Top 10 Romance Films

by Chris Traficante Featured 18 Comments 13 Votes 3850 Views 23/12/2010 Back to Articles

Top 10 Romance Films

By Chris Traficante

What films make us go all gooey inside? Here's my top 10 romance films list:

1. The Piano

Sheer brilliance! Jane Campion's romance/period film is marked by beautiful scenery, a mesmerising soundtrack and a complex love triangle between a mute Scottish woman and two New Zealander countrymen.

2. Leaving Las Vegas

Nicholas Cage is brilliant as Ben Sanderson: a showbiz figure who decides to leave the glitz and glamour of Hollywood for the self-destructive drinking bringe awaiting him in Las Vegas.

3. Punch-Drunk Love

A brilliant tale about Barry Egan, an awkward man who develops a complex relationship with an equally mysterious, shy woman. The soundtrack is mystical, characters are quietly quirky and the mise-en-scene is unusually intense. PT Anderson rocks!

4. Annie Hall

Woody Allen. Enough said.

5. When Harry Met Sally...

Rob Reiner, as usual, does fine work in his romantic comedy about the initial meeting and eventual relationship between Harry Burns and Sally Albright. It's an engaging comedy/drama with two affable protagonists in love.

6. Before Sunrise

Set on the backdrop of georgeous Viennese scenery, Jesse and Celine meet, talk and fall in love over the course of a day. Alongside Dazed and Confused, this is Richard Linklater at his best!

7. High Fidelity

John Cusak is awesome as Rob Gordon, the narrative's melancholic record store owner and music freak, who entertains audiences with his top five relationship break-ups commentary.

8. The Age of Innocence

Adapted from Edith Wharton's novel of the same title, Martin Scorsese, in amazing cinematographic style, does a fine job retelling this tale about class, honour and the struggle between desire and restraint. Daniel Day-Lewis is great as the restrained Newland Archer and Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder are equally mesmerising in their supporting romantic roles.

9. Chasing Amy

In unconventional style, Kevin Smith explores the boy-meets-girl phenomenon between Holden, a comic book artist, and Alyssa, a charismatic comic book artist who also happens to be a lesbian. Complex stuff!

10. Romeo + Juliet

A quirky, postmodern reinterpretation of William Shakespeare's play. Baz Luhrmann's theatrical visual style is nothing short of brilliant.

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Top 10 Romance Films Comments

Kudos: 75,060

Matrix6

I hear The Notebook is good? Titanic too overhyped for you?
My taste of romantic movies are more the likes of True Romance! *_*

20/12/2010

The Last Story VI: Temptress In Azure

Kudos: 3,014

Cinemaniac

Matrix6 said: I hear The Notebook is good? Titanic too overhyped for you?
My taste of romantic movies are more the likes of True Romance!

'The Notebook' didn't do it for me, for some reason. 'Titanic', on the other hand, is one of the worst films ever made. 'True Romance' is a great film - agreed. The whole 'lovers on the run' premise is very cool... [MOG]

20/12/2010

Kudos: 2,692

Atomic10

David Lynch's Wild At Heart now there's a romance film!

20/12/2010

Kudos: 3,014

Cinemaniac

Atomic10 said: David Lynch's Wild At Heart now there's a romance film!

Agreed. Awesome early 1990s flick. [MOG]

20/12/2010

Kudos: 75,060

Matrix6

Is 'Gone With The Wind' a romance story? I've never watched or read the book.

20/12/2010

The Last Story VI: Temptress In Azure

Kudos: 3,014

Cinemaniac

Matrix6 said: Is 'Gone With The Wind' a romance story? I've never watched or read the book.

It is, but I'd argue that it's an epic/war/drama film as well. Classic, iconic film, but I feel as though my sanity deteriorates a bit each time I watch it - so long! [Rage]

21/12/2010

Kudos: 3,255

Prime

Cinemaniac said:

Matrix6 said: I hear The Notebook is good? Titanic too overhyped for you?
My taste of romantic movies are more the likes of True Romance!

'The Notebook' didn't do it for me, for some reason. 'Titanic', on the other hand, is one of the worst films ever made. 'True Romance' is a great film - agreed. The whole 'lovers on the run' premise is very cool...

I am not 100% sure but are you not the guy who included Looking for Alibrandi in the list of Top 10 Australian films? [Facepalm]

If so it makes sense hearing you call Titanic one of the worst films ever made. I am no fan of the Titanic, but calling it the worst film of all time is just overkill.

Did it deserve the accolades it got? No. But going to the other extreme of overstatement in terms of criticism is not helpful either.

If you are not the same guy, disregard my comments =D

22/12/2010

The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely - Carl Jung.

Kudos: 3,014

Cinemaniac

way_maker said:

Cinemaniac said:

Matrix6 said: I hear The Notebook is good? Titanic too overhyped for you?
My taste of romantic movies are more the likes of True Romance!

