Murph's Picks

So far, I've written mostly about the industry or the processes of the industry. This week however, I just want to talk about a few of my favorite films and the reasons why they are my favorites.

I am a fan of movies in general and I like the action and comedies just as much as the love stories. The top three of my favorite romantic comedies go as follows (from 1-3):

*Nights in Rodanthe
*Sweet Home Alabama
*Bringing Down the House

Nights In Rodanthe is the movie version of Nicholas Sparks' book Nights In Rodanthe. The two main roles of Adrienne Willis and Dr. Paul Flanner are played by Diane Lane and Richard Gere. The chemistry those two actors have on screen bring the movie to life. Adrienne, a separated mother of two, escapes for a weekend to a friend's inn in the town of Rodanthe on the outer coastal region of North Carolina to watch the inn and to figure out if she wants to take her cheating husband back or get out of the choatic relationship once and forall. The day she arrives, a major coastal storm is forcast for the weekend and she goes to town to buy supplies and catch up with a few old friends. Shortly after she returns to the inn, the weekends only guest for the weekend, Dr. Paul Flanning arrives. He is there to confront his own inner issues and to find a way to reconnect with his estranged son. Since they are the only two at the inn, their meals and free time is spent with each other and the romance of a lifetime errupts with beauty and passion that turns their worlds inside-out as they ride out the costal storm and the storm of life together. I suggest having your hubby, boyfriend, junkfood, favorite blankets, and PLENTY of tissue on-hand for this tear-jerking movie.

Sweet Home Alabama is DEFINITELY one of my favorite romantic comedies. Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, and Peter Dempsey couldn't have portrayed they're characters any better. They were perfectly cast in this film as their characters Melanie Smooter (Witherspoon), Jake Perry (Lucas), and Andrew Hennings (Dempsey). Melanie leaves her husband, family, friends, and life in Alabama and sneaks off the New York City to fullfil her dream of being a high-end fashion designer. In her five years there, she meets, courts and becomes engaged to the mayor's son, Andrew Hennings, and has to sneak back to Alabama to force Jake to sign the papers for their divorce. Once she's back in the south however, she realizes that the life she thought she was too good for so many years ago, was actually the life she wanted all along. I love this movie because it is the perfect example of how you can run all your life from true love and your past but eventually, your destiney takes control and you are taken over by what is meant for you.

Bringing Down the House with Steve Martin, Queen Latifah, and Eugene Levy is hilarious! Queen Latifah, Charlene Morton, is wrongfully convicted of a bank robbery and seeks the help of Steve Martin, Peter Sanderson-a hoity toity lawyer, and his assistant Eugene Levy, Howie Rottman to reopen her case and prove her innocent. Peter "highers" Charlene to "nanny" his two children so that she is safe and so they can work on the case. With Charlene, an African American tossed into the high-life white society class, Peters personal and professional life goes through a series of changes and events that are both comical and life-changing. They end up teaching each other more than is expected and become life-long friends. It's a great story about society and life's funny way of teaching us its lessons.