When
I was crafting my Top 10 Rom Com Cliches, I realized that many of my favorite
romantic cliches come not from rom coms, but from other films with romantic
subplots. I thought I'd branch out a bit and give you my Top 10
Favorite Romances NOT from Rom Coms. (For purposes of this list, I defined a
rom com as any movie in which romance is the central story line. Hence
something like Casablanca wasn't
eligible even though it's not normally considered a romantic comedy. I wanted
to avoid the romance genre altogether.)
10. WALL-E & EVE (WALL-E)
Leave it to Pixar to make me actually care about the very
human relationship between two robots.
9. Captain Steve Hiller & Jasmine, David &
Constance (Independence Day)
I'm not ashamed to admit that Independence Day is one of my all time favorite films. (Mainly because
of this speech.) Along with great explosions, a kickass president and an
excellent alien-villain, this movie also gives us Will Smith dating a stripper
(Vivica A. Fox) and Jeff Goldblum reuniting with his estranged wife (Margaret
Colin). What more could you ask for?
8. Jack Traven & Annie Porter (Speed)
Long before the horrible The Lake House, Keanu Reeve and Sandra Bullock made sparks fly on a
bus wired to explode if driven slower than 50 mph. It's a high-stakes,
high-speed romance with just a enough banter to keep things from becoming too
high-strung.
7. Rick O'Connell and Evy Carnahan (The Mummy)
Sure it's a terrible movie, and the pairing of Brendan
Fraser and Rachel Weisz shouldn't work- but somehow it does. Chalk this one up
to my love of history and archeology.
6. Buddy & Jovie (Elf)
Before she was the queen of quirkiness, Zooey Deschanel was
just Will Ferrell's blonde love interest. Their romance is as sweet and
innocent as this film, and their singing-in-the-shower rendition of Baby It's Cold Outside is one of my favorite
versions of that song.
5. Anita & Roger, Perdita & Pongo (101
Dalmatians- 1961)
My friends can tell you I've always idolized Anita and
Roger's barely-featured romance as a perfect movie pairing. They're funny,
sweet and willing to live on a budget to be together. Their canine counterparts
are equally loyal and both relationships work beautifully in this animated
classic. (A version I consider vastly superior to the 1996 live action
remake.)
4. William Thatcher & Lady Jocelyn (A
Knight's Tale)
Heath Ledger largely stayed away from romantic leading roles
after this 2001 vehicle, which is a shame because he exudes charm in this
underrated medieval romp. Shannyn Sossamon isn't quite as strong, but Heath
brings enough to the pairing that it doesn't really matter.
3. Robin Hood & Maid Marian (The Adventures of Robin Hood- 1938)
I've always been a sucker for Errol Flynn and as Robin Hood
he's at his Errol Flynn-iest best. Olivia Mary de Havilland has just the
right amount of sass to be his onscreen equal.
2. Elizabeth Swan & Will Turner (Pirates of the
Caribbean)
It wasn't until Orlando Bloom took off the elf ears and
ditched the blonde wig that I finally fell head over heels for him (to be fair, I was thirteen at the time). He and
Keira Knightley have a fantastic smoldering chemistry and add just the right
amount of heart to this swashbuckling adventure.
1. Princess Leia & Han Solo (Star Wars)
Two words pretty much sum up what makes this pairing so
great. Agree with me? I know.
Did I leave one of your favorite non-rom-com romances off the list? Let me know in the comments!
I love that you included Wall-E and Eve! Also, did I ever tell you about my idea to have a sequel for both Speed and Snakes on a Plane, called Snakes on a Bus that Can't Slow Down?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds incredible. It'll be bigger than The Avengers.
ReplyDelete