There’s no way around flowers and candy and those sappy greeting cards when Valentine’s Day comes calling. But you don’t also have to go out to an expensive restaurant on that special day to keep the romantic fires stoked. Why not stay home, cook a meal together, share a nice bottle of wine, then sit down to an amorous movie on your big-screen TV?
In honor of Feb. 14, we’ve picked 14 exceptional movies that are sure to spike your passion meter. But be warned, these are not your typical romances: You won’t find “Casablanca” or “Gone with the Wind” or “When Harry Met Sally” among them. We’ve gone for the offbeat choices, movies in which love is a theme, but its presentation can be more than a little unusual.
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And Now My Love" (1974) — Claude Lelouch’s sprawling epic traces the history of the 20th century and of the motion picture industry, but keeps its focus on a man and a woman whose destinies – followed through stories of their relatives over three generations – leave them no choice but to meet and fall in love. The film is, in turn, wildly funny, terribly sad, and all warm and gushy.
"Beauty and the Beast" (1946) — Jean Cocteau’s French classic tells of the poor merchant who picks a rose for his daughter Belle, and is then sentenced to death by the flower’s owner – the hideous and cursed Beast – unless the merchant turns over one of his daughters. Belle trades places with her father, and discovers that the lonely Beast has some heart. A magical film that has little to do with the Saccharine Disney remake.
"Blast from the Past" (1999) — After a supposed nuclear holocaust, a boy named Adam (Brendan Fraser) is born and raised in a fallout shelter. He emerges at the age of 35 to get supplies and hopefully meet a girl, then bumps into the beautiful Eve (Alicia Silverstone), who has a history of bad boyfriends. Adam and Eve … get it? He falls for her, she hardly notices him. It’s a sweet comedy. There’s a happy ending.
"Brazil" (1985) — It’s about the girl of Sam’s (Jonathan Pryce) dreams. Literally. He constantly dreams of being a hero who saves the beautiful Jill (Kim Greist) from various monsters. But he’s never even met her, and when he does, things don’t go as he had hoped. Terry Gilliam’s dystopian fantasy mixes politics with plastic surgeons, Chinese demons with high-speed getaways, and has an impossible love at its center.
"Crimes & Misdemeanors" (1989) — One of Woody Allen’s nastier films, this complex piece is about married people with roving eyes and hearts. A filmmaker (Allen) attempts to cheat on his wife with Halley (Mia Farrow), even though she’s interested in another man. A doctor (Martin Landau) has an affair with a pushy woman (Anjelica Huston) who insists that he leave his wife. Love ain’t easy – it can even lead to murder.
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) — When a relationship falls apart, Clementine (Kate Winslet) has a procedure that actually erases Joel (Jim Carrey) from her memory. When Joel finds out what she’s done, he has the same procedure, hoping to forget her. At the last moment, he realizes that he doesn’t want to lose those memories, but it’s too late … or is it? A wildly original film, written by Charlie Kaufman.
"The 40 Year Old Virgin" (2005) —What starts off as a story of the title character (Steve Carell), who just wants to lose his virginity, becomes a charming tale of first love – rather late in life – when he meets a lonely and eager woman (Catherine Keener), who just might be, you know, the one. It’s a Judd Apatow film, so it’s raunchy, funny, and sweet.
"King Kong" (1933, 2005) — Jungle love, baby. A beautiful New York actress somehow becomes sacrifice fodder for a huge, ageless monster, who ends up adoring her, wanting only to protect her. The original is still a fantastic and sometimes touching piece of filmmaking. The recent remake, though overdoing it with visual effects, really shows the love Ann (Naomii Watts) has for the big ape, and he for her.
"Lady and the Tramp" (1955) — The streetwise mongrel named Tramp crosses paths with the pampered Cocker Spaniel named Lady, resulting in puppy love. He shows her around town, teaches her how to be mischievous (chasing chickens), and treats her to dinner (a first kiss over spaghetti and meatballs). There are even some songs from Peggy Lee. A charming Disney film, ideal for adults and kids.
"McCabe & Mrs. Miller" (1971) — Set at the turn of the last century, Warren Beatty plays a cocky gambler who comes to a tiny Pacific Northwest town with plans to make lots of money. Julie Christie plays an opium-addicted madam who opens a brothel and makes a business proposition to our hero. Neither of them knows how to say I love you, but each really wants to say it to the other. Robert Altman directed.
"The Music Lovers" (1970) — Peter Tchaikovsky (Richard Chamberlain) was a homosexual. The woman he married, Nina Milyukova (Glenda Jackson), was a nymphomaniac. The man he left behind, Anton Chiluvsky (Christopher Gable), never got over the breakup. Tchaikovsky’s older patron, Nadedja von Meck (Izabella Telzynska) was smitten by his music. A tumultuous film about love gone very wrong.
"Splendor in the Grass" (1961) — In Depression-era Kansas, poor high school girl Deannie (Natalie Wood) is ga-ga over wealthy football captain Bud (Warren Beatty), who also loves her. But everything works against them: She’s too chaste, his father insists he could find a better girl, he’s forced to go away to college, she has a mental breakdown. But their love still burns. A powerful, heartbreaking movie.
"Strange Days" (1995) — Taking place at the close of the millennium, street hustler and seller of black market “reality videos” Lenny (Ralph Fiennes) uses his friends to get ahead, including single mom-limo driver- bodyguard Mace (Angela Bassett). Corrupt cops, bad politics, assorted addictions and an end-of-the-world mentality swirl around them, but Lenny and Mace are made for each other, if only they would realize it.
"The Wedding Singer" (1998) — He sings at wedding, she works for a wedding caterer. They’re both engaged, but Robbie (Adam Sandler) and Julia (Drew Barrymore) are having second thoughts, mostly over whether they’ve chosen the right people. And that’s even before they meet each other. This is not typical Sandler fare. He downplays the goofy side and proves to be a terrific romantic lead. With Billy Idol.
author: Ed Symkus