What is the point in watching a romance movie? - Page 2

Ben Kenobi · March 16, 2003, 21:04

[message to the mods - we need a "pig" emoticon]

Agathon,

Use the

smilie.

Just as effective.

Sikander · March 16, 2003, 21:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
My name is Rufus, and I like romantic movies.

"Hi Rufus"

Crap romances are crap, but then crap anything is crap. A good romantic movie, however, can make you feel vicariously the excitment of love, which is pretty great; they also tend to be better-plotted and have better dialogue and that most films made for guys. I do, curiously, tend to prefer movies in which the romance doesn't quite work out (Casablanca, Now Voyager, Annie Hall, Manhattan, New York New York) but that's just my all-embracing cynicism at work. I also don't think very many good ones get made these days, at least in English; Muriel's Wedding and Four Weddings and a Funeral are the last two I remember really liking.

And just for the record, this isn't about being whipped

. My wife, for her part, loves Die Hard-style action films.

Hey Rufus, how about a double date? You and I can swap partners at the multiplex and swap back after the film!

There are some good romance type films, but you are correct that they are few in number. As they rely on dialogue largely, someone who is into good dialogue is likelier to enjoy one of these sorts of film over an action cartoon. Of course the fact that they are aimed largely at women can be debilitating.

Zkribbler · March 16, 2003, 21:14

Quote:

Originally posted by Uncle Sparky
What Felch X said.

Same reason I went to see The Hours and the Ya Ya Sisterhood.

You're confusing "chick flicks" with romance movies.

Some of my favorite movies are romance movies:

Bringing Up Baby.
I Was a Male War Bride.
American President.
One Fine Day.
French Kiss.

Interestingly enough, of the ones I listed, the only one that has anything resembling a cliched romantic-triangle of which john complains is French Kiss, and even in that one, the rival isn't seen until the lasat half or third of the movie.

A good romance movie is a character play. Each of the two main characters is missing a necessary character trait, but during the course of the moving, the other one gets that person to change.

Love, ain't it grand??

BTW: Another triangle movie where the main character doesn't get the girl: Charles Laughton's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Sikander · March 16, 2003, 21:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Zkribbler

You're confusing "chick flicks" with romance movies.

Some of my favorite movies are romance movies:

Bringing Up Baby.
I Was a Male War Bride.
American President.
One Fine Day.
French Kiss.

French Kiss and Bringing Up Baby are both excellent!

Willem · March 16, 2003, 21:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Trajanus
that's lame, women should **** you because they want to, it's silly to manipulate them with romance movies, you sex obsessed perverts!!!

Yeah right, as if women don't manipulate men by dressing like a tart and flashing their cleavage at us. Or some other aspect of their anatomy!

monkspider · March 17, 2003, 00:01

Romantic films aren't so bad, i rather enjoy them actually. I would take the average romance film over the average action flick any day.

Urban Ranger · March 17, 2003, 00:03

Kung Fu movies are way better than so called "action flicks," just simply because the actions are better.

monkspider · March 17, 2003, 00:06

True, speaking nothing of kung fu flicks of course. I love em. I am just referring to the archetypal Swarzenegger/Vin Diesel type flick.

Urban Ranger · March 17, 2003, 01:03

Yeah, most of them are quite lame.

vovan · March 17, 2003, 01:05

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Kung Fu movies are way better than so called "action flicks," just simply because the actions are better.

Jackie Chan is the man. Hehe.

Urban Ranger · March 17, 2003, 01:39

Yes, Jackie Chan is good, he is successful in mixing comical elements with actions. Though maybe there has been too much comical elements lately.

tinyp3nis · March 17, 2003, 01:55

Quote:

Originally posted by Dissident
Romance movies that are chick flicks are bad.

but if they are a fairly mainstream movie I might like it. I did like Titanic btw

. Yes I hate to admit to that, but I did like Titanic. It was a decent flick.

not I'm going to hang my head in shame.

Me too. I don't think it was decent, more like great even. It's "only" 7 on imdb thought.
If you want to be very cool and have a lot of manly respect, tell on the internet how you and your friends laughed when Dicaprio drowned.

Dis · March 17, 2003, 14:22

well I didn't laugh. But I was glad he drowned.

It would have been really cheesy if he survived somehow.

I like endings when the male lead dies

Japher · March 17, 2003, 14:29

I got my wife to see Matrix by telling her it was a romance. When it first came out we didn't see much hype about it, but she caught on when we go to see it and it is filled with a bunch of geeky guys.

I took my mom to see Scent of a Woman, and she thought it was going to be a porn.

Funny what you can do when someone doesn't know what the movie is about.

People watch chick flicks, romance movies... whatever you want to call them because they make you realize how much better action movies are, and you learn to symphazie with Rocky Balboa when Adrian dies. So disheartening... I guess

Stuie · March 17, 2003, 14:44

Quote:

Originally posted by johncmcleod
The only relationship that has a happy ending in real life is the person you're with when you die.

But a lot of these movies end at the beginning of the relationship - who knows what happens later. I dated a girl and got to a very happy place in a relationship with her, and had the movie ended there it would have been all sunshine and roses. But a couple years later it was over.

Quote:

Also, the good guy is always the one who gets the girl. They never make a movie on the other guy in the love triangle, who has to watch the one he desires with someone else

Casablanca.

Romance movies just aren't the same anymore. Give me a Bogart movie any day: the aforementioned Casablanca, Sabrina, Key Largo.... Excellent stuff. It helped that the leading ladies in all three had a more timeless beauty than the Meg Ryans of today.

Flubber · March 17, 2003, 15:14

I watch most romantic films because its my wife's turn to choose what we see. But some aren't bad... I liked the American President and Four Weddings and a Funeral as examples.

As for being formulaic, I think that most themes have been done so many times that it is very difficult to be original. Personally I try to stop thinking too hard and just lose myself in the movie if I can

MattyBoy · March 17, 2003, 19:22

Quote:

I got my wife to see Matrix by telling her it was a romance. When it first came out we didn't see much hype about it, but she caught on when we go to see it and it is filled with a bunch of geeky guys.

I took my mom to see Scent of a Woman, and she thought it was going to be a porn.

Nice work with The Matrix - I guess that their portrayal of computer programmers was quite romantic.

...as for mum taking you to see porn, I'm lost for words.

Japher · March 17, 2003, 19:24

Naw, she liked it, but was sceptical to see it... She thought it was going to be porn.

That's what I meant to say

The Andy-Man · March 17, 2003, 19:27

I have a feeling some guys here havn't actually seen a good romance movie, just that 80's crap.

Gone with the Wind is great, Dr Zhivago and many more.

Romantic Comedy is no standard to judge romance movies.

vovan · March 17, 2003, 19:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Japher
I took my mom to see Scent of a Woman, and she thought it was going to be a porn.

Buy her a Wet Hot American Summer DVD. She will be sure it's porn this time around. (It's not though, surprising as it may be.)