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Looking for non-cliche love stories

RainOPainRainOPain Registered User regular
edited July 2007 in Help / Advice Forum
I'm looking for some good semi-romantic movies to watch with the g/f that aren't horrible hacked together tripe (note: she doesn't like lousy chick flicks any more than I do)

Two of our favorite movies are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Annie Hall, so anything in that vein -- movies that are just fun or have something poignant about them. I'm up for any recommendations

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Posts

  • Dulcius_ex_asperisDulcius_ex_asperis Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    The Science of Sleep is excellent.

    Love Actually

    The Fountain

    Life is Beautiful

    Stranger Than Fiction

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  • FibretipFibretip Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    amelie?

    Fibretip on
    I believe in angels, not the kind with wings, no...not the kind with halos, the kind who bring you home
  • RainOPainRainOPain Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Thanks for the suggestions. I should list a few more of the movies we've seen fairly recently:

    Amelie
    The Science of Sleep
    Before Sunrise
    Lost in Translation
    Garden State
    Manhattan

    all of which I would give a thumbs up to except maybe Garden State which I thought came off as a little forced

    RainOPain on
  • FibretipFibretip Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    in which case : before sunset!

    Fibretip on
    I believe in angels, not the kind with wings, no...not the kind with halos, the kind who bring you home
  • TechnicalityTechnicality Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Technicality on
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  • FallingmanFallingman Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Fibretip wrote: »
    amelie

    Fallingman on
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  • variantvariant Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Garden State is good.

    Closer is pretty good too.

    Was gonna say Eternal Sunshine but see that it's already a favorite.

    variant on
  • lunasealunasea Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Love Letter
    Paris, Je T'aime
    My Sassy Girl

    Some of my favorites at least.

    lunasea on
  • bsjezzbsjezz Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I can't recommend Punch Drunk Love enough

    completely underated movie which is really touching in a surreal way

    it's probably my favourite romantic film ever

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  • SzechuanosaurusSzechuanosaurus Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2007
    These aren't really romantic stories, but they are pretty nice poignant films anyway along the vein of Enternal Sunshine (Not really similar story...more a similar...feeling).

    The Virgin Suicides
    The Royal Tenenbaums
    Wonder Boys

    Szechuanosaurus on
  • FellhandFellhand Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    The English Patient.

    If you have comcast it's currently free on demand.

    Fellhand on
  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Spanglish.

    KalTorak on
  • CruixCruix Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I guess Science of Sleep just wasn't for me. I got all hyped thinking it was going to be similiar to Eternal Sunshine in a way, for whatever reason, and just ended up very much not liking it. I guess it didn't help that it was so late at night.

    Anyway:
    Love Me If You Dare (Great, great movie.)
    Amelie (Love Me If You Dare is similiar in a way to Amelie, so if you like one chances are you'll like the other.)
    Garden State (seconded.)

    Cruix on
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  • SudsSuds Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    RainOPain wrote: »
    Thanks for the suggestions. I should list a few more of the movies we've seen fairly recently:

    Amelie
    The Science of Sleep
    Before Sunrise
    Lost in Translation
    Garden State
    Manhattan

    all of which I would give a thumbs up to except maybe Garden State which I thought came off as a little forced

    You should see Before Sunset

    Suds on
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  • HooraydiationHooraydiation Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Benny & Joon

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  • CangoFettCangoFett Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    The Princess Bride

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  • Legoman05Legoman05 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    CangoFett wrote: »
    The Princess Bride

    Thread over.

    Also, Royal Tanenbaums++. Maybe also the Life Aquatic, because it's so awesome.

    Legoman05 on
  • CruixCruix Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    CangoFett wrote: »
    The Princess Bride


    How did I not think of that? Greatest. Movie. Ever.
    Aaaaas yoooouuuu wiiiiiiish.

    Cruix on
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  • SpongeCakeSpongeCake Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Secretary.

    It's the very antithesis of clichéd.

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  • RookRook Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    It's certainly not hackneyed, but it's not beyond a couple of clichés either but, it's still very well done. The Painted Veil.

    Rook on
  • LiveWireLiveWire Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    You've Got Mail.

    Oh man does Tom Hanks rock in it. Also, Dave Chapelle is in it for like 10 minutes. Also, its a fucking great film. The concept sounds pretty lame but the execution is so good you won't even notice once its started.

    LiveWire on
  • whuppinswhuppins Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    A lot of movies are love stories that people don't immediately identify as such. Like... The Last of the Mohicans is a love story. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a love story. Walk the Line is as much about June's devotion to her husband as it is about anything else.

    In a more traditional "love story" vein, the recent version of Pride and Prejudice was very good, just as good as the A&E series with Colin Firth. You might like When Harry Met Sally if you liked Annie Hall, but to be honest, I hate both of those movies.

