Although I love making video trailers, I don’t fancy myself to be a movie maker by any means, but perhaps my love of movies inspires by video book trailers.
Recently, I bought a copy of one of my favorite romance movies of all time, The Love Letter starring Campbell Scott and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Many years ago, I happened upon this Hallmark movie late one night when I was channel surfing because of insomnia.
Made in 1998, the story is about a man who buys an antique desk and finds a hidden compartment containing letters written by a woman who lived during the Civil War.
Oh, what a romantic, poignant time travel story the movie was. It took me a long time before the DVD was available. I had it in my Amazon Wish list for a long time but didn’t want to pay the SRP. To my surprise, the price dropped to less than $10.00 last week. My copy was delivered today!
Subjective Taste
It’s funny how some things catch our imagination and speak to us so eloquently. However, movies, like books appeal subjectively to people. Since we’re all romance fans on this website, I wondered how many of my personal favorites “speak” to you. So here’s my list of romance movies I love that I think have stood the test of time. I chose the ones that you probably won’t find on film critics’ lists. They’re not in any special order because prioritizing the list would be completely impossible.
1. The L
ove Letter, 1998.
2. Ladyhawke, 1985. Starring a young Rutger Hauer who looks like a fallen angel with his blond hair and piercing blue eyes. Two lovers who can never be reunited.
3. The Last of the Mohicans, 1992. Starring a gorgeous long-haired Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe as Cora, with a stirring musical score that still gives me goosebumps.
4. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, can’t leave those out!
5. Notting Hill, 1999. So funny and so romantic with Hugh Grant as the diffident would-be lover of a famous movie star.
6. Love Actually, 2003. Hugh Grant got a promotion to Prime Minister, a politician who meets his Waterloo on the day he arrives at 10 Downing Street. A talented ensemble cast with separate stories that are funny, heartwarming, and poignant. 
7. American Dreamer, 1984. JoBeth Williams and Tom Conti. Frustrated writer stuck with a husband who doesn’t “get her” wins a trip to Paris, gets mugged, and wakes up thinking she is her favorite fictional heroine. Funny, romantic, and memorable. (I’ve got a copy.)
8. Something New, 2006. Opposites, landscaper and CPA, attract resulting in a delightful, emotional romance. Stars Simon Baker and Sanaa Lathan.
9. The Holiday, 2006. Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black. Sometimes you have to go across the pond to find Love. Funny and romantic, my favorite combination.
10. The Jane Austen Book Club, 2007, with an ensemble cast of Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Amy Brenneman, Marc Blucas, Jimmy Smits, Emily Blunt, and Hugh Dancy. I absolutely adore this movie.
Looking for Romance?
If you’re looking for a romantic movie, try some of the ones on my list. For romance novels, drop by our Authors’ Billboard Books page where you’ll find stunning romance collections at amazingly low prices.
Have a great summer filled with Romance!
Joan Reeves—Keeping Romance Alive…One Sexy Book at a Time—is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance. From Romantic Comedy to Romantic Thriller, all of her books have the same premise: “It’s never too late to live happily ever after.” Joan lives her happily-ever-after with her hero, her husband, in the Lone Star State. They divide their time between a book-cluttered home in Houston and a quiet house in the Texas Hill Country where they sit on the porch, stare at the big night sky, and listen to the coyotes howl. Sign up for Joan’s Mailing List and be the first to know about new books and giveaways.