No ordinary love story...

Starring: Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, Milo O'Shea, Michael York, John McEnery, Natasha Parry, Pat Heywood, Robert Stephens

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty 'till this night." - Romeo.

Why watch this? There is not a more tragic love story than this classic crafted by the Bard himself.

Plot Summary: In Verona, a long-standing and violent feud exists between the Montague and Capulet families. Young Romeo Montague attends a Capulet masked ball, where he meets and falls deeply in love with Juliet Capulet. Despite their families' animosity, the lovers secretly marry, hoping their union will end the generations-old conflict. However, a turn of events, including a murder, threatens to tear their secret marriage apart.

Dad's Preview: This is one of the best film adaptations of a Shakespeare work. A praised classic, it features the feud between two families: Montagues and Capulets. Then the unthinkable happens, a boy and girl from each house fall in love. Can the two young lovers survive this ordeal and their families' part in it? They do have a loyal ally in the kind Friar Laurence. We'll never forget Hussey as Juliet, and the poignant musical score aptly named "Love Theme".

BHE Films; Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Verona Prod.; Paramount Pictures

You will believe.

Starring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, Stanley Lawrence, Vincent Schiavelli, Rick Aviles

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"He's stuck, that's what it is. He's in between worlds. You know it happens sometimes that the spirit gets yanked out so fast that the essence still feels it has work to do here." - Oda Mae, speaking of Sam's current state

Why watch this? This is Romance Movie Ground Zero. 

Plot Summary: Sam Wheat, a successful banker, is tragically murdered during a mugging with his girlfriend, Molly Jensen. To his dismay, Sam finds himself trapped as a ghost, unable to interact with the living world. When he realizes Molly is in danger and his death was not random, he seeks the help of Oda Mae Brown, a reluctant psychic, to communicate with Molly and protect her from the same people who killed him.

Dad's Preview: This is the perfect date-night film. A woman, Molly, pines for her dead husband, Sam. Since his murder, he has become a ghost. He walks the earth, but cannot physically connect with Molly. The soul of the film is the true love relationship between Sam and Molly, as we see in a few clay-splattered flashbacks. However, in a very heavy film, it's Whoopi's comic interjections that steal almost every scene.

Howard W. Koch Productions; Paramount Pictures

A lifetime of change can happen in a single moment.

Starring: Bill Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Sean Combs, Mos Def, Peter Boyle, Gabrielle Witcher, Amber Rules

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I've always believed that a portrait captures a person far better than a photograph. It truly takes a human being to really see a human being." - Lawrence Musgrove

Why watch this? Most of the film is about pain, its aftermath, and how folks try to move on.

Plot Summary: A white corrections officer, Hank Grotowski, works on death row. After a series of personal tragedies, he quits his job and meets Leticia Musgrove, an African-American woman also dealing with immense personal loss. Unbeknownst to them both, Hank was one of the officers who carried out the execution of Leticia's husband, creating a complex and tragic connection between them.

Dad's Preview: This is a brutally hard film to watch at times. There are many tragedies that befall its flawed characters: A prisoner is executed. A young man takes his own life. A mother's child is killed by a car. Each calamity is peppered with generational racism. Still, amid all that, two lost, emotionally wounded people find each other and try to salvage something from the carnage. Performances are stellar all the way around, including Thornton and the late Heath Ledger. However, it is Halle Berry, whose pain is palpable, who shines, and she justifiably won the Oscar for Best Actress.

Lee Daniels Entertainment; Lions Gate Films

... When love can come as a complete surprise

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julue Delpy, Andrea Eckert, Hanno Pöschl, Karl Bruckschwaiger, Tex Rubinowitz, Erni Mangold, Haymon M. Buttinger

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Alright, I have an admittedly insane idea, but if I don't ask you this, it's just, uh, you know, it's gonna haunt me the rest of my life." - Jesse

Why watch this? American boy meets French girl on a train - Simple, impulsive, irrational and sweet.

