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An updated guide to finding romance, love, sex, engagements, weddings, marriage, and happily-ever-afters in the movies.
By Leslie C. Halpern
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Since my book Reel Romance. The Lovers’ Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies was published in 2004, several of the recommended films have had sequels released. Just because the original date movie has the right balance of action, adventure, intrigue, wit, and romance, however, doesn’t necessarily mean the sequel captures the same magic or maintains the same romantic momentum.
Take the sequels to Speed, Fletch, and Romancing the Stone, for example. They’re not likely to spice up anyone’s evening. Then there are movie franchises such as Rocky and Crocodile Dundee, which started off as great date movies and turned into unromantic formula films limping in and out of theaters over the years.
The worst date movie sequels of all are when the filmmakers produce sequels that don’t have the original stars (e.g., Dirty Dancing: Havannah Nights and Son of the Mask). Re-creating the same situations without the original stars guarantees a film without the original sexual chemistry. Hoping for romance? You’re lucky if the movie is even watchable.
Just like the real-life relationships they depict, date movie sequels can lose their sexual sizzle unless time and attention are devoted to keeping them fresh. Occasionally, there’s an exception to the curse of the unromantic romance sequel. I can think of three (see reviews below). These three exceptions not-so-coincidentally all have common traits: They feature the original stars, use the same director, stay close to the original storyline, and need maintain only a moderate level of sexual tension to stay on par with their predecessors.
So to appease hopeless romantics everywhere, I’ve reviewed the recently released sequels to date movies recommended in Reel Romance. To be fair (and consistent), I rated them using the same criteria as the original films in my book: They must be entertaining stories that appeal to men and women; they must contain a plausible romance as the main storyline (or as a subplot in a genre film); and they must leave viewers feeling romantic.
The “Intimacy Comfort Level” relates the appropriateness of the movie at various stages in a relationship. First Date means it’s appropriate for couples on a first date or in new relationships; Going Steady indicates the film is great for couples who've been together several months; Committed/Married points long-term couples towards the best movies. The “Make-out Meter” is a ranking of 1 (low) – 5 (high) candles depending upon the overt sexuality in the film. As in my book Reel Romance, the reviews below also provide a "Do Try This at Home" suggestion inspired by each film.
So read, rent, and then romance. For more great suggestions, get a copy of Reel Romance. The Lovers’ Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies (Leslie C. Halpern, 2004, Taylor Trade Publishing, 222 pp., ISBN: 1-58979-064-2), available through the main page of this website and at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or wherever books are sold.
DATE MOVIE REVIEWS: THE SEQUELS
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones
Directed by Beeban Kidron
107 minutes; in color; R
Intimacy Comfort Level: Going Steady, Committed/Married
Make-out Meter: Two candles
Just For Her: Girl talk, love triangles, persistent suitors
Just For Him: Fist fights
Bridget Jones (Zellweger) is still an overweight, single, thirty-something broadcast journalist doomed by her inability to learn from past mistakes. She continues to flirt with disaster (a.k.a. Daniel Cleaver [Grant]), and to misjudge her lawyer boyfriend, Mark Darcy (Firth).
In fact, much of the movie merely repeats scenarios from its highly regarded predecessor. The jealous boyfriend fist fight, the inadvertent bum flashing, the quirky friends giving quirky advice, the silly Christmas sweaters, the binge eating, the verbal incontinence. It’s all there…again.
Based on Helen Fielding’s novel, this sequel offers little new in terms of plot and comedy, and nothing new in the romance department. The sparkling chemistry in the original Bridget Jones’s Diary made us care about the bloated Brit, lovable scoundrel, and handsome prude. In the lackluster sequel, however, the love triangle continues with no one growing, changing, or learning. It’s difficult to feel compassion (let alone lust) for any of these stagnant characters.
Do Try This at Home: Be humble about your acts of generosity, especially toward your loved one.
* * *
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)
Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Regina King, Luke Wilson
Directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
95 minutes; in color; PG-13
Intimacy Comfort Level: First Date, Going Steady, Committed/Married
Make-out Meter: One candle
Just For Her: Everything
Just For Him: Nothing
Legally Blonde introduced us to the delightful Ms. Elle Woods (Witherspoon), a young woman who finds herself by being lost in love. Unfortunately it’s the humor and romance that are lost in this dull sequel, which focuses its attention on gay canines, conniving bosses, and courtroom shenanigans. Elle goes to work in Washington, D.C., in order to get Congress to consider her bill that frees captive animals used for cosmetics testing.
Although Luke Wilson played an understated romantic lead in the original, in Legally Blonde 2 his meager participation is merely obligatory. The script devotes little time to exploring their romantic relationship, instead focusing on the homo-erotic exploits of Elle’s little dog, Bruiser.
Unlike the original, the sequel is not a great date movie. In fact, Legally Blonde 2 isn’t even a date movie. And as far as greatness is concerned, let’s just say that this flick is a few curls short of a perm.
Do Try This at Home: Encourage your partner to support a cause that’s important to him or her.
