Girls Write Out
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Kevin heard a Top 5 list on the radio that he thought I might be interested in so he jotted them down. The list? The top five romantic movies of all time. He had me guess them and I didn't do so well.
Here they are for the curious souls out there:

5. Sleepless in Seatle (cute romantic flick, I'll admit, but they spend the whole movie apart)

4. Pretty Woman

3. Jerry McGuire (Possibly the most selfish hero ever)

2. The Notebook (No arguments here)

1. Titanic (Am I the only one that thought the hero seemed like a little boy next to the heroine?)


Now, I'm not saying these movies aren't entertaining or even romantic. But the top 5 of all time? Don't think so. I'm not sure who they surveyed but it obviously wasn't me.

Here's my list, for anyone who cares.

5. Dirty Dancing (Great dancing and first love)

4.While You Were Sleeping (Sandra Bullock at her charming best)

3. The Notebook (Tender and passionate)

2. The Lakehouse (What a great I-wish-I'd-thought-of-this plot!)


And . . . Drumroll please . . .


1. You've got Mail. ("Don't cry, Shopgirl . . . " Sigh! The scene where she's sick in bed and he comes to see her, "One hundred and fifty-two insights to my soul . . ." "If I hadn't been FoxBooks and you hadn't been the Shop Around the Corner... ") I could go on and on, mainly because, okay, I've seen the movie about one hundred and fifty-two times.


Still, it never gets old. And that's how I know a romantic movie is list-worthy.


Denise Hunter  
posted at 9:42 AM  
  Comments (38)
 
 
Delicious Delicious
38 Comments:
At 10:28 PM, Blogger Pam Sanderlin said...

I'm with you. That list leaves me puzzled.

My list is:
5. Return to Me. (Love the old guys, especially Carroll O'Connor in this one.)
4. Roman Holiday. (I'm a sucker for Gregory Peck.)
3. While You Were Sleeping. (Joe Jr. is my favorite character. To my daughter's disgust, I always say--or silently mouth--his lines with him.)
2. Princess Bride. (Clever story within a story and I love the fencing scene.)
1. You've Got Mail. (I agree totally. Love that movie.)

 
At 11:16 PM, Blogger Deborah Raney said...

This is hard, but these are mine:
1. Children of a Lesser God (beware of language)
2. Return to Me
3. Sense & Sensibility
4. Miss Potter
5. Message in a Bottle
(My 17-year-old daughter is reading over my shoulder and reminded me that several of these have some inappropriate content. She recommends Becoming Jane and Pride & Prejudice instead.)

 
At 1:15 AM, Blogger Melanie's Words Work said...

Not a big fan of the published list, either, but I can't decide on my own, and I don't remember level of appropriateness, but I'm generally a PG-13 kind of woman, so:

5. Singing in the Rain — technically a musical comedy, I know, but come on, "You are My Lucky Star," just makes my heart melt.

4. The Bishop's Wife — hey, she falls back in love with her husband, and I get to gaze at Cary Grant

3. Roman Holiday

2. Serendippity

1. While You Were Sleeping

(Princess Bride and You've Got Mail belong on there too, but I thought some others deserved attention).

Oh, and when it comes to "Becoming Jane," I'm having trouble with that one. I also read Nancy Moser's "Just Jane," and have read some biographies about Austen. I know there aren't a lot of details about her private life avaiable, but LeFroi always seemed like a bit of a cad to me, and Jane was just so romantic she believed there was something more. Can some of the others who have watched/read both comment?

 
At 7:37 AM, Blogger Colleen Coble said...

Oh the top two of that list are on my all time fave list too. Every time we're scooting through channels and Pretty Woman or Sleepless in Seattle is on, Dave knows to stop. Here are my others:

An Officer and a Gentleman (bet I've seen that ending a 100 times. LOL) This is probably my very top fave.

Princess Bride

Gone With the Wind

 
At 8:37 AM, Blogger Katy McKenna said...

Very, very difficult to beat the Tom Hanks, Megan Ryan combo for chemistry. Also love While You Were Sleeping. My current fave, the one I've already watched twice THIS year, is Serendipity.

LOVE it.

What I'd like to know, though, is why so many of us love romantic comedies on film, and yet book publishers aren't overly interested in seeing manuscripts in a similar vein. Any ideas?

Katy McKenna www.fallible.com

 
At 8:47 AM, Blogger Denise Hunter said...

Katy, I've wondered that very thing!

Thanks for giving me some new movies to Netflix, ladies. Deb, I've had Becoming Jane for two weeks and am waiting for two free hours to watch it.