'The Notebook' didn't do it for me, for some reason. 'Titanic', on the other hand, is one of the worst films ever made. 'True Romance' is a great film - agreed. The whole 'lovers on the run' premise is very cool...

I am not 100% sure but are you not the guy who included Looking for Alibrandi in the list of Top 10 Australian films?
If so it makes sense hearing you call Titanic one of the worst films ever made. I am no fan of the Titanic, but calling it the worst film of all time is just overkill.
Did it deserve the accolades it got? No. But going to the other extreme of overstatement in terms of criticism is not helpful either.
If you are not the same guy, disregard my comments

Yep, I am most certainly THAT guy! =D

Look, I'm not really interested in descending into personal attacks, since it reeks of immaturity and compensation for a lack of knowledge on topics being discussed. So, I'll be as brief as I can.

In response to your grievances regarding my 'Looking for Alibrandi' choice, in MY opinion, it certainly is one of the best Australian filmic texts of all time. It's an extremely accurate commentary on Italian-Australian culture and the struggles associated with migrating from one country to another on the backdrop of war time and poverty. In this country, multiculturalism has played an enormous part in shaping cultural identity. Woods' film, in great style, acknowledges this. This is probably why it commonly appears on secondary school curricula year after year. ;)

Now, in response to your commentary on 'Titanic': it IS, in MY opinion, one of the worst films ever made. My use of the term 'worst' is very specific here. It acknowledges that it's one of the most overrated films of all time. Its gross revenue was ridiculously high and did not add up upon analysis of the film. Essentially, this is a haphazard love story set on a boat, one that has been adapted from history and another earlier filmic work. So, in my opinion, for a film with such a high budget and return at the box office, the end product audiences are given, I believe, is quite poor. :)

Cheers!

23/12/2010

Kudos: 12,454

mordillo

I haven't seen Titanic in so long, so I couldn't care less for it, but I don't understand your last paragraph. What does the box office takings have to do with the quality of the movie?

23/12/2010

Kudos: 3,014

Cinemaniac

mordillo said: I haven't seen Titanic in so long, so I couldn't care less for it, but I don't understand your last paragraph. What does the box office takings have to do with the quality of the movie?

What I was trying to say was that it doesn't make sense that an average love story (that has been adapted from history and literature already) grosses nearly $2b at the box office. My point is that people may have flocked to see it but were, ultimately, dished up a poor film.

23/12/2010

Kudos: 3,255

Prime

Cinemaniac said:

mordillo said: I haven't seen Titanic in so long, so I couldn't care less for it, but I don't understand your last paragraph. What does the box office takings have to do with the quality of the movie?

What I was trying to say was that it doesn't make sense that an average love story (that has been adapted from history and literature already) grosses nearly $2b at the box office. My point is that people may have flocked to see it but were, ultimately, dished up a poor film.

Breaking down your logic:

Most overrated + Personal resentment at commercial success + Personal opinion it is a poor film = Worst film ever.

You will not admit it but that is essentially what is going on here. Intellectualise it as much as you want but you are leaking bias just like a boat that has hit an iceberg.......oh wait.

Cheers! =D

23/12/2010

The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely - Carl Jung.

Kudos: 3,014

Cinemaniac

way_maker said:

Cinemaniac said:

mordillo said: I haven't seen Titanic in so long, so I couldn't care less for it, but I don't understand your last paragraph. What does the box office takings have to do with the quality of the movie?

What I was trying to say was that it doesn't make sense that an average love story (that has been adapted from history and literature already) grosses nearly $2b at the box office. My point is that people may have flocked to see it but were, ultimately, dished up a poor film.

Breaking down your logic:
Most overrated + Personal resentment at commercial success + Personal opinion it is a poor film = Worst film ever.
You will not admit it but that is essentially what is going on here. Intellectualise it as much as you want but you are leaking bias just like a boat that has hit an iceberg.......oh wait.
Cheers!

Mate, get it right: this is ALL personal opinion and bias. It's my article and series of reviews! [MOG] That being said, it's backed by fact. This film grossed nearly $2b at the box office. In my opinion, the narrative was not worthy of that sort of financial success. Simple.

Why the hell would I be resentful towards the film's commerical success? That comment makes no sense whatsoever. I've enjoyed other expensive Hollywood epics, like the LOTR trilogy and even The Godfather series. As for Titanic, however, I did not, for the very reasons I've listed: it's a haphazard remake of a historical event and a film released over half a century ago.

Once again, not interested in personal digs. It's a forum about romance films.

By the way, nice play on words like 'iceberg' and 'leaking'. Innovative. Very innovative. [MOG]

23/12/2010

Kudos: 3,255

Prime

Cinemaniac said:

way_maker said:

Cinemaniac said:

mordillo said: I haven't seen Titanic in so long, so I couldn't care less for it, but I don't understand your last paragraph. What does the box office takings have to do with the quality of the movie?

