"Love, the poet said, is woman’s whole existence." ~ MY FAVOURITE ROMCOMS

Happy Suck-Face Day people!

          Isn't that funny? And I get it now as I have see Star Wars.  Anyways, I had made this list last year but blogger decided to delete most of it and I could not be bothered to redo it until now. Romcoms or romantic comedies are my favourite genre of films after dramedies, and certainly the one I know most about because growing up in the 90s with 90s Bollywood movies, everything was a romcom even if the film was technically from another genre.
           I have decided to put 14 films in my list because of the date obviously (whatever will I think of next?!). Except the first one, everything else is in random order.

Pretty Woman (Dir: Garry Marshall)

It's my ultimate favourite Hollywood romcom: a modern fairytale. True that the female character was a hooker and many of us aren't, but the magic of the film lies in how a poor girl finally finds her prince charming, in the city of angels. But of course more than anything, what makes this film really enchanting is its leading pair. I don't think any other couple in my list look as good as Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in this film. Roberts's contagious radiance and Gere's dapperness, and the way their characters just go so perfectly with each other. *Swoon*

When Harry Met Sally (Dir: Rob Reiner)

"You realize of course that we could never be friends, " and thus one of the greatest romcoms sets in motion. The Billy Crystal and my personal romcom queen Meg Ryan starrer explores the age-old question that can a man and a woman be friends without, you know...it getting weird? It's funny and sweet and the leads are awesome and it has that fake orgasm scene which has to be one of my favourite scenes ever.

Annie Hall (Dir: Woody Allen)

Annie Hall is one of the greatest films ever, with one of the most memorable and beautiful characters ever- Annie Hall played by the divine Diane Keaton. Even Alvy Singer, Woody Allen's character which is almost always the same, has a different adorableness to him. A nervous romance, as its tagline reads, brings to life the quintessential Allen-esque characters- the slightly unsure Annie and the always cynically-upright Alvy and their doomed love story, or maybe a successful modern one, that will entertain us forever.

Bridget Jones's Diary (Dir: Sharon Maguire)

Bridget Jones is somewhat of a role model for me. She shows me that despite being fat and old, someday two British heartthrobs will fall for me and fight over me *sigh*. The book is epic and so is the film. Reneé Zellweger as the clumsy thirty-something Brit whose lovelife is like a modern Pride and Prejudice. Her Mr. Wickham is her flirtatious and unfaithful boss Daniel Cleaver, played by the gorgeous Hugh Grant and her Mr. Darcy is Mark Darcy played by super-suave Colin Firth, whose portrayal of the latter Darcy in the BBC production of P & P led the author Helen Fielding write the book in the first place. Good times.

The Apartment (Dir: Billy Wilder)

It just pains me to think that once upon a time romcoms won Best Picture Oscars. But this really is the best of the best. Only Billy Wilder can make such an endearing and smart romcom so successfully. And the leads- the brilliant Jack Lemmom and the adorable Shirley MacLaine are absolutely perfect and they have an amazing chemistry together that really fuels the film and makes it so great.

Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (Dir: Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

Yes this film is a great many things, but it is a romcom too. And a bloody adorable one at that. Amelie and Nino are made for each other, and the way our heroine woos him is just genius. This is THE love story for quirky people, those who take pictures of clouds or record different kinds of laughs and so on.

(500) Days of Summer (Dir: Marc Webb)

Many call this a modern-day version of Annie Hall. Isn't that compliment enough? Though there are quite a bit of similarities- the self-doubting guy, the girl on whom the film is named, and ofcourse relationship problems, 500 Days is so very different. It's structurally different with the non-linear storyline. It's more pessimistic from the get-go. Summer is not really a person but more of an idea of a person. But all in all, it is a lovely film which avoided them evil clichés and gave a breath of freshness to this somewhat dying genre.

Harold and Maude (Dir: Hal Ashby)

If you haven't seen this film and just look at a synopsis somewhere, they'll talk about how it is a love story between a young man and an old woman. That may look peculiar, but once you do see it, it all makes sense. This excellent dark comedy is a love story first, with the morbid Harold and the lively Maude obviously falling in love because how can they not? They are like death and life and they belong together. Such a beautiful film, and damn funny too.

