What to watch on February 14: popular romantic comedies

Romantic comedy is a universal genre. With rare exceptions, everyone falls in love, or at least wants to. And if you think about it, almost every film is a love story. Thrillers, comedies, science fiction - no matter what the form, but the story of two lovers is always what the world of cinema revolves around. Therefore, selecting good romantic comedies is still a quest.

Our criteria are simple - passion, chemistry, heat and all that kind of stuff. However, there is one quality, difficult to express, that elevates truly great romance in cinema. You can call it the fainting factor. It's about the fainting that happens on screen; about the fainting that occurs between the screen and the audience. This review contains the most significant films that have become classics and make viewers’ hearts beat faster.

"Dirty Dancing" (1987)

The story of young Baby, the daughter of conservative parents, who falls in love with a dance instructor in one of the American holiday homes, still touches with its simplicity and sincerity. Catchy music, charming characters, adult intrigue and a plot built around the idea that good girls love bad boys. However, the courageous hero of Patrick Swayze turns out to be not entirely bad, but very good, but the premise does its job, captivating new generations of viewers with this simple summer film.

"Her Notebook" (2004)

Although Ryan Gosling played the Ken doll two decades later, director Nick Cassavetes saw him as a guy who was both likable and reckless enough to pursue the girl of his dreams, Ellie (Rachel McAdams), on a Ferris wheel. No matter what she does next, the hero continues to love her in the best possible version of the Nicholas Sparks novel that Hollywood could create. Half a century later, the aged Noah and Ellie were played by American film legends James Garner and Gena Rowlands, proving that eternal love exists.

"Pretty Woman" (1990)

Given modern trends, many consider this film about a wealthy businessman (Richard Gere) who hires a prostitute (Julia Roberts) as a romantic partner to be outdated and downright sexist. It may be so, but director Garry Marshall did it so beautifully and gracefully that it justified itself on all counts. Suffice it to recall the passionate dance of the characters or their glances at each other during the narration. The ending makes it clear, this is not a story of oppression, this is a love story.

"Bodyguard" (1992)

Is there anything more romantic when someone throws themselves in front of bullets for you? Technically, it's the work of Frank Farmer, but by the time Kevin Costner's former secret agent tries to protect pop diva Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston) at the Oscars, we know he's acting more out of love than duty. . The audience already feels the pull when, in an earlier scene, during a concert scandal, he lifts the singer in his arms and carries her through the crowd - a chivalrous image immortalized on the film poster. And of course, Houston's unique, powerful soundtrack makes the film a treasure. All the talk about a remake makes me wonder, who can top Costner and Huston?

"La La Land" (2016)

Damien Chazelle's charming, bittersweet musical is a retro adaptation of old Hollywood song-and-dance productions set in the sun-drenched landscape of modern Los Angeles. It's fascinating to watch as the director expertly pairs aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) with jazz musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), celebrating their union of intoxicating affection. And all this in order to show how their love is shattered on the shores of warring countries, egocentrism, etc. What makes La La Land truly transcendent is the almost-happening happy ending that could have happened if only life had worked out a little differently. -to another.

*****

These are just five romantic comedies that can “make” your evening on February 14th. There may be other options for films, which, we have no doubt, every couple in love has in stock.