    Special recommendation: 8 1/2. Some people may jump on my back and say it's not a love story, but you mentioned Eternal Sunshine, which I don't consider to have a strong romantic element, at least in the "love story" sense. Anyway, 8 1/2 is a very close parallel to Eternal Sunshine; the influences -- both visually and thematically -- are undeniable. I love Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, love them, but I would have to say that most of the things they did with that film's narrative were done 40 years earlier by Fellini, and they were done better. The dynamic between the main character and his wife, while great, is really a showcase for regret and guilt more than romantic love. By the end, though, he arrives at a place that's as poignant and life-affirming as anything I've ever seen on film.

    Edit: I will also admit to liking You've Got Mail. Once you get past Hollywood's inevitably painful portrayal of e-mail and the like, it's actually a pretty cute story that doesn't take itself too seriously. You can also check out the original film that it's based on, The Shop Around the Corner.

    whuppins on
  • ZeromusZeromus Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I thought The Terminal was pretty good. It's a fairly recent Spielberg film that didn't really get much attention at all.

    Also, if either of you are Batman fans, Mask of the Phantasm is actually quite powerful. :P

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  • musanmanmusanman Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    If you want your girlfriend to be a sobbing mess watch Closer. Probably not though...that movie is pretty fucked up.

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  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I'm not usually one for romantic films, but As Good as it Gets was great.

    Thanatos on
  • DiscGraceDiscGrace Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Ugghh, I thought "You've Got Mail" was awful. :( Sorry dudes.

    I'll second "Amelie" and "Princess Bride". How about "Local Hero"? It's not precisely a love story, unless a man falling in love with a town really counts. But there's love-story elements. Umm ... "Lost in Translation"? That's a good one.

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  • FellhandFellhand Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    For a classic movie, An Affair to Remember is awesome.

    Fellhand on
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    DiscGrace wrote: »
    Ugghh, I thought "You've Got Mail" was awful. :( Sorry dudes.
    Yeah, gotta agree, there.

    Thanatos on
  • whuppinswhuppins Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Says the guy who likes As Good As It Gets

    Seriously, though, it's OK to have one or two guilty pleasures. And You've Got Mail could be worse. It's nowhere near as bad as something like The Runaway Bride.

    whuppins on
  • CraigopogoCraigopogo Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    While not exclusively a romantic movie, I've always thought that Fight Club has an interesting love story. Love in the time of post-modern nihilism.

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  • gobassgogobassgo Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Another vote for Amelie.

    gobassgo on
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    whuppins wrote: »
    Says the guy who likes As Good As It Gets

    Seriously, though, it's OK to have one or two guilty pleasures. And You've Got Mail could be worse. It's nowhere near as bad as something like The Runaway Bride.
    An angry, bitter, hate-filled Jack Nicholson finds love.

    Can you not see how that would appeal? :P

    Besides, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are just fucking obnoxious in that movie.

    Thanatos on
  • SudsSuds Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I agree with Thanatos.

    As Good As It Gets is a fantastic movie.

    You've Got Mail was tripe.

    Suds on
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  • ZsetrekZsetrek Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Billy Wilder's The Apartment.

    Zsetrek on
  • Seattle ThreadSeattle Thread Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Rushmore has not been recommended. I think I've died a little inside.

    And I second Punch Drunk Love, it's quite phenomenal.

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  • UnderdogUnderdog Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I've heard good things about Chungking Express as Tech suggested. It's actually one of the movies I hope to pick up the next time I'm at a dvd place. I liked what I saw of Spanglish too.

    Underdog on
  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    edited July 2007
    Zsetrek wrote: »
    Billy Wilder's The Apartment.


    Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

    All you cool kids with your Wes Anderson need to check this shit out pronto. It's hilarious and poignant and the acting and writing are just utterly fucking humbling.

    Also second the recommendation for Punch Drunk Love. It's a bit uncomfortable in spots but it never rings less than one hundred percent true. Also also, Chungking Express. Beautifully made flick, and Faye Wong is adorable.

    Let's see, what else.

    I Capture the Castle - brill performance by Bill Nighy as a blocked, bankrupt novelist living in a crumbling "castle" in 30s England, trying to marry his two daughters off to the handsome young landlords so his family can keep their home. Scintillating dialogue, funny, and quite poignant. Also I totally fell in love with the main girl.

    About a Boy - don't shy away just cause it's Hugh Grant. It's sharply-written, has a lot of heart, and Grant himself thinks it's the best movie he's ever done.

    Me and You and Everyone We Know - performance artist Miranda July's uber-uber-quirky stab at a Wes Andersonish multicharacter hipster flick. Not entirely perfect - there were some scenes I wasn't sold on - but the central romance is superb and overall it's quite an enjoyable movie.

    Jacobkosh on
  • ProhassProhass Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I may be flayed alive for this, but Cold Mountain? The sex scene was brilliant.

    Prohass on
  • D.T.D.T. Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Sleepless in Seattle?

    When Harry Met Sally?

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  • FellhandFellhand Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Oh definitly When Harry Met Sally. It's on my shelf and I didn't even think about it. I am shamed.

    Fellhand on
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