Plot Summary: Two strangers, Jesse and Celine, who meet on a train in Europe. Jesse, an American, convinces Celine, a French student, to spontaneously disembark with him in Vienna to spend the night together before his flight the next morning. They explore Vienna, engaging in deep conversations about life and love, and developing a strong connection despite knowing their time together is limited.

Dad's Preview: This is one of the most honest, enduring romance films I have ever encountered. This refreshing story consists mostly of their candid conversations. It's unforced, intimate and incredibly real.

Castle Rock Entertainment; Columbia Pictures

We accept the love we think we deserve.

Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Joan Cusack, Paul Rudd

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love." - Samantha "Sam" Button

Why watch this? It is an interesting, relevant, coming-of-age story that most of use can relate to.

Plot Summary: The film follows un-extraordinary Charlie, a freshman high school student. He suffers from clinical depression and is therefore incredibly shy. He meets two seniors, Patrick (an extremely animated and rebellious gay boy) and his step-sister Samantha "Sam" (a quite, awkward and adorable girl who is in a steady relationship). Patrick and Sam decide it's a good idea to bring Charlie into their small group of social outcasts; sorta take him under their wings. The brainy Patrick quickly develops a crush on Sam, and he helps her study to improve her SAT score. Then normal high school stuff occurs and starts to un-repress Charlie's mental issues.

Dad's Preview: About ten minutes into this film, I felt it grab me. It felt fresh, creative and from the heart. This often-poignant story centers on the over-blown concepts of being "cool", and the ever-present pressures of high school. Why can't kids just be who they are? It has a lot to do with parents who demand that their kids stand out, make A's, be exceptional. How will mediocre get the scholarship or big job? This film begs to differ. Life is wonderful because of these "wallflowers" exist, filling the spaces and giving many delightful misfits a place to feel safe... and even loved.

Mr. Mudd Productions; Summit Entertainment thru Lionsgate

Love is the greatest adventure of all.

Starring: Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Shaw, Nicol Williamson, Denholm Elliott, Ronnie Barker, Kenneth Haigh, Ian Holm, Richard Harris

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I've hardly lost a battle, and I don't know what I've won. 'The day is ours, Robin,' you used to say, and then it was tomorrow. But where did the day go?" - Robin Hood

Why watch this? It's a bittersweet story of what happened to Robin Hood and Maid Marian.

Plot Summary: The story picks up the classic Robin Hood legend years after Robin's peak, finding him and Little John returning to England disillusioned from the Crusades. They discover that Maid Marian has become an abbess, and their reunion unfolds as they navigate their changed circumstances and rekindle their complicated relationship. Robin is forced to confront his aging and a changed world, leading to a final conflict with his old adversary, the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Dad's Preview: This is how you make a romantic movie, and it is such a remarkable endeavor. Robin Hood has returned from the Crusades, now a man in his 50's. He finds Marian is a nun in a convent. We learn the fates of all the wonderful Sherwood characters. Oh my, how they have aged. Marian is bitter about all the years lost between her and Robin. The ending is right out of Romeo and Juliet (1968). For those of us in the "autumn" of our lives, this story reminds us that life is short, and we are now creating the "good old days".

Rastar; Columbia Pictures

What Love Built A Secret Could Destroy...

Starring: Meg Ryan, Andy García, Lauren Tom, Ellen Burstyn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tina Majorino, Mae Whitman

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Nothing happened, Michael. Nothing has to happen for me to have a bad day. That's the thrilling part of all this. It just comes and hits and runs me over like a g**damn freight train." – Alice

Why watch this? It's a superb, yet very painful, story about battling alcoholism.

Plot Summary: This is a agonizing story about an ordinary woman, Alice, who is an alcoholic. After a serious incident, she realizes that she has to leave her family and enter rehab. She finds help at rehab and moves back home. Her husband, Michael, has trouble re-adjusting to the new, sober Alice, who is now stronger, more vocal, AND still fighting her addiction. It's going to take her husband to confront how much he was also part of her problem.

Dad's Preview: This was not the film I thought it would be. It was completely mis-marketed as a romance. The performances by Ryan and Garcia are top-notch! It is one of the best films about addiction, recovery, and how hard it is for addicts to reinsert themselves back into their old life.