I hear so much about Princess Bride. Is that the one with the six fingered man? Please tell me it's not. If it is, I just don't get it.

 
At 9:31 AM, Blogger Suzanne said...

I don't agree with that list either. The top five of all time and none of them were older than 1990? I've got a big problem with that list!

My top would include (in random order):
The Enchanted Cottage-1945 Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young. (I think it's coming up soon on Turner Classic Movies so catch it on your DVR.. wonderful movie!)

Wuthering Heights-1939 Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier

The Notebook-perfect movie.

Pretty in Pink- (what can I say? I was a teen in the 80's)

Notting Hill--yeah it's got some bad parts but *sigh* I love it when they get together at the end.

 
At 9:34 AM, Blogger Katy McKenna said...

Very, very difficult to beat the Tom Hanks, Megan Ryan combo for chemistry. Also love While You Were Sleeping. My current fave, the one I've already watched twice THIS year, is Serendipity.

LOVE it.

What I'd like to know, though, is why so many of us love romantic comedies on film, and yet book publishers aren't overly interested in seeing manuscripts in a similar vein. Any ideas?

Katy McKenna www.fallible.com

 
At 9:36 AM, Blogger Katy McKenna said...

Denise,
I am so sorry my comment appeared twice! User error, obviously. :)

Katy

 
At 9:44 AM, Blogger Jaime Wright said...

A lot of good movies! :) But I agree, Titanic looked more like the "Woman and her Boy" - not to mention it was thoroughly depressing. Sigh.

I love:

5. Sweet Home Alabama
4. Kate & Leopold
3. Pride & Prejudice
2. Anne of Avonlea
3. Anne of Green Gables

 
At 10:37 AM, Blogger Sally said...

yeah, it seems odd that only newer movies appeared on the list...I don't know that these are my all-time top faves, but it's what comes to mind quickly:

South Pacific
Serendipity
Sweet Home Alabama
Roman Holiday
Princess Bride

(I love all the 80's movies, too...like Pretty in Pink, Say Anything and Some Kind of Wonderful)

 
At 11:26 AM, Blogger Rachel Hauck said...

Oh, I so agree with you on "While You Were Sleeping!"

Mind are:

1. ... Sleeping (of course)
2. Notting Hill. Love the final scene.
3. Send Me No Flowers! I still laugh at this one.
4. When Harry Met Sally.

I'll have to think on the other one.

Oh, I saw Definitely, Maybe. Good flick. Might one day make it to the top ten/

 
At 11:27 AM, Blogger Rachel Hauck said...

Oh wait, Sense & Sensibility!

Great flick. Just saw it on Deb's list.

Guess I'd have to add a bonus, Howard's End.

Rachel

 
At 12:33 PM, Blogger Melanie's Words Work said...

So glad to see other Serendipity lovers out there. I can't believe I misspelled it on my first post. Well, yes I can. There was a boutique that deliberately misspelled it in Knoxville and we used a lot of their stuff when I worked for a magazine there.

Yes, there is a six-fingered man in "Princess Bride," but there's so much more than that. It's an absolute laugh riot, but there's romance, too. Besides, you get to look at Cary Elwes for about two hours, back before he kept playing Americans. (Anyone see him in the recent Law & Order episode? Ah, the years aren't always kind to men, either.)

I started crying at least 20 minutes from the end of "The Notebook" and didn't stop until about 10 minutes after the credits finished rolling. I refuse to name it a favorite.

And as for "Wuthering Heights," I prefer the slightly less warped Bronte. Charlotte's "Jane Eyre" in most any movie version beats Emily's "Wuthering Heights." Sure, Mr. Rochester might have had a crazy wife in the attic, but at least he wasn't completely bonkers like Heathcliff, or did the movie tone that down a bit?

 
At 12:35 PM, Blogger Chelf said...

Oh, let's see... The top 10 of ALL TIME and there is no Cary Grant on it? What is that about?

Mine would be...

5. Love Actually (yep, there are bad parts, but I love it.)
4. Hitch (who can help but feel like there could be a model waiting for YOU?)
3. While You Were Sleeping
2. You've Got Mail
1. An Affair to Remember

I have heard that Roman Holiday is one of the greats, but I have never seen it. Gone With The Wind is up there too. I don't know about the whole TOP part. I love movies in general. When Harry Met Sally is pretty good, but not so much for the romance, but the humor.

I have to find some of these I have not seen!

 
At 3:02 PM, Blogger Dani said...

