Can a person be called a movie buff if they are passionate about movies in one particular genre? As much as I am a fan of feel-good movie genre, I dislike horror and action. So can I still call myself a cinephile? I think I don’t care what the definition is. I am hereby declaring myself a movie buff. Below are the movies that I ran into in 2022 and that created a certain special dent in my heart.
Barefoot
Rating: 9 Unicorns
Genre: Romance
Every once in a while you stumble upon a movie that makes you immensely happy and that shifts something inside you such that you can never be the same again. The characters are not perfect people but they are perfect for each other. They have no judgements and so much respect for each other. I really liked the premise. But There is a maturity in the portrayal of all the characters. A must watch for people who are die-hard rom-com fans. Plot is quite engaging and keeps you hooked. The hero, Jay, takes our heroine, Daisy, who is undergoing a psychiatric treatment, to his brother’s wedding to convince his family that he has found a partner. Things don’t work out very well or perhaps they do? This movie brought me hope. Hope that someone is out there who is perfect for you and who is going to come into your like in the most unlikely circumstances and they might seem like the most unlikely person for you.
I Want You Back
Rating: 8 Unicorns
Genre: Romance
A perfect Rom-com. Emma and Peter were recently dumped and are not ready to move on so easily. They run into each other ( the meet-cute was alright, simple and realistic) and connive to help each other in winning their exes back. That would entail sabotaging their exes’ new relationships. Although the plot the plot sounds a bit cliche, the movie will surprise you with a fresh take on the plotline. Even though the story seems predictable, the movie is refreshing and fun to watch. The chemistry between the leads is palpable. I love the part that they feel instantaneous connection with each other but not romantically. Romance and love grows organically, and most naturally. My only problem with the movie is that it ends abruptly. Unlike how gently the rest of the movie unfolds, the ending is rushed. Unfortunately, this is the problem with a lot of good movies.
Overboard
Rating: 7 Unicorns
Genre: Romance
OMG, it’s funny and delightful. After falling off his yacht, Leo, a wealthy business tycoon loses his memory. Kate, a single mom of three kids is barely able to make the ends meet. Kate and Leo’s first encounter wasn’t very friendly so now, when the ball is in Kate’s court she deems it only fair to take advantage of the situation and convince Leo that they are married. Anna Farris has done an exceptional job. There is so much attention to detail in little things be writing scenes or creating sets. The banter between Mexican workers is hilarious and feels real. Kate’s home and her life has been portrayed really well. Her run-down car and her palpable frustration with it. Her interaction with her daughters is top-notch. Although her home appears cozy but everything is old and worn out. Again there so much attention paid to little things while creating the home environment.
And finally, I really liked how the story progressed. Leo became a different person altogether and I really enjoyed how there was a subtle internal struggle . He couldn’t believe at first that he poor. Moral of the story, a person can be mold himself into anyone, provided he is willing to unlearn and loosen his identity.
The movie is mostly perfect except for the part of how Leo got his memory back. That was lame. But the ending pretty much made up for it.
Life as we know it
Rating: 7 Unicorns
Genre: Romance
I love Kathrine Heigl’s starrer rom-coms. She is the perfect girl next door. I wonder, why we don’t see any more of her movies!
Life as we know it has all the ingredients of a perfect rom-com. The movie has comedy, romance, a cute baby and is an absolute treat. Eric and Holly go on a date but end up disliking each other. When their friends meet with an accident, they are handed over the joint custody of their friends’ baby.
I loved how two very different people deal with this unprecedented situation. And while they do, they also go on from not liking each other to becoming a team and starting to care for each other. They both are basically good at heart and this you’ll see in little things they do for the baby and each other.
Talking about the baby, it is so cute and if you think about it, it is also the cupid in the movie.
All the supporting actors are great too and add so much color to the movie. I didn’t want the movie to end ever. I wanted to keep on watching Eric and Holly raise the kid.
Office Space
Rating: 9 Unicorns
Genre: Comedy
This was refreshing. If you are suffering your job, or if you are in a bad mood in general, this movie is definitely going to bring you some laughter. Peter is a software engineer and is tired of his mundane and joy-sucking job. He has reached his limits and doesn’t give a crap to what is required from him at the office anymore. He doesn’t want to stay stuck in a cubicle 8 hours a day for the rest of his life. Peter, along with two of his friends, connives a vengeful plan to plant a virus in the company’s system.
Office Space is a smart, clever, hilarious satire of 9 to 5 corporate job. Even thinking of certain scenes especially Peter’s rebellion at the office, makes me giggle. What I love about Office Space is the fact that how precisely it imitates the mundane and facetious corporate culture . Employees doing unmotivating tasks like filing TPS Reports while managers doing what they do best viz. poking the employees for inane things . The characters in this movie are like regular people and unique in their own ways.