Touchstone Pictures, Avnet/Kerner Prod.; Buena Vista Pictures Dist.

Sometimes love is the most dangerous game of all.

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Rachel Ward, James Woods, Alex Karras, Richard Widmark, Jane Greer, Dorian Harewood

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"That idiot football player you were going to get - well, he has got me by the balls." – Ben Caxton

Why watch this? This is one the sexiest films - your eyeballs will fog up.

Plot Summary: An aging football player, Terry Brogan, is hired to find the runaway girlfriend of an old acquaintance, Jake Wise, a shady nightclub owner. When Terry finds her, he and the woman, Jessie, fall passionately in love, complicating his assignment. Their newfound love entangles them in a web of intrigue, including corruption and danger.

Dad's Preview: This steamy '80's drama features two beautiful individuals in Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward. If you are looking for a romantic drama where the chemistry between the film's lovers works, this is it. What also works are the plot points at work to keep them apart. It is suspenseful, intense and, wow, what an ending!

New Visions, Columbia-Delphi Productions; Columbia Pictures

Someday in the past he will find her...

Starring: Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, Christopher Plummer, Teresa Wright, Bill Erwin, George Voskovec, Susan French, William H. Macy

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Do you actually believe that I have nurtured her, cared for her, molded, taught, developed her, for all these years merely to groom a wife?!" – William Robinson

Why watch this? ... it's the first romance I actually liked. Now, I cry every time I see it.

Plot Summary: A playwright named Richard Collier who becomes infatuated with a photograph of a beautiful actress named Elise McKenna, taken in 1912. Driven by an intense desire to meet her, he uses self-hypnosis to travel back in time to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. There, he encounters Elise, but her strict manager seeks to prevent any potential romance, fearing it could damage her career.

Dad's Preview: This romance film stands out because of its creative premise: a man becomes infatuated with an old photo of a beautiful actress from 1912. Using hypnosis, he travels back in time to meet her. Once he returns, can he return and reconnect with his long, lost love? Is this only in his mind? There's incredible chemistry between Seymour and Reeve, and the film's musical score is hauntingly memorable.

Rastar; Universal Pictures

He has traveled from a galaxy far beyond our own. He is 100,000 years ahead of us.
He has powers we cannot comprehend.
And he is about to face the one force in the universe he has yet to conquer.
Love.

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Phalen, Tony Edwards, Dirk Blocker

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Shall I tell you what I find beautiful about you? You are at your very best when things are worst." – The star man

Why watch this? This John Carpenter film surprised me. It's deep, thought-provoking and very beautiful.

Plot Summary: An alien crash-lands on Earth and assumes the form of a recently deceased man. The alien, needing to reach a specific rendezvous point in Arizona in three days, forces the deceased man's widow to drive him across the country. As they journey, a bond forms between them, while they are pursued by government agents determined to capture the alien.

Dad's Preview: For a brief stretch, director John Carpenter was red hot. This film takes a simple premise: a benevolent alien crash lands on earth and wants to go home. Then it evolves into a broader statement about our very humanity (or lack thereof). The film is warm and a little terrifying at times. There is a sweetness to the interaction between the alien and Jenny, the first human he meets. Some parts are funny, some romantic, some unexpected. All of it is wonderful.

Industrial Light & Magic; Delphi II Prod.; Columbia Pictures

On the Riviera...across the ocean...and all over New York!

Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr (pronounced "Carr"), Richard Denning, Neva Patterson, Cathleen Nesbitt, Robert Q. Lewis, Charles Watts, Fortunio Bonanova, Jean Acker, Dorothy Adams

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories. We've already missed the Spring." – Terry McKay

Why watch this? Many feel this is the greatest screen romance of all time.

Plot Summary: When an international playboy, Nick Ferrante, boards an ocean liner bound for NYC and his pending fiancée, he never expects to meet someone who will change his life. She is Terry McKay, who likewise is involved with someone else back in the states. Their attraction is immediate, but they try to play it down. Still, they manage to spend enough time together for the romance to grow, a difficult task thanks to nosey passengers. Immediately before they reach their destination, and their significant others, they agree to meet in six weeks atop the Empire State Building, but only if they still feel true love.

