The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

Romantic drama starring Clint Eastwood (who also directed) and Meryl Streep. She is a housewife living on an isolated Iowa farm in the mid-1960s. He is a National Geographic photojournalist documenting the area’s distinctive bridges. They spend four days together and fall passionately in love. But she has to juggle this life-transforming experience with the realities of her domestic commitments.

The two leads are both absolutely excellent – top-class acting, especially from Streep. On the downside, the framing story set in the present day is clunky and poorly acted. The son played by Victor Slezak is particularly awkward. But the main love story, which forms the bulk of the film, is touchingly “real”.

Pretty Woman (1990)

Excellent romance starring Richard Gere as a ruthless businessman and Julia Roberts as the prostitute he initially hires and ultimately falls for. 

I’d heard a lot about this film but somehow never seen it until now. And what a gem it is. Gere’s acting seems to have improved exponentially since An Officer and a Gentleman. He has real presence. And Roberts has an effortless charm. Together, they have plenty of chemistry. 

The story is simple but expertly told. It’s subtle, too, where it could have been obvious: Gere’s transformation is slow and realistically gradual, rather than a character U-turn. 

There are two criticisms I would make. Firstly, it idealises Vivian's profession. She makes one reference to men always hitting her, but it gives little impression of the true dangers of her work. Secondly, it has the usual tropes of US 80s/90s films in that upward mobility is presented as the only real option to aspire towards.

Those points aside, it’s a pleasure to watch.

The Notebook (2004)

Summer 1940: a young couple meet at a South Carolina carnival and begin an intense relationship. She’s from a wealthy family and her parents don’t want her associating with “trash” in the form of this poor lumberyard worker. 

Present day: an old man reads a romance story to an old woman with Alzheimer’s in a nursing home. Inevitably, we soon twig that they are the same couple and that the notebook he reads from is her journal. 

There are quite a few problems with this flashback device:

• despite being asked to accept this contrivance, I never once believed it was the same couple.

• more troublingly, the Alzheimer’s plot simply doesn’t work. It’s never explained how Allie can remember the story Noah is telling her, nor who she thinks he is for the majority of the time (i.e., when she’s forgotten he’s her husband). 

• the “miracle” ending is, frankly, ludicrous. 

The highly watchable scenes with the younger version of the couple seem to have greater emotional intelligence, almost as if two different films have been bolted together. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams have a degree of chemistry together, and they exchange some good lines about the complexity of relationships that confirm this isn’t merely a dumb script. Plus, Joan Allen and Sam Shepard convince as Allie’s mother and Noah’s father. 

There’s a sweetness to the summer romance and you do find yourself rooting for the young couple. But it could have been a far better film if we’d left them in the past.

Return to Me (2000)

Chicago architect Bob Rueland (David Duchovny) loses his wife (Joely Richardson) in a car accident. Her heart is donated to an artist named Grace (Minnie Driver), who would otherwise have died. A year later, Bob and Grace meet by coincidence, and – without realising what connects them – begin to fall in love. 

It’s a strange film – not quite a rom-com and not really a drama, either. There are too many extra characters of little consequence. For example, Grace lives with her Irish grandfather (Carroll O’Connor), who owns an Italian restaurant and socialises with his friends. There’s quite a bit of these elderly men sitting around playing cards and talking about Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin. We also get to see a lot of Grace’s friend Megan (Bonnie Hunt, who also directed) spending time with her husband (James Belushi) and their children. There’s also too much about Bob’s dog (and even the boy who helps look after Bob’s dog). Plus, there are threads about painting, gardening and antique bicycles. A further dimension comes from the gorilla sanctuary that Bob’s wife worked at and which he helps to expand and redevelop to honour her life’s work. 

All of these bitty elements don’t add up to much. But when Duchovny and Driver are on screen together, it works. You just wish they had been allowed more screen time as a couple, and with less of the unfunny silliness that surrounds them.

Carol (2015)

Compelling drama set in the 1950s and adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel The Price of Salt.

Carol is going through a divorce and becomes besotted with a young female shop assistant. The two become friends and then more than friends. After Carol is denied custody of her daughter over Christmas, the pair take off on a road trip. But Carol’s estranged husband has other ideas...

Cate Blanchett is mesmerising in the lead role, making every glance or smile or gesture count. Rooney Mara is perfectly cast as the slightly awkward object of her desires. It’s both romantic and uneasy.