It is unbelievable that the movie was made in 1999 and it is still absolutely relevant. This is also perhaps one of the reasons that the movie is hugely underrated. Maybe it came out too soon. The size of people in corporate jobs weren’t that huge plus the channels to watch and market the movies were limited compared to how it is today. Overall, Office Space is an amazing film that I’m sure anyone can relate to. The characters are hilarious and the story is funny with several laugh out loud moments.
Eve’s Christmas
Rating: 5 Unicorns
Genre: Romance
What’s a list of feel-good movies without a few Christmas movies. Eve is a successful, career-oriented woman who gets a second chance in life when on Christmas eve, a magical wish transports her back to the time when she walked away from her wedding to pursue her professional dreams. Now, she is faced with making the same decision all over again.
I think the overall plotline was enjoyable and entertaining, and perhaps makes for a good one-time watch. Having said that, I’ll refrain from getting into the technical details, or fault-finding mode. Because this movie has many. But there’s one that I can’t help not pointing out. I didn’t like the fact that Eve thinks she is lonely because she chose to come to New York to pursue her dream career. Maybe getting married 8 years ago might have left her lonely and broke. Who knows?
I didn’t find Eve relatable or likeable. Among all the movies on the list, this is my least favorite.
Christmas Catch
Genre: Romance
Nice, feel-good Christmas movie. Detective Mackenzie is on a mission to catch a suspected diamond thief. She has a meet-cute with Carson, who later on turns out to be a suspect. Mackenzie goes undercover to catch him red-handed, but instead, falls for Carson. She also begins to suspect that he is innocent and that he has been framed. Feelings could be clouding Mackenzie’s judgment or it is likely that they are focusing on the wrong suspect.
If you are looking for an intelligent movie that makes a lot of sense, don’t go for this one. It is a tad-bit silly and cliche, like most feel-good Hallmark Christmas rom-coms are, but who cares. The movie is light hearted and the story flows well with no major flaws. Obviously there is hyperbole and local cops consistently acting unreasonably, but it’s a Christmas rom-com. In the end, I am not a movie critic. I enjoy a movie for how it makes me feel and avoid getting caught up in too many details. Fair?
Three Weeks Three Kids
Rating: 7 Unicorns
Genre: Comedy, Romance
The movie is fun to watch. Jennifer is a 25 year old, independent, commitment-phobic woman. She is tasked with taking care of her nieces and nephew, while her sister and brother-in-law go on a three-week honeymoon to Europe. The movie has so many elements, there is family, romance, struggle, emotions, coming-of-age, I had a great time watching it.
The part I liked the most about this movie is the characters, they seem so real in their struggles. And all the interactions between the characters were delightful to watch. The dialogue was well written and felt real. Though the story was predictable, it was quite enjoyable.
Home By Christmas
Rating: 9 Unicorns
Genre: Drama
Inspiring. This movie is a real deal. The story is excellent, all actors have done a great job. Julie, who has been a dedicated housewife and a mother all these years, leaves her home and her husband when she finds out he has been cheating on her. She ends up living in her car, with no money, even struggling to feed herself. But the solid woman she is, she stands up for herself, makes some friends along the way and rebuilds her life. It is a brilliant movie that shows how if one door closes, another one opens one. It is a fantastic, solid movie about a woman’s courage and her her capacity to overcome challenges, when everything is going downhill. Watch this feel good movie and get some good vibes, won’t you?
Love Hard
Genre: Romance, Comedy
I watched it for Nina Dobrev. And also, the trailer of the movie was cute. Natalie meets her “perfect” guy on a dating app, and to meet him for the first time in person and also to surprise him for Christmas, she flies from Los Angeles to New York. That is when she realizes she has been catfished. I’ve heard stories from friends whose Tinder dates turned out to be very different from their profiles. So, I found the premise promising and fun. But the movie is basically as boring as it can get. Basically, not among the good rom-coms I’ve watched. While at times it is cute and charming, and especially bearable because of the actors, it’s largely a drag. The thing about rom-coms is that they follow a predictable plotline. What makes a rom-com special is the execution and small ingenious plot twists and elements. However, in love hard, I can definitely see a lack of creativity, originality and ingeniousness.
Most major scenes have been picked from other popular movies and the references and “jokes” made throughout the movie are again unoriginal and even outdated. The best part about the movie is the characters and one can see how honestly the three leads have played out their part. The next best thing about the movie is how it puts out a message that love can see beyond looks and ethnicity. Natalie chose Jimmy for who he was and his character and personality, and not because he looked like Darren Barret. I liked how the movie explored the utility of these apps that focus on surface level information about people. And how people make dating decisions- solely on the basis of looks. I am wondering what love and marriage would have looked like if everyone looked exactly the same. I feel this movie has tried to create a sense of positive self-image for adolescents who suffer from body image issues especially when it comes to dating.
Did you like the list of the movies to cheer you up? Do you think I missed out on any other movies that you think should be on the list? Then kindly comment. In case you think the list of inspiring movies resonates well with you, please like, share and subscribe.
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