By Sarah Rish
When the real world is too much, take refuge by watching a romantic movie … a quirky one.
From Hollywood to Bollywood, here are 7 of my favourite corn‑free romances.
No.1: Baby Driver (2017)
This action heist romance was written and directed by Edgar Wright.
The hero, Baby (played by Ansel Elgort), is a young man who uses music to help him manage the effects of childhood trauma. He is an unwilling getaway driver for a criminal gang.
Baby meets and falls in love with waitress Debora (Lily James), a young woman with big dreams and a beautiful singing voice. Debora is the first person who understands and loves Baby for his music.
The film’s soundtrack – featuring soul, rock, hip-hop, ballad and more – is so central to the storytelling it is another main character. The opening sequence, for example, features an explosive blues-funk song that works perfectly with the revs, rubber, sirens, alarms and horns of a breathtaking car chase.
No.2: Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Directed by Mira Nair, this film is about the arranged marriage and large wedding of Aditi Verma (Vasundhara Das), a daughter in a modern upper-class Delhi family.
While the Verma family’s dramas unfold, the busy wedding planner, PK Dubey (Vijay Raaz), and the Vermas’ domestic worker, Alice (Tillotama Shome), become attracted to each other.
Dubey and Alice’s romance develops in quiet ways and with small acts of care, in contrast to the dynamics of the Verma family.
Edible flowers feature.
No.3: Moonstruck (1987)
This “rose-tinted black comedy” was directed by Norman Jewison and stars Cher and Nicholas Cage.
Loretta Castorini (Cher) is a childless 37-year-old widow who works as a bookkeeper and lives in Brooklyn Heights, New York, with her parents and grandfather.
She has agreed to marry Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello) who is visiting Sicily to care for his sick mother.
Loretta goes to meet Ronny (Cage), Johnny’s estranged younger brother. Ronny and Loretta are right for each other, but she insists she will marry Johnny (who she does not love).
At the heart of this movie are characters who are all wonderfully straight-talking and superstitious.
No.4: Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
This film, written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, is about two vampires called Adam and Eve. They are soulmates and have been happily married for centuries.
Adam (Tom Hiddleston) is a musician and lives in a crumbling house in an old part of Detroit.
Eve (Tilda Swinton) travels from her home in Morocco to reunite with the depressed Adam.
Living in the 21st century is difficult for them as managing people’s curiosity is complicated.
Ava (Mia Wasikowska), Eve’s impulsive younger sister, arrives in Detroit and her actions soon threaten the couple’s safety.
Hiddleston and Swinton’s chemistry is electric and their cool elegance shines.
No.5: Tampopo (1985)
Written and directed by Juzo Itami, this comedy was playfully marketed as a “ramen Western”.
Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) is a widow who is struggling to run her road-side ramen soup shop. Sadly, her product is insipid.
She meets a chivalrous truck driver called Gorō (Tsutomu Yamazaki).
They agree to a plan to turn Tampopo’s shop into a paragon of the “art of noodle soup making”.
The film features many side plots that explore the relationship between food, sensuality and love.
No.6: Secretary (2002)
Directed by Steven Shainberg, this transgressive dramatic comedy explores the complex relationship between a boss and his secretary.
A troubled young woman, Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), secures a job as a typist with a demanding suburban lawyer, E Edward Grey (James Spader).
The tension between the pair builds in unusual ways until, finally, they can express their true natures and find the respectful love they each have been longing for.
The film’s nuanced depiction of tricky subject matter is masterful.
No.7: The Apartment (1960)
Directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder, this film focuses on a New York City office worker, CC Buddy Boy Baxter (Jack Lemmon).
Baxter is a lonely “yes man” in a large insurance firm. He lends out his home, a city apartment, to various bosses who use it to conduct extra-marital affairs.
Shenanigans and ethical dilemmas follow.
The movie ends on New Year’s Eve with a quirky declaration of love: “Shut up and deal.”
For a bonus, check out Wilder’s 1959 film Some Like It Hot. Its last line, “Well, nobody’s perfect!”, seals a queer romance for the ages.
Featured image: Cher stars as Loretta Castorini in Norman Jewison’s Moonstruck. Photo: YouTube
