Tuesday, April 20, 2010

What is it with men and The Godfather?

Today, I'm going to do something brave and daring. In continuing my list of 100 wonderful movies, I'm going to discuss a contemporary film. Yes, my friends, I like movies made post-1960's. In fact, I like many such films. I promise not to beleaguer this list with modern titles as I don't want to alienate classic film lovers - this is, after all, a classic film blog. However, I think that good movies continue to be made and I want to honor that by discussing them. And to make these posts more classic-film-lover-friendly, I'll do my best to explain why I like this movie. With titles like The Philadelphia Story and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, you guys are more inclined to forgive me for justifying my love for a movie by "I just love it. It's great." However, I feel that I'll need to earn you trust a bit more with titles that you might be less inclined to watch, so I'll try to give a good, sound argument as to why I like it. We'll see how this goes...

25. You've Got Mail (1998)

This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Every time I watch it, I smile, I laugh. I've already discussed this one at relatively great length in a post comparing it to its predecessor, The Shop Around the Corner. The reasons I love this movie are:
  • the dialogue. I think many classic film lovers would agree that one of their favorite things about classic movies is the witty dialogue, the clever banter, the funny one-liners. Well, this movie, has some of my favorite lines. For instance:
    Joe: Well, I put you out of business, so you're entitled to hate me.
    Kathleen: I don't hate you.
    Joe: But you'll never forgive me... just like Elizabeth.
    Kathleen: Who?
    Joe: Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. She was too proud!
    Kathleen: I thought you hated Pride and Prejudice.
    Joe: Or was she too prejudiced and Mr. Darcy was too proud? Well, I can't remember.
  • the charm. Kathleen Kelly is one of the most adorable characters ever, in my humble opinion. I love the way she stops and stares at butterflies and likes the smell of Scotch tape. And while Joe Fox does some truly frustrating things, he's also an incredibly charming man and suitor - he brings her daisies! (sigh)
  • the humor. Many contemporary comedies have rather questionable humor but this one, I think, keeps it pretty classy.
  • the romance. This is one of the more famous romantic comedies but even people who don't like romantic comedies, like this movie. The romance is real but not cloyingly sweet.

I wish I could link to some of my favorite scenes, but, alas, it cannot be. Instead, I shall link you to the trailer and hope that it will entice you to check this one out if you haven't already done so. It really is a delightful film. By the way, before you get concerned, the rest of my posts: the lists, the spotlight segments, the quotes, will all continue to focus on older movies. And do tell me what you think of this change!

Click on photos for source.

8 comments:

  1. You've Got Mail is one of my favorites, too. I can see why it would appeal to classic movie fans: not only is it a remake of an old movie, but it's smart and sweet like an old film. Love it!

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  2. I love You've Got Mail! I've been watching it for as long as I can remember - I didn't even know it was a remake until a few years ago. (For the record, I like You've Got Mail much better than The Shop Around the Corner.)

    I love that Kathleen wanted to send Joe a bouquet of No. 2 pencils!

    And whenever someone in my family is sick, it's inevitable that somebody says "temp-ra-ture" or "and my head feels fuzz-y."

    : )

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  3. "Maunday, Toosday, Thursday, Wednesday" every September at the start of each school year I think about this movie and the bouquet of No. 2 pencils line. I do love the smell of new school supplies!

    Amanda have you ever seen In the Good Old Summertime with Judy Garland and Van Johnson?

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  4. I LOVE this movie! Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan had the best chemistry. I like Sleepless in Seattle too, also for the witty banter!

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  5. SassyGinger, no, I haven't. I've wanted to for some time now, but I've been putting it off. I'm a little worried that it won't live up to my expectations. Do you like it?

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  6. Who *doesn't* love Meg Ryan?!

    I just wanted to pop over and thank you for entering the giveaway for my Karma Cards on the Much Love blog. We've got a few sets left if you're still keen (cough, shameless self-promotion, cough) ;D

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  7. Its okay...Judy and Van Johnson are good in it, Judy's got some great numbers. And watch for and adorable 2 year old Liza Minnelli at the end! Its a great rainy Sunday afternoon movie. Check it out if you can get your hands on a copy of it.

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