This is hard, but it got me thinking about all my favorite movies. What a fun diversion :o)

5. 13 Going on 30
4. Ever After
3. French Kiss (okay a really funny comedy, but still on my top favorite romance list)
2. The Notebook
1. Pride and Prejudice

I also saw a great one in the theater. P.S. I Love You. Super sad, but a great, funny, heart-tugging story all in one. I blubbered like a baby in the theater. I recommend seeing it at home with a big box of tissues.

 
At 4:06 PM, Blogger Kayla said...

1. Singing in the Rain

2. Ever After (I can't stand Drew Barrymore but she did an amazing job in this movie!)

3. An Affair to Remember (I can't watch it very often, but sometimes you just NEED to see that movie!)

4. The Sound of Music

5. Serendipity

 
At 4:32 PM, Blogger Kay Day said...

Princess Bride is my all-time favorite movie, so it doesn't qualify. Ha, that's just an excuse to give more answers.

1. Casablanca
2. An Affair to Remember
3. Sleepless
4. Never Been Kissed
5. Shop Around the Corner, or In the Good Ol Summer Time, or You've Got Mail -- all three the same story. Jimmy Stewart is in the first and Judy Garland is in the second. You should see them all.

I also like Ever After, Serendipity, and While You Were Sleeping. But Casablanca is the definite number one. No doubt about it. I love Camelot, too, but don't know if it counts as a romance.

 
At 6:16 PM, Blogger Ausjenny said...

im not sure what i would put but i know Sleepless in seattle didn't do much for me and i have to say You got mail i saw it once on the big screen and that was enough.

havent seen notebook yet but hear its good.

i would have ever after and enchanted up there.

I watched pride and prejudice last week but didn't get it. It didn't end right for me.
maybe i need to watch more movies.

 
At 7:05 PM, Blogger Jill said...

I love a lot of the movies mentioned. While You Were Sleeping is one of my favorites. There are two movies that don't have the happy-ever-after ending, but I love the romance in them. One is First Knight and the other is Somersby. Maybe Richard Gere has something to do with my taste, but I still love the romance in both!

www.jillboydsplace.blogspot.com

 
At 7:52 PM, Blogger Kristin said...

5. Sense & Sensibility
4. The Thorn Birds (I know!)
3.Notorious (best screen kiss!)
2.Bridget Jones's Diary
1.Pride & Prejudice (Colin Firth) or David Rintoul

And yes, I did think Mr. Darcy was a figment of Jane's imagination. Le Froi was a narcissist and a cad, akin to Lord Byron -- maybe without the gay part.

 
At 8:56 PM, Blogger Beth said...

In no particular order:

*You've Got Mail
*Roman Holiday
*Kate & Leopold (I quite like Hugh Jackman - I guess it helps that he's an Aussie)
*Sense & Sensibility (2 in 1 love stories)
*Love Story (Stewart Granger & Margaret Lockwood - an old British war film)

I don't get that list either. Haven't the list makers seen any movies made before the 80's?

 
At 11:09 PM, Blogger Pam Sanderlin said...

Oh, rats! Now that I look at everyone else's list, I wish I had written down PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, too. My 10th graders are reading "PRIDE & PREJ" right now, so I get to see Colin Firth EVERY class. Lucky me. :0) The class has favorite characters such as Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet--oh, and we mustn't forget Mr. Harris (Charles Bingley's brother-in-law who is always asleep, drunk, or eating in his scenes). Everytime he comes on the screen, the whole class cheers. Hilarous. Now you can see why I can't believe I didn't write down PRIDE & PREJ!

 
At 9:53 AM, Blogger Leanna Ellis said...

Jumping in late, glad to see When Harry Met Sally finally being mentioned. Also, Sense and Sensibilties (I cry every time in the last major scene), French Kiss and Notting Hill. But haven't seen Something's Gotta Give mentioned. Love that one. And here's an oldy I haven't seen mentioned yet ... Father Goose. Can't go wrong with Cary Grant.

 
At 4:01 PM, Blogger Amy said...

Yay, Dani, for mentioning French Kiss, my favorite movie! :) I've seen it no less than one hundred million times!

The Notebook is wonderfully romantic, I do love You've Got Mail, I'll have to think for awhile about the others.

 
At 4:11 PM, Blogger Katie said...

EXACTLY!!!! You've Got Mail! One of the best movies of all time. Thank you!

Katie from Albuquerque

 
At 8:04 PM, Blogger Kristin said...