It Happened One Night (Dir: Frank Capra)

This was the first film to win the Big 5 at the Oscars and remains one of the only 3 to have done so. The other two deal with lunatics, and this one is a romcom. What does that say people? I found it interesting that I liked it so much because I have seen the Bollywood remake of this so many times and I quite like it, and I have a habit of usually liking the original or the remake or none. And I really really liked this! It had to do with the leads and the script and the story of course. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert are such a delightful pair and all the Oscars were very well deserved.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (Dir: Peter Sollett)

Come on, you knew this was bound to be there. I keep professing my love for this film and the concept and the leads and the soundtrack and everything. It is a film that I can watch again and again, on an infinite playlist as it were, and never get bored because this is an absolutely darling film.

Sabrina (Dir: Billy Wilder)

I saw this last week and I love it so much. This is another film whose Bollywood remake I had seen but did not like. But I always had a feeling that I would love it. I think it balances the funny parts with the romantic parts exceptionally well. Audrey Hepburn is a dream here. I mean she always is, but something about Sabrina and her innocence and ability to love completely is so captivating.

High Fidelity (Dir: Stephen Frears)

I had to decide between this and another Nick Hornby adaptation, About A Boy, but this one is more romcom-y. It is said to be the romantic comedy for men, and I guess that makes sense. It is funny and sad and cute and John Cusack is at the top of his game in this. The music helps, and so does the supporting cast. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Sleepless in Seattle (Dir: Nora Ephron)

I for one am not a fan of An Affair to Remember. I hated that and its Bollywood remake. Sleepless in Seattle is infinitely better than the film it glorifies. It takes the whole idea of "strangers meeting and falling in love" to another level. Meg Ryan makes her second appearance with this, and her co-star Tom Hanks is equally charming. It's terribly clichéd and I would never do this, but if I had to go meet someone on the top of the Empire State Building, it will be because of this film and not the other.

Something's Gotta Give (Dir: Nancy Meyers)

Aren't old people falling in love just so freaking cute?! Of course if I look half as good as Diane Keaton when I am her age in this, I will be a happy old bunny. Also if I can bag an old fox like Jack Nicholson, won't that be something? They both played lovers in Reds, but as an aging single playwright and a Lothario with a taste for younger women, their relationship in this is far more fun and fascinating.

There you have it. Hope you enjoyed it. Now I will go eat ice cream and watch Casablanca. Yes, do put two and two together.

"You are literally like my musical soulmate."

        I have a list of films that I, without fail, watch once a month since the first time I saw them. These are Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, The Boat that Rocked and The Social Network. And well a Tarantino film, but they are on like a revolving basis. Apart from TSN and the QT flick, the others are not exactly great works of art. But they make me happy, and I think films that one rewatches a lot should do exactly that.

         Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist follows the adventures of one Nick and one Norah when they go to NYC one night to see the secret show of their favourite band Where's Fluffy. Nick has been heartbroken over his ex Tris for a month now, and his band The Jerk Offs/ Shit Sandwich/ Fistful of Assholes/ undecided, consisting of Dev and Thom, who are both redonkulously gay, want him to move on. His salvation comes in the form of Norah, a smart-mouthed girl whose dad is a big music producer, and who goes to the same school as Tris and is best friends with the very attractive, but generally very wasted Caroline. When Nick's band is performing at a club, Tris comes to show off her new conquest to the depressed Nick, while also taunting Norah about her messed-up lovelife. So Norah, who had previously noticed the cute Nick, goes up to him and asks him to be her boyfriend for five minutes to ward off the evil little Tris, and kisses him. Thus begins their infinite playlist, and night. Nick's friends see that there is an obvious attraction between him and Norah, and decide to take the drunken mess, aka Caroline off their hands while they go find Fluffy, and perhaps true love. Amidst all this a lot of things happen- Nick gets over Tris, Nick's Yugo is used as a bedroom by Seth Meyers (!!) and some equally drunk woman, Caroline gets lost and finds Jesus, Norah comes to terms with her relationship between her and her somewhat boyfriend Tal, and they do find Fluffy.

