Rom-Coms Rule the World

If you think about it. They really do. Women grow up with them. We watch them countless times. We quote them and force our significant others to watch them. In doing so we hope to give them not so subtle hints and tips about romance. Most romantic comedies are unrealistic and lead us all to disappointment and heartbreak. (How often do our Mr. Darcy-types turn out to actually be anything like Mr. Darcy? Be honest.)

But there are a select few romantic comedies that are not completely unrealistic and include what we all strive to have most: a love that survives the little moments as well as the big ones, a love that does not walk away after every disagreement and a love that stays with us when things aren't easy. It's not perfect. It's not a fairy tale. It's hard work, but no matter how hard it is it's constant and comforting and completely worth it.

Most of those select few I'm referring to were written by the late Nora Ephron.

You've Got Mail, Julie & Julia, When Harry Met Sally, and Sleepless in Seattle. Sleepless in Seattle may be the least realistic of the mentioned films but it still has it's realistic moments regarding loss and friendship and the relationships that almost work out so I'm including it.

I'm actually watching Julie & Julia right now. Every time I watch this movie I appreciate it more and more. Both romances are so beautiful and prove what I was saying about things being difficult and relationships requiring work. It doesn't come easily and we shouldn't expect it to. Expecting things to be light and breezy is what shortens marriages and increases the percentages of divorce. I'm not saying there is never any cause for divorce because of course there is. Sometimes people change for the worse or neglect to learn from their mistakes or are just too self centered to see life beyond the end of their own nose. Sometimes there are more drastic situations that require it for personal safety, but in most cases I feel people tend to give up much too easily.

My parents have been married for twenty-seven years and they argue at least once a day every day. They say spiteful things and slam doors but in the end they work through it and it's like it never happened. If they'd separated every time they had a knock down drag out fight they never would have made it past five years.

So, in a way, Rom-Coms rule the world. They influence our ideas of love and marriage and how our life should be. If you don't believe me just ask Mindy Kaling. She knows this better than anyone since her hit Fox comedy is based on Dr. Mindy Lahiri's obsession with the genre and regularly makes references various romantic comedies.

We all have expectations and as much as I love romantic comedies maybe next time we watch one we should consider it with a grain of salt. No one can completely live up to the Sam Baldwins or Fitzwilliam Darcys of the world, and most importantly you can't force other men to be like them. You can't fit a square peg in a round hole and it's best you don't try.

If there's one major lesson I learned from the beautiful Nora Ephron it's that the best romances should always begin by accepting each other for who you really are and who you aspire to be.

Entertainment Exchange

So, today at work my friend, Marcus, and I were discussing movies when I discovered he'd never seen Nora Ephron's outstanding When Harry Met Sally. From there we ventured into other remarkable eighties and nineties movies which he'd also never seen.

I quickly offered to give him a Movie-cation and, as everyone I've offered this to tends to do, he brushed it off with a quick, "No, thank you." But, as an avid movie fan, I could not let my good friend go through life without watching at least one Nora Ephron movie. 

We then made a deal. 

I'm going to watch 10 episodes of The Vampire Diaries and he's going to watch 5 movies of my choosing. Now, for anyone else I would dig way back into the movie archives for these five films. However, Marcus doesn't strike me as a Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant kind of guy so my usual movie-cation isn't going to cut it. The furthest back I've gone for these 5 movies is 1984. 

So, if you'd like to broaden your film horizons but you're not quite ready for beautiful black and white films then maybe you should check out this list as well. After all, accepting recommendations has been known to keep your creative juices flowing. You never know what might inspire you. 

Here's the list he's going to receive at work tomorrow:

1. The Breakfast Club, 1985 (find it on Netflix)
2. Ghostbusters, 1984 (Netflix)
3. The Princess Bride, 1987 (Amazon Instant Video)
4. That Thing You Do!, 1996 (Amazon Instant Video)
5. When Harry Met Sally, 1989 (Amazon Instant Video)

I'll let you all know what I think of The Vampire Diaries once I finish my required lot of them. I've never really been a huge fan of vampires but maybe TVD will surprise me. 

Have any of you ever made a similar arrangement with a friend? I'm curious. I'm also curious as to what films you consider to be a must for anyone's movie-cation. Feel free to let me know in a comment, tweet, or tumblr question! I love film recommendations and if you have any for me I'd be willing to try them! 

Thank you for reading! Best wishes to you all!