won 2 out of 6 Oscars, for Donald Ogden Stewart, a screenwriter and for famous actor Jimmy Stewart. The cast consisted of Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Ruth Hussey. This is one of the best romantic movies ever made, and you will not be sorry for 1h and 52min of your time.
Broadcast News (1987)
The next entry on our list is romantic comedy “Broadcast News” directed by James L. Brooks. The cast is phenomenal, it consists of Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, and William Hurt. It tells the story about the sparks that fly within the love triangle between three characters. This is the best performance of Albert Brooks. In this movie he was cast as Aaron Altman, a reporter who does the majority of his work off-camera. William Hurt was excellent as Tom Grunick, and Holly Hunter has one of the best performances of her career. The constant uncertainty about characters’ motivations and interests makes this movie one of the best romantic comedies ever made.
Something Wild (1986)
Some people consider “Something Wild” to be a movie that was released exactly when Hollywood needed it the most. This is because in the middle 80s, movies started to look a bit dull and some new energy was required. The movie was directed by Jonathan Demme and written by E. Max Frye. The movie revolves around the relationship of Jeff Daniels’ character Charles Driggs being taken on a wild ride by Audrey “Lulu” Hankel, a character played by famous Melanie Griffith. Moreover, this movie has a perfect atmosphere. The reason for this atmosphere is an effective and adept pop soundtrack characteristic for the 80s. This movie is frequently referred to by a popular director Paul Thomas Anderson who lists it among his favorite movies.
It Happened One Night (1934)
The next on our list is “It Happened One Night”, which was directed by a legendary American-Italian director Frank Capra. The cast consists of some of the most popular actors and actresses of that time, like Clark Gable, Walter Connolly, and Claudette Colbert. This is a very powerful and rich story that still holds up perfectly even to this day. Some of the most prominent actors and directors are considering it to be the best romantic movie ever made, but it hard to tell that, isn’t it? The story revolves around Peter (Clark Gable) a reporter in need of a story, and a spoiled heiress who runs away from her family, Ellie (Claudette Colbert).
Roman Holiday (1953)
“Roman Holiday” was the movie that launched Audrey Hepburn’s career. She was unknown at the time, but she was spotted by Gregory Peck, her partner in this movie, and he insisted that she gets equal billing as his. The plot is pretty simple for today’s standards. Hepburn’s character wants to escape for her rigid and controlled life. She travels to Rome, Italy and there she meets Gregory Peck’s character, a reporter Joe Bradley. He sees her life story as an interesting one and their love just emerges after the time they spend together. The screenplay was written by a fabulous trio, John Dighton, Ian McLellan Hunter, and the best-known name among them, legendary Dalton Trumbo. All of these elements provide us with an exceptional story that is considered as one of the best movies ever.
Pretty Woman (1990)
In the first part of our article, we mentioned “Pretty Woman” as one of the best romantic comedies ever made. Yep, this is for a cast. This is the movie that put Julia Roberts movie on the map. Casting her was one of the best choices Garry Marshall, the director of this movie. Even though the storyline is somewhat predictable, the chemistry that emerged between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere emerges as one of the best things about this movie. The cast is perfect, and it consists of Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo, and Hector Elizondo.
Moonstruck (1987)
Norman Jewison is considered to be one of the most underrated directors in Hollywood. We can say that there is some truth in that claim. “Moonstruck” is proof of that. The cast of this movie is fabulous, it consists of Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia. Well, who doesn’t love good old Nick Cage? We certainly do. The performances are top-notch and the story is well written. Overall, this is a very well-directed movie that accumulated some sort of cult classic status over time. We can say that it will remain popular in the future.
