The greatest of these is Love. Love never fails. Love always wins. February is considered the "love" month thanks to Valentine's Day, so this week I thought I would suggest a few classic films for the month of love. Some of the films on my list may be obvious and others not so much. After all, love comes in many forms. Here are my suggested films for you to consider:
"Moonstruck"- This 1987 comedy/romance won several Oscar awards including Best Actress for the film's lead star Cher. The film is the tale of a close Brookly, NY family and how they deal with cheating father and the upcoming wedding of Cher's character Loretta. The only problem: Loretta falls for the brother of her intended. A great feel good film conveying how true love can never be stopped.
"Clueless"-This film is such a great slice of the 90's as presented by director Amy Heckerling. Alicia Silverstone stars as a spoiled Beverly Hills high school student Cher, who is always trying to match make for others, but never looking for love herself thanks to her disdain for high school guys ("as if"). However, when Cher does develop a crush on a new guy at school, he only wants to be friends. Cher does eventually find love in the form of step-brother Josh (Paul Rudd). With lots of comedy, unexpected romance and a killer soundtrack, how can you go wrong?
"The Outsiders"- While this classic film from 1983 is far from a romantic film, it features strong family love among the all star cast playing the Curtis brothers, who have lost both their parents. Two best friends in the story, Johnny Cade (Ralph Macchio) and Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell) share a bond that will tear your heart out when Johnny passes away as the result of a horrible accident. Brotherly love has never been more strongly displayed than in this film, at least in my opinion. Plus the cast includes Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, and Rob Lowe among others. Stay gold.
"Paper Moon"- This comedy, from 1973, is a great example of parental love. The film is in black and white, to make it more authentic to the Great Depression setting. The film is the story of con man Moses Pray (Ryan O"Neal), who finds himself suddenly in charge of a young girl named Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal), who may be his unknown daughter. The two travel about selling Bible's to unknowing widows after being told their late husbands ordered a special Bible for them. Tatum won an Oscar for her role, and when you view the film you can see why. She was only 10 years old when she won, and still holds the record for the youngest Oscar winner. The film also features an unforgettable funny performance by the late Madeline Kahn.
"Beauty Shop"- This 2005 comedy is a fine example of love between loyal friends, and even features a romance between lead star Queen Latifah as hairstylist Gina Norris and repair man Joe (Djimon Hounsou). The film is filled with witty dialogue and sassy performances that will make you want to hang out with the characters in the film. The aforementioned Alicia Silverstone is also featured as a charming and well-meaning shampoo girl who becomes involved in her own romance. Laifah is wonderful, and the film features a hilarious turn by Kevin Bacon as a rival hairstylist. Love among the suds!
"Hairspray"- There are two versions of this film you can enjoy, the 1988 original or the 2007 all-out musical version. For this list I am picking the 2007 version thanks to the brilliant soundtrack. The film is set in 1960's Baltimore, and stars Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad, a girl who eventually becomes a star on a local teen dance show despite being criticized for her weight. While on the show, Tracy falls for another star of the Corny Collins Show, Link Larkin (Zac Efron). The aforementioned Queen Latifah is also featured in the film as a dance show host. The film has great music and choreography, and fun performances, even though John Travolta in drag as Tracy's mom Edan can be quite jarring, but in a humorous way. The film also smacks down racism which is always a plus in my book.
There I have given you some choices for viewing in the month of love that are not always obvious. Honorable mention: The new film "Dog Gone" featuring the love between pets and humans.