Todd Haynes’ film is beautifully shot, with several moments filmed through glass or given a dreamy, luxurious quality. Despite that, it functions as a gritty drama.

Diana (2013)

Unfairly savaged biopic of the Princess of Wales, dealing with the last two years of her life. During this time she gave the famous BBC interview that spilled the beans on the royal family and how unhappy she’d been. This was also the period in which she had an intense relationship with heart surgeon Hasrat Khan, and their love story forms the main narrative thread.

Naomi Watts is believable as Diana, expertly replicating mannerisms such as the eyelash flutter and tilt of the head. She successfully depicts a ludicrously famous icon who is both insecure and cocky, willing to play with her position of power. Naveen Andrews is charismatic as her lover. And as a love story it works well. On the down side, the character of Dodi Fayed (her new boyfriend, who died with her in the Paris underpass on 31st August 1997) is entirely undeveloped. He barely gets a line of dialogue.

Critics were right to point out that there's a “Sunday night TV drama” aspect to it – mainly visually. It lacks “cinematic” qualities and doesn’t give off the lavish feel you would expect from a story about a princess. But it certainly doesn’t deserve the trashing it received.

Diana was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. I realise I’m in a tiny minority by far preferring this film to his more celebrated Downfall.

The Way We Were (1973)

Romantic drama starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. They play completely opposite characters who fall in love but struggle to reconcile their differences. This occurs against a backdrop of American history from the late 1930s through to the late 1960s or early 1970s, and it weaves in such events as the news of Wallis Simpson marrying Edward VIII and the death of Roosevelt in 1945. The political drama culminates in a violent incident at the height of McCarthyism.

The film is engrossing and sophisticated, and the two stars are terrific. Streisand in particular really shines. What lets it down slightly is the plot: it was hard to understand why the couple ever got together when Redford never seemed to show much fondness for Babs and her militant idealism. Was he really just cold-hearted? Or was there another reason why he seemed so distant? The actors have great chemistry together but the idea of their characters as a couple never quite rings true.

Before Sunset (2004)

Every bit as charming as Before Sunrise, if not more so, this sequel picks up the story of Jesse and Céline nine years later. They meet in Paris and discuss their personal situations and what’s happened to them since that life-changing encounter in Vienna. And they slowly reveal how they feel about each other as they grapple with how their past may inform their future.

I loved the long, single-take scenes as they wander in Paris, and also the fact that the film appears to take place in real time.

Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke both seem to give richer performances than in the first film. They are so natural in the roles that you wonder if they are even acting.

The romantic and touching ending, with Céline singing one of her songs and offering an extended Nina Simone impression, is an absolute delight.

Before Sunrise (1995)

Young American man (Ethan Hawke) meets young French woman (Julie Delpy) on a train while they are both travelling in Europe. Mutually attracted, they spontaneously agree to leave the train at Vienna and spend a day together. The film details what happens next, mainly via their touchingly earnest conversations as they wander around the city, getting to know each other, encountering various walk-on characters and beginning to fall in love.

I really like Richard Linklater’s long takes, which feel semi-improvised – particularly the one in which the couple take turns playing pinball while talking, switching places each time they lose a game. This scene would have been different every time the actors ran through it, so you get a feeling that it’s special.

There’s something refreshingly different about the pacing and the convincingly “real” dialogue. And it’s very romantic. It’s enchanting to see how young and idealistic they are.

Two sequels would follow: Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013).

City of Angels (1998)

A remarkable romantic drama. Nicolas Cage is an angel, who guides the dying to heaven. In a Los Angeles hospital, he meets a human doctor (Meg Ryan) and they fall in love. He then has to decide whether to give up eternal life and become human in order to be with her.

It’s loosely based on Wings of Desire (1987), but the theme of interspecies love reminds me a little of the mermaid saga Splash.

It’s subtle and nuanced. There’s something very pure and focused about the way it primarily deals with two characters and excludes sub-plots and other distractions.

Cage is perfect as an angel discovering what it is to love, possessing all the calm intensity you would expect of a supernatural being. Ryan is well-cast, too, so you can really believe in their romance.

The film excels in exploring the sensual qualities of pleasure and pain that angels are denied. The ending is satisfyingly not what you expect, and it’s moving without turning into sentimental slosh.

