I Love You Great Romantic Double Feature Movies for Valentines Day Review

Here's 5 romantic film double feature suggestions that should appeal to just about every kind of romantic out there.   It adds up to 10  Great Romantic Films.    How many of these have you seen?   Of  those you haven't seen which one would you probably see first?   Are there any of these that you did not like?   Let me know with a comment.

Note:  I picked these as ones that are likely to have the most overall appeal.  Some romantic movies would probably be favored by women,  a few by men, but I think these have a pretty solid Universal appeal for everyone.    Do you agree?  Let me know.

And if you want another list of Double Features... I can put together a Part 2 for you.

Let me know.

DOUBLE FEATURE #1    

ROMANTIC AFFAIRS  TO STAY AWAKE BY:

Many will catch on right away why these two are together.

An Affair to Remember (1957)  Directed by Leo McCary

The almost classic tear-jerking love story that stars Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr discovering each other and falling in love, but it's inconvenient and the timing isn't perfect, so they make a pact to meet in six months at the Empire State Building.  Embraced as one of the most romantic movies of all time-rivaled to many, only by Casablanca.   Several situations and some scenes are both lifted and seen on television in Sleepless in Seattle.

AND

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)   Directed by Nora Ephron

Sleepless is a cute romantic comedy which borrows and rewrites some great scenes from the near classic  An Affair to Remember, losing that films heavy pathos which for some means this one is a little too cute and light.  Hanks plays a recently widowed man whose son decides to help find his dad a new partner.  Written by David S. Ward, Jeff Arch and Nora Ephron. Good supporting work by Ross Malinger, Rosie O'Donnell, Bill Pullman, and David Hyde Pierce.       

 DOUBLE FEATURE #2    

NEUROTIC MODERN LOVE 70S AND 80S STYLE   

Annie Hall (1977) - Directed by Woody Allen

A Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) falls completely in love with the somewhat ditsy Annie Hall played by Diane Keaton. She winds up teaching him many things about what's most important in life.  Brilliantly clever  award winning romantic comedy that gets better every time you view it.  If you are one of those people who can't stand Woody Allen, I'd still suggest you make sure you see this one.  Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman.  Great supporting cast includes Shelley Duvall, Tony Roberts, Paul Simon, Carol Kane and a quick funny role for Jeff Goldblum too!!!

AND

When Harry Met Sally (1989) - Directed by Rob Reiner

There's lot of talk about romance and trying to find the right one and some very witty comedy about courtship rituals as well.  The biggest laughs are generated with assists from Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby.   And the woman who has the famous:  "I'll have what she is having" line is Rob Reiner's mom !!!   It's not as good as the similar Annie Hall, but a lot of people have an aversion to Woody Allen and so you have a different kind of neurotic couple played by  Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. They meet first in college, then several years ago and then a few years after that  and so on and so forth. Written by: Nora Ephron

DOUBLE FEATURE #3

AUDREY LOVE

 Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) - directed by Blake Edwards

A spoiled, somewhat naïve young New York socialite (Hepburn) becomes interested in a young man  (George Peppard) who has moved into her apartment building.  It's the charisma of Audrey and smooth direction by Black Edwards (Pink Panther, Victor, Victoria)  that makes this one endearing to so many.   Warning: Mickey Rooney's over the top comic portrayal of an Asian may be insulting to some.   Also: the movie is NOT as good as the Trumam Capote novel on which it is based.  Great supporting cast also includes Patricia Neal Martin Balsam, and Buddy Ebsen

AND

Roman Holiday (1953) directed by William Wyler

Here's one that you might need to re=acquaint yourself with or discover for the first time.  It's basically a reverse twist on the Cinderella story.  Audrey is a young princess on a trip to Rome to be part of a ceremony.  She's rebellious and whining about having to do her boring duties so she is given a sleeping pill and sent to bed.   She slips away from those who are watching her so she can let loose and really see Rome, but the sleeping pill starts to take effect.  Newspaper reporter Gregory Peck thinks she's drunk and rescues her from an embarrassing situation.  She winds up sleeping on his couch!   Then Peck realized she's the Princess and he's got a real newsworthy scoop so he hatches a plan with new photographer Eddie Albert and   . . . well you'll have to see the film to find out what happens.  It's a breezy entertaining film with a cast that will charm you into a romantic mood.  NOTE: the oscar winning screenplay credited to Ian Mclellan Hunter is actually Dalton Trumbo who couldn't accept the award or use his real name because he was on the Hollywood Blacklist for refusing to cooperate with Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist witch-hunt of the 50s. 

DOUBLE FEATURE #4    

FANTASY ROMANCE  DOUBLE FEATURE

Groundhog Day (1993) - Directed by Harold Ramis

It's safe to call this one a modern classic.  Bill Murray plays a burned out weatherman who gets trapped into living the same day over and over again and gets to try and try again to woo Andie MacDowell.  Funny and clever script co-written by Harold Ramis.  Nice supporting work by Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle Murray,  and Marita Geraghty   I honestly have never met anyone who doesn't like this movie.  Most love it.

AND

Chocolat (2000)   directed by Lasse Hallstrom

A woman and her daughter open a very special chocolate shop in a small French village and in the process they ruffle some feathers and clash with a couple of very powerful uptight citizens of the village.   Johnny Depp has a supporting role as a traveling gypsy.  The once in a life-time cast includes: Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin, Carrie-Anne Moss and Johnny Depp.  Written by Robert Nelson Jacobs and Joanne Harris.     It's an enchanting romantic fable.  

DOUBLE FEATURE #5    

ULTIMATE  ROMANTIC  DOUBLE FEATURE

Casablanca (1942) - Directed by Michael Curtiz

The movie that defines romance for several generations has a fascinating back story that makes a great extra on the special edition DVD that you would probably own. Bogart plays Rick the American expatriate who meets his lost love and complications develop.  Several unforgettable scenes and lines of dialogue written by  Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch and several others.  The plot has some resemblance to a popular Hemmingway novel.    Starring : Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Paul Henreid, Dooley Wilson, Conrad Veidt

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To Have and Have Not (1944) Director Howard Hawks

Howard Hawks takes Hemmingway's ‘worst novel" and makes a great film out of it. Call it Hawk's version of Casablanca if you insist, this one is much better written and has a better plotted story. It was Lauren Bacall's first film (she even sings a little song impressively in the film) and the Bogart/Bacall chemistry was real, red hot and captured on the screen. They later got and stayed happily married till Bogie's death. Bogies a charter boat captain in Martinique who gets mixed up reluctantly with a beautiful lady and the French resistance during World War 2. We get a scene stealing performance from Walter Brennan as the rum-soaked ship's mate and Hoagy Carmichael as the piano man. It doesn't get much better than this.  And I know  even though it's a better film, Casablanca still has that special one of a kind magic... so make it a double feature   

Since you asked for it... there's a part 2 and part 3...  check 'em out..

Thanks for the comments and good points.  Here's Part 2 -  More Romantic Movie Double features!!!

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Part 3

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ENJOY