Dad's Preview:  All I can say is that this should be your go-to Valentine's Night movie. It's sole focus is the sometimes bumpy relationship between two lost souls who, quite unexpectedly, have found their "person". Sure their tryst is magical, but what happens after the affair? To have a future, truths have to be told and hearts will be broken. Warning, you will need some tissues.

Jerry Wald Productions; 20th Century Fox

After Life There Is More.

Starring: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra, Max von Sydow, Jessica Brooks Grant, Matt Salinger

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Bring Mom back. You can do it. I believe in you. Did you ever stop to think why I became Albert? He was the only man you ever listened to. Listen to me now. Think of Mom." - Albert

Why watch this? This is about love and pain and saving your spouse, even after death.

Plot Summary: Chris dies in an accident. He enters a vibrant afterlife shaped by his colorful memories and imagination. He discovers his beloved wife, Annie, distraught by her losses, has committed suicide and is trapped in a dark, twisted version of the afterlife. Driven by love, Chris embarks on a perilous journey through these realms to rescue her.

Dad's Preview: A truly thought-provoking film about life after death, and a possible version of where we might go. The after-world is overwhelmingly beautiful, like living in an oil painting. There is sweet happiness there and welcomed reunions. However, there's also a darkness. This film really exposed Robin Williams as a serious dramatic actor. Visually, it's breathtaking.

Interscope Communications; PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

She was heralded as unsinkable...

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, David Warner

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"The press knows the size of Titanic, now I want them to marvel at her speed, too. We must give them something new to print. And the maiden voyage of Titanic must make headlines!" – I. Bruce Ismay

Why watch this? A truly epic telling of the greatest maritime disaster.

Plot Summary: A young, upper-class lady, Rose DeWitt Bukater, feels trapped by her engagement to a wealthy but controlling man, Cal. Aboard the luxurious RMS Titanic, she meets Jack Dawson, a free-spirited artist traveling in third class. Despite their stark class differences and Rose's engagement, they fall deeply in love. However, their romance unfolds against the backdrop of the ship's fateful maiden voyage and the impending disaster that will forever change their lives.

Dad's Preview: I've always found sea disasters interesting to research. What went wrong? Could it have been prevented? The story of R.M.S. Titanic is an exercise in man's hubris. For god's sake they called her "Unsinkable", before she had sailed a single league. The film, its cinematography and effects are very well done. Even the fictional love story is engaging. As horrible as it was, the actual sinking, which takes quite a while, is remarkable to witness on the big screen, and I loved every minute of it. 

20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment; Paramount Pictures

The man. The music. The movie.

Starring: Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos, Clarence Williams III, Jerome Benton, Billy Sparks, Jill Jones

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I can make you happy. If you just believed in me." - Francis L.

Why watch this? One of the best movies ever about an artist and his band.

Plot Summary: A talented but troubled musician, known as The Kid, struggles with a difficult home life and intense rivalries with other performers in the Minneapolis club scene. He attempts to forge a career with his band, The Revolution, while navigating a complex romance with an aspiring singer named Apollonia. The story explores The Kid's artistic journey as he confronts his personal demons, deals with a rival band, and learns to collaborate with his own band members.

Dad's Preview: I will forever maintain that Prince, and this film, helped me to find my sex appeal. Men I grew up around were pretty closed off about that topic. Prince helped me find my way. He exuded sexual charisma and confidence. Some of it was not completely masculine, yet women still loved him. It took the pressure off a need to appear macho, and that was more true to who I really am. The concert scenes are unforgettable. The soundtrack sat at No. 1 for 24 weeks! It's world-wide sales made it one of the best-selling albums of all time, and it won the Oscar for Best Original Song Score.

Purple Films; Warner Bros.

A celebration of youth, friendship, and the everlasting magic of the movies.

Starring: Phillippe Noiret, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Agnese Nano, Antonella Attili, Enzo Cannavale

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Whatever you end up doing, love it. The way you loved the projection booth when you were a young squirt." - Alfredo

Why watch this? This single film, more than any other, explains why I love movies.

