Thursday Movie Picks: Romantic Comedies

Oh, you know that one scene where the guy talks to his goofy friend who, despite being an imbecile, helps him realize he is in love with the girl. The problem is she's about to leave town for good due to that new job she just got hired for in like ten seconds. He rushes off to the train station/bus station/airport and overcomes some wacky obstacle on the way only to catch her just as she is boarding the train/bus/airplane and publicly professes his love for her and...well, you know the rest. That's right, boys and girls, this week's theme for the Thursday Movie Picks hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves is romantic comedies. I've seen more of them than I care to admit and have not enjoyed the vast majority of them. I actually thought about sitting this week out of this little exercise because, um, rom-coms. But alas, I've decided to put my own spin on them and soldier on. You should do the same. Just head over to Wanderer's site and joining this little weekly excursion, As for me, I'll just give you this week's picks, Chronologically, of course.

Natural Born Killers

(1994)

Please do not tell me you didn't know this was a comedy. It falls squarely in the realm of social satire. Our good friends at google define satire as "the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues." If that doesn't describe this movie, nothing does. Director Oliver Stone takes square aim at our out-of-control infatuation with and coverage of celebrities. Sadly, with the advent of social media and the 24 hour news cycle, the movie has become even more relevant than it was twenty years ago. And yes, at its core is a whirlwind romance. It so happens that the couple in question, Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette) start life together by killing her abusive parents and pretty much murdering anyone else in their path. When they find themselves separated, just like the couple in your favorite rom-com, they will do anything to get back together. Anything.

The Wood

(1999)

We spend most of our time with a trio of boyhood pals on the day one of them is about to get married. Unfortunately, the groom to be has gotten cold feet and gone missing and it is up to his two buddies to get him to the church on time. The romance is that of one of the buddies, Mike (Omar Epps as an adult, Sean Jones as a teen) and Alicia (Sanaa Lathan/Malinda Williams), his first crush. It's a very fun movie told in lots of flashbacks to the mid-late 1980s and a talented cast bringing it to us. Aside from Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan, we have Taye Diggs, Tamala Jones, and the very underrated Richard T. Jones. Shortly before the Tyler Perry-ization of black American cinema, this little gem came along helped paved the way for Mr. Madea, for better or worse, by showing there is money to be made in movies featuring African-American characters. It didn't set the world on fire, but it had a $6 million budget and earned $25 million at the box office.

Warm Bodies

(2013)

Take Romeo and Juliet, make it funny, start with Romeo already being dead, and you will have Warm Bodies. By dead, I mean he is a somewhat coherent zombie who goes by R (Nicholas Hoult). Much like the events of Shakespeare's classic, he falls in love the very instant he sees Julie (Teresa Palmer). She doesn't feel the same way, with her being alive and all, but needs him for survival. We follow them as he tries to get her back to safety. It's wickedly funny and fully understands the absurdity of its own premise. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best of all the movies based on YA novels that have come out in recent years. Yes, The Hunger Games included.

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