So the list picks up... (see 4/25/09 post for intro...)
Terms of Endearment - Some will say this is the quintessential tear jerker movie. And they would be right. However, it is also a brilliant portrayal of a mother/daughter who aren't that likable. They are the kind of people you wouldn't want to be stuck beside at Applebees having an argument. You'd be embarrassed for both of them. And the friends aren't all that impressive. Mostly, everyone is given a full-range of character that include complicated flaws and attractions.
The Piano - Fundamentally, this movie is a stunner of cinematography. You can't say that about many standard chick flicks. There's a blue wash over the whole thing that sets the tone for the whole thing. The love story here might be described as bizarre, but it is deeply passionate and ultimately quite tender. And that Anna Paquin, there's this terrific blend of little-kid innocence and old-soul wisdom that is hard to find in on-screen kids. There's a scene where she's telling these busy-body women this huge whopper of a lie that I can just watch again and again.
Remains of the Day - A few years ago I was working in the marketing department of a large company. My desk was at the edge of a "cave" of designers, all guys, all film fanatics. One day I mentioned my quandary of being a female film fan; that I rarely had "peers." I didn't want to discuss the upcoming Batman or Transformers or Indiana Jones movie. "Can't we, for one day, discuss the rich detail and vast scope of, say, "Remains of the Day?" I said to the copywriter who cracked me up everyday. "Um, no. No, I'm afraid we cannot to do that..." I tried to counter by saying it could be spun as a Top Gun kind of phenomenon, that kind of perfect guy/girl balance in the story of war and romance, only way, way more repressed. He wouldn't buy it... Oh, and in the movie Waiting for Guffman, one of the main characters shows off his Remains of the Day lunch box. I want one of those...
The Sweetest Thing - Now this one appeals to me because it is one of the only truly raunchy comedies starring thirty year old women. While I haven't seen women portrayed like this in film, I've worked with these women and roomed with a few in college. I haven't seen this in a while so I can't speak of the details, but I remember watching it and thinking, "Oh my God, I can't believe they're doing this." Always a good sign in my book.
Never Been Kissed - Now this is the one that is the most like a "traditional" teen comedy/chick flick combo. Drew Barrymore makes this one work because, unlike other actresses who they doll up and then put glasses on in order to signal "homely," she can actually pull off dowdy. The plot is typical, in that she is a mid-twenties journalist who disguises herself as a high school student, is embraced by the cool kids, only to learn a lesson about true friendship... But I bought it. I was right there through the transformation and didn't once roll my eyes.
So I'm not done. But I'm liking this idea of getting some movies a second look.
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