Plot Summary: This story follows Salvatore, a celebrated film director, who returns to his Sicilian hometown for the funeral of his childhood mentor and friend, Alfredo. The film is told through a flashbacks, reflecting on Salvatore's youth and his bond with Alfredo, the projectionist at the local cinema. Through their shared love for movies and the lessons Alfredo imparts, Salvatore finds guidance and inspiration that shapes his path to becoming a filmmaker.

Dad's Preview: It is impossible for me to explain this film with getting emotional. This wonderful film traverses through time and tragedy, with "moving pictures" as a constant backdrop for everything that happens during the boy's journey to adulthood. Especially poignant is his love affair with the beautiful Elena. This powerful film's ending is incredibly emotional, and I tear up just thinking about.

Les Films Ariane, RAI, TF1, Cristaldi Film, Forum Picture; Titanus, Ariane Dist.

The African Queen (1951), Director: John Huston, rated PG for some war violence

Bogart the King is back with the 'Queen!'

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull, Theodore Bikel, Walter Gotell, Peter Stanwick

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating!" – Rose Sayer

Why watch this? It's a wonderful adventure film from the 50's with two Hollywood icons.

Plot Summary: Set during World War I, in German East Africa, Charlie Allnut, a rough-and-tumble Canadian riverboat captain, finds himself thrown together with a strait-laced British missionary named Rose Sayer. Together, they embark on a dangerous journey down a treacherous river on Charlie's dilapidated boat, the African Queen, facing natural dangers and German forces. Despite their vastly different personalities and frequent arguments, an unlikely bond develops as they navigate their perilous mission.

Dad's Preview: I've always been a lover of unlikely romances. Here we have the uptight, religious spinster, Rose, and the rough, solitary chug boat captain, Charlie. Thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, they are forced to brave a mighty Ulonga-Bora river, which is full of obstacles to bring our two lead actors closer together. Casting Bogart and Hepburn was pure genius. This is definitely one of my top 10 romantic films.

Horizon Pictures, Romulus Pictures; United Artists

One Taste Is All It Takes

Starring: Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin, Johnny Depp, Carrie-Anne Moss, Peter Stormare, John Wood

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"And these are for your husband. Unrefined cacao nips from Guatemala, to awaken the passions." - Vianne

Why watch this? A wonderful confectionary treat about moral repression and gentle rebellion.

Plot Summary: The tale follows Vianne Rocher, a single mother, who arrives in a traditional French village with her daughter and opens a chocolate shop. Her unconventional approach and delicious chocolates challenge the rigid customs and beliefs of the town, particularly those of the mayor. This leads to a conflict between those who embrace the new and those who resist change, with the chocolate shop becoming a focal point of the town's social and moral divisions.

Dad's Preview: Juliette Binoche is such a special actress. She masters the ability to be strong, yet warm. She plays an angelic lady who comes into town and starts fixing things, and people, who are a bit broken: the battered wife, a strained mother-daughter relationship, the overtly stern mayor. Like a fine chocolatier, she finds the right flavors, mixes in a little spice and viola! - some folks begin to see things in a new light. This film will make your heart smile and nose smell chocolate.

David Brown, Kit Golden, Leslie Holleran; Miramax Films

Love Is A Force Of Nature

Starring: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, Randy Quaid, Linda Cardellini

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"The bottom line is...we're around each other and...this thing grabs hold of us again...in the wrong place...in the wrong time...we're dead." - Ennis Del Mar

Why watch this? This is a love story, set in a place where folks don't tolerate anybody "different".

Plot Summary: In 1963, two out-of-work cowboys, Jack and Ennis, hire on working sheep in the Wyoming wilderness. Unexpectedly, the two become intimate, something they agree was a "one time deal". They return to their lives, both marrying and having kids. Over the next ten years, however, their forbidden relationship grows as they meet for annual fishing trips.

