Romantic Comedies we like - Page 3

snorkie · July 9th, 2009, 03:51 AM

If you don't mind looking back to the dark ages, three screwball comedies:
"It Happened One Night," "The Lady Eve," and "Bringing Up Baby."

I have a soft spot for Cary Grant's final film "Father Goose." There is something about Leslie Caron in this film that I find absolutely intoxicating.

More recently, two with Jack Nicholson: "As Good As it Gets" and "Somethings Gotta Give." Steve Martin's "LA Story." And just to prove that I don't always look backwards, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

**imtrying** · July 9th, 2009, 03:56 AM

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was hilarious! So are "40 Year-Old Virgin", "Knocked Up" and "I Love You, Man". And, if I may go vintage for a moment, I love the original version of "Father of the Bride" with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor. The sequel, "Father's Little Dividend" is pretty good, too.

nyykrmv · July 9th, 2009, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snorkie

If you don't mind looking back to the dark ages, three screwball comedies:
"It Happened One Night," "The Lady Eve," and "Bringing Up Baby."

I have a soft spot for Carey Grant's final film "Father Goose." There is something about Leslie Caron in this film that I find absolutely intoxicating.

More recently, two with Jack Nicholson: "As Good As it Gets" and "Somethings Gotta Give." Steve Martin's "LA Story." And just to prove that I don't always look backwards, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

Well if you're going "back to the dark ages," then I'm going with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in "His Girl Friday." Same director as "Bringing Up Baby," by the way.

snorkie · July 9th, 2009, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyykrmv

Well if you're going "back to the dark ages," then I'm going with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in "His Girl Friday." Same director as "Bringing Up Baby," by the way.

How versatile Howard Hawks was! IMO, "His Girl Friday" was very best of the three versions (four if you count the dreadful "Switching Channels"). When it comes to fast, snappy dialog in a film, "His Girl Friday" did it best!

**scoundrel** · July 9th, 2009, 01:41 PM

I like this one. Bill Murray is an actor who usually makes me laugh: he is not conventionally handsome but it isn't impossible to see how women might like him. Andie MacDowell IMO is a terrible actress usually but, fair play to her, in this one she does rather well. She is really a model rather than an actress and yep, she's looking good...

Just in case there's someone in the world who hasn't heard of Groundhog Day, the premise is that Phil Connors [Murray] is forced to live February 2nd over and over again. He has free will, but everyone else follows exactly the same path unless they interact with Murray. The film milks the comedy possibilities very well: I particularly relished the moment when Phil Connors short circuits his daily infuriating encounter with old school colleague and pushy insurance salesman Ned Ryerson (Steven Tobolowsky is delightfully annoying in this character) by simply knocking him flat with a single punch: in a world perpetually repeating itself, he need not fear the consequences.

The point of the film is that Phil Connors is shallow, vain, self-absorbed and not very likeable at all. He likes Rita, his outside broadcast producer (MacDowell) but she sees through him like a pane of glass. At first, Phil makes shallow, vain and selfish uses of his strange power/affliction to know exactly what will happen everywhere in Punxsutawney PA all day: of course he seduces women, but somehow can't make any progress with Rita; he joyrides cars down the railroad; he steals money; he generally acts like a pratt. Then he starts to feel trapped and to rebel, abducting the groundhog and committing various bizarre acts of suicide.

Finally he confides in Rita, who doesn't believe him (strangely) but does offer, theoretically, some sound advice: use the time to improve yourself. Its only Hell if Phil Connors makes it so. Phil starts to discover the real life of Punxsutawney and to intervene in good ways to save lives and stop bad things happening, and in a real breakthrough, starts to care about the other people he originally dismissed as ''hicks''. He also develops new skills and interests, particularly Jazz piano and ice sculpting. It is as though Groundhog Day is a second adolesence and university rolled into one and Phil Connors is starting to grow up at long long last.

In the end, by a process of growth, Phil arrives at the moment when he creates his own perfect Groundhog Day: a moving and thoughtful report on the Groundhog ceremony which once seemed demeaning to his status as a weatherman and reporter; various lives saved and people helped; an evening of Rita's company in which she sees the man he has now become and is swept off her feet.

This is a charming and clever film and even Andie MacDowell doesn't disappoint (for once).

**sydney1** · July 9th, 2009, 06:37 PM

Is Gross Point Blanke a comedy? Well if you lot say so, it gets my vote. Witty, snappy and doesn't take itself too seriously with a fandabydozy soundtrack.

**scoundrel** · July 9th, 2009, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sydney1

Is Gross Point Blanke a comedy? Well if you lot say so, it gets my vote. Witty, snappy and doesn't take itself too seriously with a fandabydozy soundtrack.

Hmm: Grosse Point Blank as a romantic comedy? Intriguing idea: its funny at times and yes its (sort of) romantic. There's even a redemption theme of sorts and also there's often a lot of humour in a situation where bad guys start to turn good. I remember a film where the Devil sends the ''hero'' back to earth to do more harm. He falls in love with the girl whose life he's meant to be ruining, sees to it that she lives happily ever after in direct disobedience of the Devil's orders, and just when the Devil is explaining how terrible the punishment is going to be, an Angel comes to claim him because he changed while back on Earth.

In the last scene , the hero isn't as grateful as he ought to be: as he is ascending with the Angel, he is protesting: ''...but I won't know anybody!''

I wish I could remember the name of that film.

I'll concede Grosse Point Blanke.

snorkie · July 9th, 2009, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoundrel

just when the Devil is explaining how terrible the punishment is going to be, an Angel comes to claim him because he changed while back on Earth.