What I was trying to say was that it doesn't make sense that an average love story (that has been adapted from history and literature already) grosses nearly $2b at the box office. My point is that people may have flocked to see it but were, ultimately, dished up a poor film.

Breaking down your logic:
Most overrated + Personal resentment at commercial success + Personal opinion it is a poor film = Worst film ever.
You will not admit it but that is essentially what is going on here. Intellectualise it as much as you want but you are leaking bias just like a boat that has hit an iceberg.......oh wait.
Cheers!

Mate, get it right: this is ALL personal opinion and bias. It's my article and series of reviews! That being said, it's backed by fact. This film grossed nearly $2b at the box office. In my opinion, the narrative was not worthy of that sort of financial success. Simple.
Why the hell would I be resentful towards the film's commerical success? That comment makes no sense whatsoever. I've enjoyed other expensive Hollywood epics, like the LOTR trilogy and even The Godfather series. As for Titanic, however, I did not, for the very reasons I've listed: it's a haphazard remake of a historical event and a film released over half a century ago.
Once again, not interested in personal digs. It's a forum about romance films.
By the way, nice play on words like 'iceberg' and 'leaking'. Innovative. Very innovative.

Maybe it was when you said, in relation to the Titanic's takings:

"Its gross revenue was ridiculously high"

Maybe that would indicate some resentment....perhaps? Just maybe? Could it be possible? Lol

And thank you for the compliment regarding the leak. It certainly is more innovative than that extremely brief list of your top 10 romance films that would have taken about 2 minutes to write. Top quality critiquing there and begs me to ask me this question again - is anyone screening these lists before they are published on the site? [Facepalm]

As much as i am aware you will feign taking that comment personally, it really is a poor effort. That is not personal, it is just not up to scratch compared to what others are putting out there.

23/12/2010

The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely - Carl Jung.

Kudos: 3,014

Cinemaniac

way_maker said:

Cinemaniac said:

way_maker said:

Cinemaniac said:

mordillo said: I haven't seen Titanic in so long, so I couldn't care less for it, but I don't understand your last paragraph. What does the box office takings have to do with the quality of the movie?

What I was trying to say was that it doesn't make sense that an average love story (that has been adapted from history and literature already) grosses nearly $2b at the box office. My point is that people may have flocked to see it but were, ultimately, dished up a poor film.

Breaking down your logic:
Most overrated + Personal resentment at commercial success + Personal opinion it is a poor film = Worst film ever.
You will not admit it but that is essentially what is going on here. Intellectualise it as much as you want but you are leaking bias just like a boat that has hit an iceberg.......oh wait.
Cheers!

Mate, get it right: this is ALL personal opinion and bias. It's my article and series of reviews! That being said, it's backed by fact. This film grossed nearly $2b at the box office. In my opinion, the narrative was not worthy of that sort of financial success. Simple.
Why the hell would I be resentful towards the film's commerical success? That comment makes no sense whatsoever. I've enjoyed other expensive Hollywood epics, like the LOTR trilogy and even The Godfather series. As for Titanic, however, I did not, for the very reasons I've listed: it's a haphazard remake of a historical event and a film released over half a century ago.
Once again, not interested in personal digs. It's a forum about romance films.
By the way, nice play on words like 'iceberg' and 'leaking'. Innovative. Very innovative.

Maybe it was when you said, in relation to the Titanic's takings:
"Its gross revenue was ridiculously high"
Maybe that would indicate some resentment....perhaps? Just maybe? Could it be possible? Lol
And thank you for the compliment regarding the leak. It certainly is more innovative than that extremely brief list of your top 10 romance films that would have taken about 2 minutes to write. Top quality critiquing there and begs me to ask me this question again - is anyone screening these lists before they are published on the site?
As much as i am aware you will feign taking that comment personally, it really is a poor effort. That is not personal, it is just not up to scratch compared to what others are putting out there.

Not worthy of a response. Cheers!

23/12/2010

Kudos: 3,014

Cinemaniac

Atomic10 said: David Lynch's Wild At Heart now there's a romance film!

LOL! Yeah, it's a quietly quirky, dark romance/thriller. Loved Nicholas Cage and Willem Dafoe. Laura Dern is strong, but I preferred her as Sandy in 'Blue Velvet'...

23/12/2010

Kudos: 3,255

Prime

And in stating it is not worthy of a response, you provide one lol

23/12/2010

The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely - Carl Jung.

Kudos: 28

catch_33

This is lol. There must be a reason Titanic earned so much revenue. Replacing honest research and thought into the reasons for such high earnings with your opinion about the film don't cut the mustard.

23/12/2010