Dad's Preview:  This complex, unconventional love story painfully illustrates the jagged edge these rugged men had to walk if they dared show their true feelings. Ledger and Gyllenhaal deliver incredible performances under Ang Lee's sensitive direction. The film won three Oscars, including Best Director and Best Score.

River Road Entertainment; Focus Features

They had a date with fate in Casablanca!

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"You know, Rick, I have many a friend in Casablanca, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust." - Ugarte

Why watch this? This is film noir's holy grail. It has all the classic elements.

Plot Summary: Rick Blaine is an expatriate running a seedy bar in Casablanca. In walks Ilsa Lund, an old love, who is now married to Victor Laszlo, a secret Czech resistance leader trying to escape the city. The love triangle heats up as Ilsa clearly still has feelings for Rick. However, World War II is also heating up, and although Rick claims to be neutral, he certainly has no love for the Germans.

Dad's Preview: I once could not understand all the hype for this film. The reason lay in when I viewed it. I was already familiar with Bogart and Bergman from their other films. I was also "Meh" on the noir genre. So Casablanca felt kinda been-there-done-that. However, after taking time to re-think my perspective, I now get it, and am elated. I love discovering what makes a film great.  This noir classic is a quality, ground-breaking, and very politically-complicated, film. It's forbidden love angle makes is a splendid romance. You also can't say enough about Bogey's performance as Rick. Nobody is better at portraying the man-in-control, gaming his surroundings for profit or to stay alive - that's always been his sex appeal. So, "Play it once, Sam, for old times' sake." and embrace this film as the gem it is.

Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.

A MAN in search. A WOMAN in need. A story of FATE.

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Giancarlo Giannini, Anthony Quinn, Angélica Aragón, Freddy Rodriguez, Debra Messing

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

DML Top 50 #40 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of A Walk in the Clouds

"Talking between men and women never solves anything. Where we think, they feel. They are creatures of the heart." - Don Pedro Aragon

Why watch this? Keanu does romance pretty well in this adorable film.

Plot Summary: Paul Sutton is a World War II soldier who returns home to a strained marriage. On his way back to California, he meets Victoria Aragon, a pregnant woman who is afraid to face her traditional Mexican-American family. Paul offers to pretend to be her husband to help her, but this leads to unexpected consequences as they spend more time together within her family's vineyard.

Dad's Preview: My sister loved this flick. I owe a lot to that fine lady. She instilled in me a love of genealogy, passed on her love of movies. She had hundreds of VHS tapes everywhere. Every visit, we'd stay up late watching her current recommendations. Her influence populates my lists. Cancer took her too soon. This wonderful romance always warms my heart. It's so beautifully shot, and has such a dreamy, wispy quality to it. Like the clouds. This film is like discovering the subtleties of a great oil work on canvas. Two actors stood out: Aitana Sánchez-Gijón - Wow. And... Anthony Quinn as the family's wise, humble patriarch - what a treasure.

Zucker Brothers Productions; 20th Century Fox

You can erase someone from your mind. Getting them out of your heart is another story.

Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson, Jane Adams, David Cross, Deirdre O'Connell, Thomas Jay Ryan

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #7 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

"Meet me in Montauk..." – Clementine

Why watch this? It's the polar opposite of a RomCom, and the greatest movie about real love I have ever seen.

Plot Summary: Joel discovers his former girlfriend, Clementine, has had their relationship erased from her memory following a breakup. Out of despair, Joel decides to undergo the same procedure to erase Clementine from his own mind. However, as his memories are systematically removed, Joel begins to realize the importance of those experiences, even the painful ones. He attempts to resist the erasure process and hold onto the memories of Clementine, leading to a surreal and fragmented journey through his subconscious.

Dad's Preview: Perhaps the thing about romantic films (that turns me off) is that they usually end up sugar-coated, and frankly, unrealistic. This incredibly unique cinematic triumph bends reality to intelligently show us the ups and downs of a romantic relationship; the vulnerability of the human psyche; and the faint possibility that sometimes an imperfect love is still worth everything. This master class in filmmaking forever changed the way I view movies - I used to want to be entertained, now I search for films that impart meaning.

Anonymous Content, This is that; Focus Features