What are some good/enjoyable movies where love/romance is an important factor to the story, but you wouldn't really classify them as a romance or rom-com?
Essentially any movie where the love story is the B plot, instead of the A plot. Which is why I also agree that Princess Bride and Gross Pointe Blank are indeed romance movies, as the romance is really the A plot in those movies. Also in Groundhog Day.
My second reply is more serious: "Terminator"
Love this. Yeah, romance B plot.
I have been doing a lot of screenwriting lately, so I've got film structure on the brain these days.
There's a lot of movies that have a romantic sub-plot, but if you removed it, it wouldn't change the outcome of the movie that much. (I was about to say removing Venkman's pursuit of Dana wouldn't change much in Ghostbusters, but then I remembered that the only reason he was really focusing on her case was because he thought she was hot. Though I want to say that's more gonnads than romantic.)
I will concede The Princess Bride as a romance and Gross Pointe Blank was a (kind of dark) rom-com. Though that's not the first word that I would use to describe either of those movies.
The Terminator is a good one.
I really need to see Zombieland one of these days. I'm annoyed I didn't take advantage when Netflix had it available for streaming.
What would you describe The Princess Bride as? I can see that argument about the book, but not the movie. The title is about marriage, and the A plot is a couple who's torn apart and reunites despite death and kidnapping. There's a bit of other stuff, but in the movie, the sick boy is the B plot, and dethroning Humperdinck and avenging Montoya Sr's murder are secondary to the "rescue my love" mission.
Rewatched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and the very last scene was the epitome of unspoken yet awesome special effects, because this time I paid special attention to RDJ's hands, and heck yes, he
was missing half a finger.
I so appreciate that kind of thing.
The thing about The Terminator as a B plot romance movie is that I grew up in with a mom who viewed it as the A plot. I think that movie is a bit trickier, because I think the B plot romance is a stealth A plot in a way. Like, Kyle wouldn't have been there most likely if he hadn't already been in love with Sarah, and eventually the whole thing boiled down to him being there, loving Sarah, and consumating was the whole reason for the assassination attempt.
Beau and I just watched The Queen of Versailles and man that movie (documentary) is a trip. The NYT review said this was like looking in a mirror, and I didn't feel any connection to those in the film.
Reading articles with the director, she said the family has been over-spending when they were in financial crisis. While there was one scene that dealt with this issue, that wasn't at all clear to me. I thought their financial problems were due to the construction of 2 key buildings - not household expenses!
The Terminator is a good one.
...If you take away the romance, the movie doesn't happen.
I see The Princess Bride as an adventure/swashbuckling movie. Though the romance is obviously a very key part.
...If you take away the romance, the movie doesn't happen.
Right. Which was what I was trying to get at (and apparently explaining poorly). You wouldn't call The Terminator a romance, but the romance is important to the outcome (or existence, in this case) of the movie.
What about Dark City (the original The Matrix)?
