Lil Wayne famously said: “They say love in the air, so I hold my breath until my face turn purple”. We get it. Some people are tired of the red roses and loved up couples all over the place, but who said you can’t get back that loving feeling, all in the comfort of your own home? Yes, romantic movies are so cheesy, you could make a sandwich. They spawn gags and rolling eyes, but sometimes, there’s this special thing they do – they make you believe in love again. The Weekender gathered a few classics to keep your hearts full. Remember to grab your tissues!
Way back in 1992, Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner gave us something beautiful. The romantic thriller introduced us to Rachel Marron, a superstar who receives a barrage of death threats. But after a bomb explodes in her dressing room, her manager hires a bodyguard named Frank Farmer. Farmer is reluctant to look after Marron, who he believes is nothing but a spoiled diva, but as they become closer, they realise they have to rely on each other to stay safe. Making over US$411 million at the box office, this movie was certainly a hit, but not all critics were in favour of the film, leading it to score 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. ‘The Bodyguard’ also broke barriers at the time, as one of the first films to feature romance between a black woman and white man.
In 2001, there was a couple named John Tyree (Channing Tatum) and Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried), a sweet college couple who fall in love. They experience ups and downs with their family, romantic rivals who try and get in their way and Tyree who has to return to the army. But when tragedy hits, he returns home and finds the love of his life married to someone else. But has their love truly died? This emotional movie was based on the 2006 Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name. ‘Dear John’ knocked ‘Avatar’ off the number one spot after seven weeks, and earned over US$100 million. Both Tatum and Seyfried were nominated for Teen Choice and People’s Choice awards for their acting and on-screen chemistry, and the film won big at the CinEuphoria Awards in 2011.
Before ‘Step Up’, there was ‘Save The Last Dance’, a 2001 American film that brought love and dance together. The story begins with Sara Johnson (Julia Stiles), a ballet dancer who’s accepted for an audition at Julliard. However, after a tragic accident, she gives up ballet completely and ends up at a new school. Soon enough, she finds her way to Stepps, a dance club where she’s exposed to hip-hop, and there, she gets to know Derek Reynolds (Sean Patrick Thomas), also a dancer, who falls in love with her. But as you know, happiness is never guaranteed. Forces try and break the couple apart, which begs the question – will love overcome?
ν ‘Pretty Woman’
ν ‘Dirty Dancing’
ν ‘Ghost’
ν ‘Love and Basketball’
ν ‘The Notebook’
ν ‘Poetic Justice’
ν ‘Love Actually’
ν ’10 Things I Hate About You’
ν ‘When Harry Met Sally’
ν ‘Valentine’s Day’
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