I'm not a fan of a lot of "rom coms" or romance movies, because there's a gigantic disconnect between the way relationships are, and the way Hollywood portrays them; it immediately takes me out of the film. Not saying every love story has to be absolutely 100% realistic in its depiction, but to be more about the idea of what a relationship should be, instead of depicting the relationship that [should] be blossoming onscreen (whether it be good or bad) is completely counterproductive; these days, romances onscreen oftentimes seem so formulaic.
But for every few bad movies, there have been some truly great films about relationships or love. Shakespeare In Love, last year's Blue Is the Warmest Color, Like Crazy, Love Actually, Sleepless in Seattle, the list goes on. I'm going to talk about 2 of my absolute favorites which I watch every year, that I think deserve even more praise than they got in their respective release years.
The picture alone gives it away, immediately, because it's such an iconic moment in film history; The Kat's Delicatessen scene in When Harry Met Sally is legendary, as is the film itself. Not only is it one of the most well acted, written, and directed films ever, but it set the standard for what a great romantic comedy is.
For those of you that haven't seen it, the film is about the title characters, Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan), and their chance encounters throughout New York City, beginning with their shared cross country drive from college to their lives as complicated adults; the plot spans about 12 years. As Harry and Sally continue to "run into each other", the film begins posing a question, asked by many throughout history: Can women and men just be friends without having to be more than that? The film also challenges preconceived notions of what a mate, or relationship should and shouldn't be like.
The late Nora Ephron's screenplay is a thing of brilliance, featuring some of the smartest, and funniest writing. Ephron put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the film, more than the typical screenwriter would. What she created was a twist on a familiar structure; the film follows the formula of many love stories, but Ephron's execution is of the story is coming from a completely new angle. Many of her inspirations for writing came from her own experiences, in addition to the experiences of director Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. She would interview people who worked for the production company when she felt she couldn't write. Some of the interviews (about the interviewees respective relationships/love lives) appear in the film as segways into the next chapter of the story, offering refreshing (oftentimes hilarious) anecdotes to keep things moving. The film ends with one of these interviews featuring none other than Harry and Sally.
But the film simply couldn't work without Billy Crystal or Meg Ryan (both snubbed for Academy Awards in Actor and Actress respectively). They create memorable and original characters from the screenplay up; I couldn't imagine anyone else playing these roles. From the very beginning when it's clear the two couldn't wish any harder to be stuck with just about anyone else, we can feel the chemistry between them. It is for that reason, that When Harry Met Sally is such a landmark film in the genre. So many romance movies are concerned with having the hottest actors and actresses on screen to fill seats in the theater, but neglects what actually makes the film work: a connection. Watching Ryan and Crystal's characters not only connect, but fall in love is one of the most refreshing and entertaining experiences; it feels real.
Where Harry Met Sally took the traditional formula, and simply approached it differently, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind takes that formula and throws it out the window. Following Joel (Jim Carrey) as he attempts to erase ex girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) from his memory, the film is completely unorthodox, twisting and turning to various points in the couple's relationship; it doesn't really follow a cohesive timeline.
The idea of trying to erase a previous love from one's mind doesn't sound very romantic at all, in fact, it sounds sort of depressing. That, however is part of the film's undeniable charm. Much of the film's plot takes place as inside Joel's mind as lies in a comatose state, while the people he's hired to erase Clementine from his mind work to do so. We follow Joel as he re-visits old memories associated with Clementine, some of them good and some not so good. Working backwards from their tumultuous breakup to their first meeting, we see how and why the two fell in love. What should've been a weird and bleak premise becomes one of the weirdest, zaniest love stories ever set to screen.
Jim Carrey doesn't get enough credit for being a brilliant dramatic actor. He's proven it time and time again, taking challenging dramatic roles to contrast with his signature comedic ones. But what he does in Eternal Sunshine is undoubtedly his greatest work yet, and one of the great leading male performances. Of course, it went ignored by the Academy (as often great performances do), but at least they recognized Winslet, who is no less brilliant. It was around this time that the whole "manic pixie girl" ideal was becoming problematic in the depiction of female leads in movies about relationships. These pixie girls were not real women, but instead the personification of what a man wanted them to be; completely different from your "typical" woman, but to only exist with the purpose of helping the male lead get what he is trying to attain throughout the plot; they have no real life or goals of their own. Winslet's depiction of Clementine single handedly killed the manic pixie girl, proving that a woman doesn't have to fit any sort of mold, but she can be her own person with her own thoughts and feelings.
Both When Harry Met Sally and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are revolutionary works of achievement for the romance genre. One is a comedy, the other more dramatic, but both enhance the genre by offering fresh and new takes at a very familiar concept. Both are unforgettable, and completely brilliant works of art; they elevate the genre and exist as simply two of the great films ever made. They capture the feelings and emotions that come with love, without forgoing any realism or actual emotion or feeling. It is for that reason, I have chosen them as my favorite romance films, and films you should definitely check out by now if you haven't.
Happy Valentine's Day :)
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