Beautifully Written Rom-Coms
Some of my favourite films because of its unidealized characters and evocative content.
1. 500 days of Summer (2009)
This film is a thorough masterpiece (imo), it portrays love with a realistic message. Not too cynical, and not too starry-eyed. It demonstrates that love does not always end well but that does not mean that life is a big fiasco, sometime our heartaches come from nothing less than ourselves. The story of a hopeless romantic guy, Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and a Manic-Pixie-Dream-Girl, Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel), illustrated not in chronological order, though in Tom's memories of Summer. The characters in this film is very controversial, all statements about them depend radically on the viewer's perception of love. Highly recommended since you might even experience a wholesome epiphany after watching.
Favourite quotes ->
"You know what sucks? Realizing that everything you believe in, is complete and utter bullshit."
"Look, I know you think she was the one, but I don't. Now, I think you're just remembering the good stuff."
"And I'm floating. And it's like this amazing amazing feeling. I'm free and I'm safe... But then I realize, I'm completely alone."
"There's no such thing as love. It's a fantasy."
"I just- I just woke up one day and I knew. What i was never sure of with you."
"I love us."
"I love The Smiths."
Oh, and to top off this flawless representation of love, the soundtrack is also truly- amazing.
2. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Throwback to this classic 1960s film that may be well-known for its poster of the iconic and glamorous, Audrey Hepburn. Despite the fact that this film is very recognizable through Audrey Hepburn's fashion, I find it very underrated as a few people actually manifested the whole film and realize how sentimental and meaningful it is. Holly Golightly is represented remarkably by Audrey Hepburn. The character of Holly can be considered as cheap and selfish, however, Audrey has made it apparent for all audiences to detect her heart of gold and naiveness. Not only can the audience empathize, the male lead Paul Varjak (George Peppard) can also see right through Holly's vulnerable self as he yearns to help her get through her distrustful of love. Paul Varjak finds Holly Golightly fascinating and pitiable at the same time. Holly is also described in the movie as a "true phony" which is an oxymoron. No matter how it sounds quite absurd, this characteristic does exists, it is for people who tries their best to act in a particular way because they desire to and at one point, it becomes so genuine in their minds.
This film is beautifully bewildering and can remain charming for centuries.
Favourite quotes ->
"Promise me one thing. Don't take me home until I'm drunk."
"Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of."
"I'd marry you for your money in a minute."
"It's a mistake you always made-- trying to love a wild thing."
"You call yourself a free spirit, a "wild thing", and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. Well baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself."
3. Before Sunrise (1995)
An eccentric but somewhat rational portrayal of a momentarily romance between two strangers. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is a typical American guy, who in my point of view, seems to be quite of a douche. He is lustful and we can see that he has his intentions with Celine (Julie Delpy), a spectacular French girl that he met in the train. However, he sometimes say all the right words that fascinates and impresses a vehement but credulous girl like Celine. Celine is a character who can be very insightful and candor, with intense feelings to express, though from her reactions to Jesse and her story of her ex-boyfriend, it demonstrates that she can be very insecure. Both of them is optimistic and pessimistic in different areas of life, their conversations are filled with bittersweet ideas of the world. Regardless of their personalities, Jesse and Celine shared a rapturous little time together.
Favourite quotes:
"I always saw the world as this place where I really wasn't meant to be. Well I mean, I eventually took pride in it. You know, like my life was my own doing or something."
"If there's any kind of magic in this world... It must be the attempt of understanding someone, sharing something."
"People put romantic projections on everything."
"The only person I could really hurt is myself."
Ps. There's two more sequels many years later of the same actors called "Before Sunset" and "Before Midnight". How hipster is that?
4. Beginners (2010)
A very underrated movie about two numb people with an unhealthy childhood, falling in love in a peculiar method. Oliver (Ewan Mcgregor) is an unfeigned man who has trouble with accepting people's endearment and being open to the crowd. This is mostly because he never felt the love between his secretly gay father and his half Jewish mother. His father reveals to him some years after his mother's death that he was homosexual, Oliver was not mad nor sad, it actually makes a lot of incomprehensible things in his life makes sense, he finally understood why his parents never had that chemistry. Unfortunately, just when he starts to communicate more with his father profoundly, his father died with cancer. Oliver becomes aloof and detached by everything. Anna (Mélanie Laurent) is an indecipherable French woman, very enthralling and uncanny, quite like Oliver's mother. Anna also does not have great memories about her family. When these two met, they are captivated by each other and found so many similarities. However, in their course of relationship, Anna becomes more distant and Oliver feels that he is not actually in-love. Their relationship continues as Oliver gradually recovers himself. This film is philosophical and touching at the same time, every little details build up excruciatingly and beautifully.
Favourite quotes;
"Our good fortune allowed us to feel a sadness that our parents didn't have time for, and a happiness I never saw with them."
"People in the building like us, half of them think it's never going to work out, the other half believe in magic."
"Why did you leave everyone? Why did you let me go?" "Maybe because I don't really believe that it's going to work and then I make sure that it doesn't work."
"You can stay in the same place and still find ways to leave people."
"You make me laugh but it's not funny."
5. Blue Valentine (2010)
A painful romantic movie where your heart sinks every time you watch. It breaks even harder when you see little ecstatic moments between young Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling). It’s the fact that love and passion can just disappears, leaving nothing but a forceful and bitter relationship, that is what’s appalling but gruesomely realistic. In this movie we get to comprehend the difference between teenage and middle-aged couples. Of course, not all couples turn into a faulty equation after marriage, some stays wholesome and sincere.
Although, many, especially couples like Dean and Cindy will struggle and lose the connection they once had. Dean is a burden for Cindy, despite how he is empathetic, heartfelt and just obliviously in-love with her, he is kind of messed-up and lacks the determination to become successful. Cindy, on the other hand, becomes apathetic and overcome by regrets, she feels indignation as she has to be the only responsible one and carries so many problems with very small concerns from Dean. While Dean still loves Cindy with all his heart, Cindy barely has anything left for him. This film is more so like an ongoing tragedy of unhappiness and unrequited love. You can’t really determine who is to blame for the misery. Most audience would blame Cindy, though Dean’s impotency can also be a nuisance and can make him appear unworthy-- while Cindy can be more open-minded, less selfish and more honest and candor. Nevertheless, this movie contains an abundance of emotions that you should really watch and endure.
Favourite quotes;
"This is my worst, but I'm gonna get better. You just got to give me a chance to get better."
"In my experience, the prettier the girl is, the more nuts she is. Which makes you insane."
"How do you trust your feelings when they can just disappear like that?"
"You said for better or worse. You said that. It was a promise. Now this is my worst."
"I don't know, I just got a feeling about her. You know when a song comes on and you just got to dance?"
This is the first five, I might continue later in the next post :)
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