* * *
The Legend of Zorro (2005)
Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rufus Sewell
Directed by Martin Campbell
120 minutes; in color; PG
Intimacy Comfort Level: First Date, Going Steady, Committed/Married
Make-out Meter: Two candles
Just For Her: Having two men fight for love
Just For Him: Action, violence, sword fights, train chase
Antonio Banderas is still hiding his handsome mug behind a mask – so effectively in fact that his son (Adrian Alonso) doesn’t know that his dad Alejandro de la Vega is Zorro, the Mexican freedom fighter, folk hero, and Robin Hood of old California. His wife, Elena (Zeta-Jones), knows and isn’t too happy about it. She wants him to keep his promise of becoming the ultimate family man.
Her discontent leads to a divorce, which prompts some exciting conspiracies, sword fights, horse rides, and a train chase, and of course, their rekindled love. The Legend of Zorro is a great date movie just like its predecessor, 1988’s The Mask of Zorro. While the romantic inspiration of the original is somewhat lessened here, their sporadic kisses and embraces brim with passion.
Romance wasn’t a high priority in “Mask” where Alejandro and Elena first meet, so it’s no surprise that love and sex are subdued in this married-with-a-kid PG continuation of the Zorro legend. As in the original, romantic tension simmers in the background while equestrian stunts and fiery explosions take center stage.
Do Try This at Home: Embrace on a moonlit balcony.
* * *
Meet the Fockers (2004)
Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner
Directed by Jay Roach
116 minutes; in color; PG-13
Intimacy Comfort Level: First Date, Going Steady, Committed/Married
Make-out Meter: Two candles
Just For Her: Streisand’s version of a sex therapist
Just For Him: More CIA gadgetry
This sequel to the 2000 hit Meet the Parents features male nurse, Gaylord Focker (Stiller) and his school teacher fiancée Pamela Byrnes (Teri Polo) introducing their parents to each other for the first time. The same great cast appears with the addition of Hoffman and Streisand as the senior Fockers. The writing is just as clever as in the original, and Roach handles the direction of these legendary stars superbly.
What’s missing this time is the romance. While Meet the Parents was a great date movie and comedy, Meet the Fockers sticks with the comedy alone. Strap-on breasts, a talking baby, a Hispanic Stiller look-alike, and all the impending in-laws idiosyncrasies are lots of fun. Polo has little to say or do, other than sit around and watch her co-stars get all the laughs.
In terms of romance, the senior couples get a lot more action than the young lovers. The chemistry between Stiller and Polo which was so believable in the original is largely absent here. They have few scenes alone together, as if the audience has already accepted their pledge of undying love for each other and would prefer instead to concentrate on laughs. Meet the Fockers is well worth the price of rental (or purchase) if a couple wants to keep things light.
Do Try This at Home: Be careful what you say when you have a microphone in your hands.
* * *
Shrek (2004)
Voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Julie Andrews
Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon
92 minutes; in color; animated; PG
Intimacy Comfort Level: First Date, Going Steady, Committed/Married
Make-out Meter: Two candles
Just For Her: A hero fresh from the fight
Just For Him: Cheap shots at his in-laws
Princess Fiona (Diaz) and her new husband, Shrek (Meyers), pay a visit to her parents so they can congratulate the happy couple. Unfortunately the unsightly ogre is nobody’s idea of a perfect match for the lovely Fiona. Especially to the other man who was secretly promised that he would marry the princess. And this Prince Charming’s mom is honorary queen of the land of bitchy mothers-in-law.
Magic potions, evil curses, and false outward appearances play important roles in this clever animated fairy tale. True to the original which was based on a book by William Steig, Shrek 2 again displays the same fast-paced fun and games with traditional children’s storybook characters.
You may not think that PG-rated animated characters can portray romance very effectively, but it’s hard to deny that two people so perfect for each other can be anything other than true lovers. In every respect as satisfying as the original, Shrek 2 is a great date movie disguised as a family film.
Do Try This at Home: Hide evidence of your childhood romantic fantasies, unless they include your present partner.
* * *
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina
Directed by Sam Raimi
127 minutes; in color; PG-13
Intimacy Comfort Level: First Date, Going Steady, Committed/Married
Make-out Meter: Two candles
Just For Her: A filled seat in the theater
Just For Him: Guy talk in the elevator
Spider-Man-2 is that rare exception date movie sequel that provides as much action, character development, plot twists, clever dialogue, and romance as the original Spider-Man. Because poor Peter Parker (Maguire) seems cursed with eternal bad luck, his life-long devotion to Mary Jane (Dunst) never quite comes to fruition, which makes the sexual tension fairly easy to maintain.
Besides his sexual frustration, Peter must field angry insults from his best friend, fight a delusional scientist who’s been turned into a high-tech octopus, deal with his aunt’s poverty, endure condescending comments from his newspaper editor and college professor, and struggle through his own personal identity crisis. Life isn’t easy for a nerdy guy who gets bitten by a radio-active spider and undergoes an amazing physical transformation into a superhero. Just try it sometime.
No matter how distracted Peter becomes with his personal or professional problems, however, there’s always time – well, usually time – for romance. With great power comes great responsibility, and Raimi fully accepted his responsibility to produce another blockbuster that would wow crowds with its special effects and powerful storytelling.
Do Try This at Home: Keep your promises.
* * *
Copyright 2006 Leslie C. Halpern
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