Sounds like "Angel On My Shoulder" starring Paul Muni and Claude Rains as the devil, but that ends with Muni telling Rains that he's intends to run things in the lower regions. There is a later version starring Peter Strauss, which I haven't seen.

A similar movie is "Heaven Can Wait," starring Don Ameche which is different from the Warren Beatty film. Beatty's movie was a re-make of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" starring Robert Montgomery and was later re-made as "Down to Earth," with Chris Rock. Confused yet? Well, there was an earlier film called "Down to Earth" which apparently was a sequel of sorts to "Here Comes Mr. Jordan."

IMO, the Paul Muni film is good. The Don Ameche movie is dull. The Warren Beatty film is very good, as is the Robert Montgomery. The Chris Rock is funny in spots, but doesn't reach any high marks. And, the other film? I haven't seen it.

rad2927 · July 10th, 2009, 10:38 PM

Roxanne and Continental Divide with John Belushi and Blair Brown. She was hot and he was really underated as an actor.

snorkie · August 8th, 2009, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoundrel

A good choice Kiwi. I particularly enjoyed the bit where Billy Crystal's male friends send up the girls and their love for weepy romantic films by crying over the various deaths of the protagonists in The Dirty Dozen.

I dare not think what they would have posted on this thread...

I think that was "Sleepless in Seattle" another fine rom-com, by-the-way.

July 9th, 2009, 03:51 AM	#21
snorkie Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Gizmonics Institute Posts: 521 Thanks: 2,711 Thanked 4,566 Times in 510 Posts	I Adore Romantic Comedies If you don't mind looking back to the dark ages, three screwball comedies: "It Happened One Night," "The Lady Eve," and "Bringing Up Baby." I have a soft spot for Cary Grant's final film "Father Goose." There is something about Leslie Caron in this film that I find absolutely intoxicating. More recently, two with Jack Nicholson: "As Good As it Gets" and "Somethings Gotta Give." Steve Martin's "LA Story." And just to prove that I don't always look backwards, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." Last edited by snorkie; August 9th, 2009 at 01:43 PM..

July 9th, 2009, 03:56 AM	#22
imtrying Vintage Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,068 Thanks: 14,832 Thanked 17,240 Times in 1,043 Posts	Right with you snorkie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was hilarious! So are "40 Year-Old Virgin", "Knocked Up" and "I Love You, Man". And, if I may go vintage for a moment, I love the original version of "Father of the Bride" with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor. The sequel, "Father's Little Dividend" is pretty good, too. Last edited by imtrying; July 9th, 2009 at 04:01 AM.. Reason: addition

July 9th, 2009, 01:41 PM	#25
scoundrel Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: England Posts: 26,237 Thanks: 162,389 Thanked 278,451 Times in 26,182 Posts	Groundhog Day (1993) I like this one. Bill Murray is an actor who usually makes me laugh: he is not conventionally handsome but it isn't impossible to see how women might like him. Andie MacDowell IMO is a terrible actress usually but, fair play to her, in this one she does rather well. She is really a model rather than an actress and yep, she's looking good... Just in case there's someone in the world who hasn't heard of Groundhog Day, the premise is that Phil Connors [Murray] is forced to live February 2nd over and over again. He has free will, but everyone else follows exactly the same path unless they interact with Murray. The film milks the comedy possibilities very well: I particularly relished the moment when Phil Connors short circuits his daily infuriating encounter with old school colleague and pushy insurance salesman Ned Ryerson (Steven Tobolowsky is delightfully annoying in this character) by simply knocking him flat with a single punch: in a world perpetually repeating itself, he need not fear the consequences. The point of the film is that Phil Connors is shallow, vain, self-absorbed and not very likeable at all. He likes Rita, his outside broadcast producer (MacDowell) but she sees through him like a pane of glass. At first, Phil makes shallow, vain and selfish uses of his strange power/affliction to know exactly what will happen everywhere in Punxsutawney PA all day: of course he seduces women, but somehow can't make any progress with Rita; he joyrides cars down the railroad; he steals money; he generally acts like a pratt. Then he starts to feel trapped and to rebel, abducting the groundhog and committing various bizarre acts of suicide. Finally he confides in Rita, who doesn't believe him (strangely) but does offer, theoretically, some sound advice: use the time to improve yourself. Its only Hell if Phil Connors makes it so. Phil starts to discover the real life of Punxsutawney and to intervene in good ways to save lives and stop bad things happening, and in a real breakthrough, starts to care about the other people he originally dismissed as ''hicks''. He also develops new skills and interests, particularly Jazz piano and ice sculpting. It is as though Groundhog Day is a second adolesence and university rolled into one and Phil Connors is starting to grow up at long long last. In the end, by a process of growth, Phil arrives at the moment when he creates his own perfect Groundhog Day: a moving and thoughtful report on the Groundhog ceremony which once seemed demeaning to his status as a weatherman and reporter; various lives saved and people helped; an evening of Rita's company in which she sees the man he has now become and is swept off her feet. This is a charming and clever film and even Andie MacDowell doesn't disappoint (for once). __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Last edited by scoundrel; July 9th, 2009 at 02:04 PM.. Reason: Still haven't learned to spell

July 9th, 2009, 06:37 PM	#26
sydney1 Vintage Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1,378 Thanks: 10,562 Thanked 27,960 Times in 1,357 Posts	Possible comedy. Is Gross Point Blanke a comedy? Well if you lot say so, it gets my vote. Witty, snappy and doesn't take itself too seriously with a fandabydozy soundtrack.

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July 10th, 2009, 10:38 PM	#29
rad2927 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 55 Thanks: 5,460 Thanked 296 Times in 52 Posts	Roxanne and Continental Divide with John Belushi and Blair Brown. She was hot and he was really underated as an actor.