Tag: Romantic comedy (Page 1 of 2)

Staff Pick: “Crossing Delancey” (1988)

May 6, 2023 /

Screenshot Crossing Delancey Amy Irving

“Crossing Delancey” is one of my favorite romantic comedies. Released in 1988, the film stars Amy Irving as Isabelle “Izzy” Grossman, a single Jewish woman living in New York City, and Peter Riegert as Sam Posner, a Lower East Side pickle salesman.

Izzy works at an old bookstore and loves rubbing elbows with New York’s intellectual elite. She’s also infatuated with Anton Maes (Jeroen Krabbé), a sophisticated but self-absorbed European author.

Meanwhile, her traditional Jewish grandmother, Bubbie (Reizl Bozyk), isn’t happy about her granddaughter’s single status and believes that Izzy should settle down with a nice Jewish man. Bubbie engages the services of a hilarious matchmaker (Sylvia Miles), who then sets up a meeting with Sam. Naturally, Izzy isn’t thrilled with the idea of a pickle vendor from the Lower East Side.

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Actors, Actresses, Directors, Movies

Staff Pick: “Along Came Polly” (2004)

April 23, 2023 /

Screenshot Along Came Polly

“Along Came Polly” isn’t a great film. It’s a pretty conventional and predictable romantic comedy released in 2004, directed by John Hamburg and starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston. Yet the film has many of the ingredients that make it succeed in the romantic comedy genre, including chemistry between the co-stars and some hilarious scenes that make you laugh out loud.

The story follows Reuben Feffer (Stiller), a somewhat reserved and neurotic risk analyst who marries lovely Lisa (Debra Messing), the woman of his dreams, as the film opens. But on their honeymoon in St. Barts, their marriage falls apart when Reuben catches Lisa cheating on him with her athletic and well-endowed scuba diving instructor. Devastated and heartbroken, Reuben returns to New York City and tries to get his life back on track.

That’s when he meets an old acquaintance, Polly Prince (Aniston), a free-spirited and impulsive woman who shakes up Reuben’s world. Despite their different personalities, they start dating, and Reuben discovers new passions and experiences he had never imagined before. You can pretty much guess the rest of the movie from here.

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Actors, Actresses, Movie Comedies, Movies

Movie Flashback: Does “Annie Hall” (1977) Hold Up Over 45 Years Later?

February 26, 2023 /

640 Screenshot Diane Keaton in Annie Hall

It’s always interesting to rewatch an old film and get a sense of how it holds up. Can you enjoy it as much after all these years? Many classics hold up remarkably well, but that’s not always the case.

“Annie Hall,” directed by Woody Allen and released in 1977, is widely regarded as one of the most influential and important films of the 20th century. The film stars Woody Allen and Diane Keaton along with an excellent supporting cast. The film follows the story of Alvy Singer (Allen), a neurotic New York comedian, and his relationship with Annie Hall (Keaton), an aspiring singer. Many have claimed that the story is semi-autobiographical, though Allen has denied this while Keaton has acknowledged that some of the interactions between Alvy and Annie are similar to her brief, off-screen relationship with Allen.

Diane Keaton as Annie Hall

The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress for Diane Keaton’s portrayal of Annie Hall. Keaton’s Annie Hall is quirky, endearing, and struggling to find her place in the world. She delivers a brilliant performance worthy of her Oscar, and creates one of those iconic characters frozen it time that we can all fall for again and again. Her performance alone makes it easy to recommend this film to anyone who loves movies.

Classic Romantic Comedy

Some consider “Annie Hall” to be a defining film of the romantic comedy genre, even if the story doesn’t get wrapped in a nice, romantic bow at the end of the film. The story highlights the ups and downs of the relationship between Alvy and Annie. As the film progresses, the relationship between Alvy and Annie begins to deteriorate, with Alvy becoming increasingly neurotic and insecure, and Annie seeking personal fulfillment outside of the relationship. The film ends with Alvy reflecting on the lessons he has learned from his relationship with Annie, though viewers can question whether he learned anything at all.

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Actors, Actresses, Movie Comedies, Movies

How Rob Reiner changed the ending of “When Harry Met Sally”

December 19, 2020 /

Here’s a cool clip of Rob Reiner discussing “When Harry Met Sally” on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Rob discusses how he and Nora Ephron changed the ending to the film . . . which ended up being a great decision.

And of course we can’t do a post about this film without the iconic Meg Ryan scene as she fakes an orgasm for Bill Crystal . . .

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Movies

10 Reasons to See ‘Warm Bodies’

February 9, 2013 /

Just yesterday, I had the pleasure of being dragged to a showing of the relatively new theatrical release, “Warm Bodies.”

And by dragged, I mean not dragged at all, entirely willing, and despondently hopeful.

However, it was totally worth it. The movie, although seemingly bizarre and easily misjudged as campy and corny, is actually quite clever and original. Except if you’ve ever seen the lost 80s movie, “My Boyfriend’s Back,” in which case Warm Bodies just seems like a victorious copy-cat of a lackluster romantic comedy about a corpse.  A romantic zomedy, if you will.

Because I don’t like writing reviews, I have compiled a list of 10 reasons to go see this movie right now. However, if you live in the New England area you should probably wait till Sunday, as there is snow and stuff.

1)   John Malkovich is in it

2)   Every joke that you want them to make, but you are afraid they won’t because then they’d be poking fun at themselves, they do.

3)   My friend *Debby is convinced there will be a zombie apocalypse. If such is the case, this movie will help us prepare, as well as advise us on its defeat.

4)   Analiegh Tipton is both adorable and hilarious.

5)   You know you’ve always wanted to see a pretty girl and a zombie make out.

6)   What do zombies think about? We no longer have to wonder.

7)   Here we learn what happens when zombies progress from plain zombie, to MEGA ZOMBIE.

8)   John Malkovich is in it.

9)   How many zombies does it take to screw in a light bulb? No just kidding. That’s not a thing. However, you do find out why zombies eat people and what their favorite part of eating the brain is. Useful information.

10)   It is not “Twilight” and Kristen Stewart is not in it.

Movie Comedies, Movies

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