       That was a gist of what the film is about. I have seen it so many times, that writing out its plot is oddly impossible. The story is based on the novel by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. I've read the book, and I was suprised to find that there are quite a lot of differences between it and the film. For example I would have never cast Michael Cera as Nick according to the character in the book. Sure he's sweet and chivalrous, but there's something very non-Cera about him. He is not exactly the Cera-brand cute... he's old school gentlemanly, and I dunno- Cera just doesn't come to mind.  And Norah is slightly painful; nothing like the super-gorgeous and quirky Kat Dennings. But I am glad that they did cast these two. They are one of my most favourite pairings ever- they are so sweet that they should make one's tooth ache, but the quarreling makes them all the more endearing.

       Cera is one of my top leading men in all honesty. I do love most of his films, even though he has made only a handful. He makes Nick so believeable- in his jealousy, in his desperation, in his honesty. He is funny, but not in a HA-HA kind of way, but much more subtle. Just a few lines here and there, and you know that he has a sense of humour, but not overly so. When he looks at Tris or Norah and whispers that he finds them beautiful, it's not a common compliment, but something quite sincere. Sure one may say that he does the same roles over and over again, but I think Nick stands out in all his quiet sincerity and earnestness. Dennings is just lovely as Norah. The screen brightens up whenever she smiles. Her make-up artist does a simple job on her- a bit of eyeliner and red lipstick, but it just looks so attractive. From her anger to her embarrassment to happiness, every feeling is so clear and well, charming. I can't help but smile at all her emotions, because we all feel like that at times, and if only some of us could look that good. God Tris and Caroline had nothing on her. 

       Speaking of, I also loved Caroline, who is played by Ari Graynor. She was hilarious in all her drunken-ness and did not shy away from barfing or belching or picking out a piece of chewing gum from inside the toilet (okay I skip that part everytime). Also Nick's friends- Thom played by Aaron Yoo, Dev played by Rafi Gavron and "beefy guy" Lethario played by Johnathan B. Wright, they were all very cute and funny in their own careless natures. I want friends like that- gay and funny and caring and at the same time, always after having a good time. The nemeses- Tris and Tal are played by Alexis Dziena and Jay Baruchel. Both are evil, conceited, and selfish. Again in the novel, the characters were different, in the sense that they were nicer and had more dimensions. But still I think that it is fun to have them as the bitchy bad guys, and then see them get served!

        One of my favourite things about the film is all the extras. There is obviously the afore-mentioned Seth Meyers. Along with him there is also Andy Sandberg, John Cho and Devendra Banhart and a whole lot of other people. They are just people from the streets screaming out random stuff, or pant-less alter boys, or creepy street-bums, or omniscient deli shoppers. I love them because that is how I imagine New York to be like- random, profane, mad and funny. 


        Nick and Norah has many of the things that I love to see in films. As already mentioned above- there are a lot of interesting characters. Another thing is the time-lapse. I love films that begin and end in a small period of time. This film gives me just that. Staying out all night, looking for a friend or an imaginary band or just the one, and that one night is all there is. In the book there is a very nice passage about this- 

"I shouldn’t want the song to end. I always think of each night as a song. Or each moment as a song. But now I’m seeing we don’t live in a single song. We move from song to song, from lyric to lyric, from chord to chord. There is no ending here. It’s an infinite playlist." 

This is what the film is for me...and it's perfect.

         Lastly, and very importantly, the actual songs in the film are incredible. This film has one of my most favourite soundtracks ever. I literally got into so many bands after listening to the soundtrack, it's ridiculous! The songs add to the feel of the one night...of the magical and weird New York...of finding things and people.

          I think this is the perfect time-pass film. It's funny, romantic, light, musical, and the leads are a treat for sore eyes. For truly this film would have been nothing without the adorable and enviable chemistry between Cera and Dennings. It's a particularly good watch on rainy afternoons (Yaay! Monsoon's here!). Do watch.