I thought of one more, I find terribly romantic: "A Fish Called Wanda". I had a crush on John Cleese forever after that one. : ) KB

 
At 9:20 PM, Blogger Diann Hunt said...

Like Denise, I absolutely LOVE You've Got Mail. Just hearing the click of the computer keys at the opening of the movie gives me chills. *g*

5. Love Letters (Hallmark)
4. Sleepless in Seattle
3. Ever After
2. Pride & Prejudice
1. You've Got Mail

 
At 10:02 AM, Blogger Erin Ward said...

you've got mail is THE best movie ever.

 
At 1:13 PM, Blogger Kristin said...

Oh I thought of another one:

Somewhere in Time!!!

 
At 1:14 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would add Moulin Rouge to that list. And Pride & Prejudice. I also watched Love Actually, but the television version so it wasn't as bad. And of course Titanic, I think I've sung "My Heart Will Go On" more times than I can count.

 
At 4:06 PM, Blogger Dani said...

I forgot all about Somewhere in Time. Wow. I used to love that movie as a kid. I haven't seen it in years!

That's the one with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeves, right?

 
At 5:33 PM, Blogger Kay Day said...

I love Somewhere in Time and I also remembered Ladyhawk. I love that one. I also like A Walk in the Clouds and Always.
Tom Hanks was in one called Every Time We Say Goodbye. I like that one, too.
Captain Correli's Mandoline is pretty good.
And Life is Beautiful has a wonderful romance in it.
But my favorite - I'll say it again- is Casablanca!

 
At 6:54 PM, Blogger Suzanne said...

Oooh yes! Somewhere in Time. *sigh*

I also love Forver Young with Mel Gibson. I remember sobbing as I walked across the parking lot after seeing that one in the theater.

 
At 10:54 PM, Blogger Crystal Laine said...

Wow, this was a fun entry. I love seeing the lists of movies, and I agree with everyone! LOL. But here's my list and it could change. And watch for language and situations in some of these.

5. Romancing the Stone
4. In Her Shoes
3. Father Goose
2. You've Got Mail
1. Braveheart

Up close to the top are many of the ones mentioned here--Roman Holiday, thought I hate it that they never actually get together and couldn't. I think the love story in It's a Wonderful Life is great. I'm very sentimental about Loves Comes Softly, too. I love the actors who play the main characters. Gets me every time!

 
At 11:40 AM, Blogger Colleen Coble said...

Oh, oh, Romancing the Stone! I forgot about that one. It's one of my faves!

 
At 1:28 PM, Blogger Annie said...

ok, so i have to put in my list, although i agree that all the movies mentioned are fabulous and deserve to be on some list! LOL

5: Sleepless in Seattle (agree with that... classic)
4: Roman Holiday (Audrey Hepburn is just stunning)
3: Pride and Prejudice (all versions!)
2: Anne of Green Gables series (I'm still waiting for my own Gilbert to show up!!)
1: Random Harvest (with Greer Garson... just WONDERFUL!!! my grandmother's favorite and when i watched it, i fell in love too!!)

 
At 11:11 AM, Blogger Cara Putman said...

Eric and I LOVE You've Got Mail. A classic!

Others I love:

Pretty Woman
Gone With the Wind
Sleepless in Seattle
Can't Take It with You: Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur
It Happened One Night: Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable
Bringing Up Baby: Katherine Hepburn & Cary Grant

Love the classics

 

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The Authors
Kristin Billerbeck
Kristin Billerbeck is a proud Californian, wife, mother of four, and connoisseur of the irrelevant. She writes Christian Chick Lit; where she finds need for most of the useless facts lulling about in her head.

www.KristinBillerbeck.com

Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble writes romantic suspense with a strong atmospheric element. A lovable animal of some kind--usually a dog--always populates her novels. She can be bribed with DeBrand mocha truffles.

www.ColleenCoble.com

Denise Hunter

Denise Hunter writes women's fiction and love stories with a strong emotional element. Her husband says he provides her with all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too.

www.DeniseHunterBooks.com

Diann Hunt

Diann Hunt writes romantic comedy and humorous women's fiction. She has been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, chocolate, her dog, and well, chocolate.

www.DiannHunt.com

Hannah Alexander

Cheryl Hodde writes romantic medical suspense under the pen name of Hannah Alexander, using all the input she can get from her husband, Mel, for the medical expertise. For fun she hikes and reads. Out of guilt, she rescues discarded cats. She and Mel are presently taking orders from four pampered strays.

www.HannahAlexander.com

 
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