Looking for romantic movies? Look no further, because Fresh Tomatoes has put together a list of the 10 best romantic movies available to watch right now, ranked according to the Tomatometer.
Forget the iceberg, the doomed ship and the dead people (1,503 to be exact). Titanic is 193 minutes of sex. It starts with Leo’s loose blonde locks blowing in the breeze. Next, it’s Winslet’s bosom, concealed beneath a luxurious, brocaded dress which somehow promises to come off. Cue Céline Dion and add some of that James Cameron magic and you’ve got a 200 million dollar love story that’s like the best make-out session of your life. It’s sumptuous, over-the-top and totally thrilling (a.k.a. the best romance ever).
Paul, a nerdy biochemist who seems to not be able to relate to the modern woman, as his lack of a dating life would attest to. After much urging by his buddies, Paul consults Madame Ruth (Anne Bancroft), a medium to tell him his future in love, and seeing that he might be a lost cause if left to his own devices, she gives him a sample of something called "Love Potion No. 8". One taste will make him irresistible to any woman who hears his voice for up to four hours. He is skeptical at first, but after seeing it work for his cat, he decides to go in on an experiment with his geeky lady friend, Diane (Sandra Bullock), to test out just how well it works for two people who have always been unlucky in love up to that point. You know what they say about being careful what you wish for...
I won't go so far out on a limb by calling Love Potion No. 9 to be a great film, but for someone into light, romantic comedies, I'd say this one is successful for some no-hassle entertainment. Although a bit early in her career, Sandra Bullock shows much of the same appeal here she would in her later, more financially successful comedies, in the first of her "ugly duckling turns beautiful swan" roles. Donovan and Bullock work well together, having a natural chemistry of their own.
It's cute, it's funny, and entertaining in the most modest of fashions, so if you're a fan of Bullock, or just silly romantic comedies in general, keep your expectations reasonably low and enjoy this clever and amusing diversion.
In 1939, Dan McCormick (Mel Gibson), a dashing U.S. government test pilot, fears only one thing: how to propose marriage to his patient childhood sweetheart. When she's hit by a car and falls into a coma, Dan, an orphan, declares he has nothing else to live for, so he volunteers for a groundbreaking experiment in suspended animation carried out by his scientist buddy. Cut to the 1990s. Two mischievous boys living near the Army base find the warehoused, forgotten metal capsule in which McCormick is frozen. They accidentally release him, then run in terror. The disoriented Dan, finding the ID left behind by 10-year-old Nat (Elijah Wood), shows up at the boy's house. Dan ends up charming Nat's single mom, a nurse (Jamie Lee Curtis), with his old-school gentlemanly manners and bravery. But locating somebody, anybody, from Dan's remote past becomes crucial when the medical side effects of his long hibernation set in.
Most of this handsomely filmed Rip Van Winkle takeoff goes predictably but entertainingly from point A to point B. Ultimately it turns out to be more a tearjerker romance than gee-whiz sci-fi, but holds the interest anyhow and works nicely for young and old viewers alike. Pacing is snappy, the actors are fun, and the attitude pleasantly old-fashioned -- you could pretty much imagine Fovever Young playing theater screens along with all the other Hollywood corn in 1939, with little censorship fuss.
Holly Hunter is Renata Bella, an aimless Bostonian thirtysomething who attends a seminar for aspiring condo salespersons. Here she meets hotshot salesman Sam Sharpe (Richard Dreyfuss), who immediately falls in love with her. After the marriage, Sam's well-meaning but obnoxious insistence on insinuating himself into every aspect of Renata's life rubs the rest of her family the wrong way. Though the script occasionally veers into both cliché and sentimentality, Once Around ends up a thoroughly charming experience thanks the marvelous chemistry between Hunter and Dreyfuss.
Every good relationship has two sides. A conservative cad (Kevin Bacon) and a mild-mannered liberal (Elizabeth Perkins) are journalists whose views differ on just about everything. But when they're pitted against each other in competing newspaper columns and a hit television show, they discover they have one thing in common -- they're in love. "He Said," the first half of the film presents Dan's view of their work and love life. "She Said," the second half covers the same timeframe from Lorie's perspective. This is a snappy, scrappy comedy about some of the universal problems which plague romantic relationships due to different perceptions of conversation, feelings, love, work, fantasy, sex, and commitment.
Daniel Miller (Brooks) is a rather ordinary man who dies in a car accident one day on his birthday. Shortly thereafter, he appears in a place called Judgment City in which he learns he is to be on trial for the next four days to defend his life. While in Judgment City, Daniel meets an attractive young woman named Julia (Streep), who is also on trial. Julia seems destined to go to Heaven, since she lead an incredibly good life. The two quickly fall in love.
David Lynch may not be on anybody’s short list of most romantic directors. This crime thriller is populated with a typically Lynchian cast of bizarre characters, but it also boasts one of the sexiest soundtracks of the ‘90s. Any movie whose soundtrack gives the world Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” belongs in the pantheon of romantic road movies.
The love story of hooker with a heart of gold, Vivian (Julia Roberts), and a stoic, detached, wealthy business mogul, Edward (Richard Gere), who treats all facets of life like a business merger. Vivian is a charismatic, "innocent" prostitute looking to make ends meet. Driving along the Hollywood strip one night, Edward stops and asks Vivian for directions. She drives him back to his hotel and stays the night. Bemused by her company, Edward hires her for the week at a rate of $3,000. Predictably, their relationship develops into more than that of employer/employee. Despite its formulaic plot, the movie succeeds, due in part to the clever script and the performances of Roberts, Laura San Giacomo, and Hector Elizondo as the hotel concierge.
Tom Hanks plays a man named Joe who thinks he is dying. So he is convinced to jump into a volcano on a very remote island. His work partner is played by Meg Ryan who also plays the part of the captain of the boat that is supposed to take him to the island. She plays a third part as well, a spoiled daughter of a rich man who want to send Joe to the volcano. But while she is bringing him to the island, love steps in and take over. The ending is great, so go out and rent yourself this movie
When Sam (Patrick Swayze) is killed by a mugger, he's left in some kind of limbo here on earth, able to witness events but unable to communicate with the living. He turns to Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), a wacky spiritual advisor, to help track down his killer and protect his distraught girlfriend, Molly (Demi Moore). Ghost is melodramatic and spiritually simplistic, but the combination of comedy, thrills, and mushy romance will be irresistible to some. While it doesn't explain why bad things happen to good people, it tries to reassure us that good people can find divine justice. Some may enjoy seeing how love can conquer all - even murder.