Dirty Dancing (1987)

I had never seen this before. Almost a third of a century after its release I spent £1 to find out what all the fuss was about. Nineteen eighty-seven is the year of 1980s films. This film is so 1980s that it simply cannot convince you it is set in 1963. Not only does the music lurch between the decades, but also the fashions. Patrick Swayze acts with his sweaty muscles (he’s topless for much of the film), while Jennifer Grey is charming as the wide-eyed daddy’s girl who learns how to dance – and live her life.

Thematically, there’s plenty going on: a thread about class prejudice, the young vs. old generational divide and the sense of a new, more liberated world about to arrive. One flaw is the way that – as per the style of the times – it breaks down into a pop video at certain points, including the narrative climax when you get the big hit ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.

Curiously, the mother of the family is almost entirely absent from the narrative. She barely gets to speak. Only the father’s opinion matters regarding their daughter’s behaviour. I hope this was the filmmakers making a point about sexism rather than forgetting to develop an integral character. That said, there’s plenty to enjoy – the period detail of a simpler time, the soundtrack (when it stays in the correct era) and the warm evocation of a long-gone American innocence at a Catskills resort.

Roxanne (1987)

Lovely romantic comedy: a retelling of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. Steve Martin plays the wonderfully gifted fire chief for the small town of Nelson, who just happens to have a huge nose. He falls in love with a visiting astronomer, Roxanne (Daryl Hannah), who unfortunately is drawn to a good-looking dimwit instead. The love story is just part of the charm. There’s so much touching detail about how the people of the town live their lives, from the inept volunteer firemen to the various characters you get to know in Nelson’s bars, shops and cafés. Steve Martin is riveting as the aerobic, intellectual, poetic fire chief who eventually wins over the woman he loves. It’s heartwarming but also very funny for much of the time.

Sliding Doors (1998)

Intriguing romantic drama about a parallel-universe “What if?” life split in two. Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah are convincing in the lead roles, but the actors playing her cheating slimy boyfriend and his ludicrous mistress are terribly hammy. The boyfriend could have been evil but charming, but instead he’s just hopelessly unappealing so you have no idea why two women would like him so much – a major flaw. Plus, there’s a lot of swearing. On the plus side, Paltrow, an American, sustains an English accent. It’s set in west London and there are familiar landmarks aplenty. The potentially confusing mirror storylines work well in tandem and the film even manages a satisfying ending, which you would guess would be impossible. It “makes you think” as well as being entertaining.

Like Crazy (2011)

Starring Felicity Jones (of Star Wars: Rogue One fame), this is a refreshingly different love story. Its main selling point is the super-realist style that almost convinces you you’re watching a documentary. The highly believable scenes were mostly improvised and the result is a total lack of cliché. It’s particularly good at rendering moments of excruciating awkwardness. The male lead (Anton Yelchin) seems a little weak, but perhaps he’s meant to be. His other girlfriend is played by Jennifer Lawrence, who is as wonderful as ever. And the well-meaning London parents (who like a drink or three) are also completely convincing. It’s a sweet film that stays with you.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Wonderful romantic comedy. It’s extremely well-written and would work well as a play – it’s all dialogue. No helicopter crashes here. 

Meg Ryan is brilliant as the slightly crazed woman who sets out to find the man (Tom Hanks) she heard baring his soul on a radio phone-in. 

Sweet and sentimental.

The pair would reunite for You've Got Mail.

Titanic (1997)

I enjoyed this far more than I expected to. I have always found disaster stories fascinating, and this one is especially well done. The slow build is effective, setting up the theme of class inequality that is just as relevant now as it was in 1912. The scenes of the ship filling up with water are heartbreaking. James Cameron truly understands how to convey scale and spectacle.

I could have done without the “old lady looking back” aspect, which adds little and could have been cut entirely, but I suppose they wanted to make it a century-spanning epic.

Kate Winslet and Leonardo diCaprio are fantastic as the doomed young lovers.

Your Sister’s Sister (2011)

Memorable comedy-drama that wisely explores the sister–sister relationship rather than go down more standard “rom-com” routes. Some very funny lines, and much poignancy too – along with quite a lot of swearing. It deals with bereavement and loss, but in unexpected ways. Emily Blunt is charming and convincing as Iris, and Rosemarie DeWitt is equally impressive – if not more so – as her sister Hannah. A refreshing film.