What’s the perfect love story to watch this Valentine’s Day?
A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife talk about cinematic love stories, from the Golden Age of 194os screwball courtship to the rom-com dregs of the early 2000s
Film Features Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day is Sunday, and to celebrate this annual rush for florists, chocolatiers, and greeting-card magnates, The A.V. Club has rolled out several odes to romantic pop-culture. It’s Love Week, you saps! The festivities continue on this uncharacteristically mushy episode of Film Club, wherein critics (and usual cynics) A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife talk about cinematic love stories, from the Golden Age of 194os screwball courtship to the rom-com dregs of the early 2000s. They close things out with some recommendations for this weekend’s collective date night. Because it’s you, dear listeners, we really love.
If you haven’t heard, next week, Film Club is doing a very special AMA episode of the podcast. Have some burning inquiry about The A.V. Club? Want to know what it’s like to be a film critic in 2021? Curious how Katie and Alex feel about a particular movie or franchise or trend? Ask away, and they just might answer on next week’s episode. To submit a question, simply pose it in the comment section of the article linked below.
Listen to the podcast above, subscribe on iTunes, and give us a five-star rating to help other listeners find us. And while you’re there, check out The A.V. Club’s other podcasts, Push The Envelope and Dial M For Maple.
14 Comments
The best romantic movie is Natural Born Killers. Only love can kill the demon.
This scene and song are really incredible. Even if it just happens to be on because one of my kids is rewatching it, I’ll always pause what I’m doing, watch, and feel all sappy inside. Such a great movie as a whole.
I personally like romance movies where death is involved.So The Crow, Wristcutters, Death Becomes Her, What Dreams May Come, and the like. I think Wristcutters would be my top choice out of those examples.Although Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind is good too.
Phantom Thread gang, where you at?
I had never heard of that term “Baxter”, but it might as well be called “Marsden.”Does the Baroness Schraeder count as a Baxter?
Since Marsden’s character ends up with Liz at the end of 30 Rock, his name is disqualified from consideration.
When Harry Met Sally is the best romantic comedy of all time. Groundhog Day, which is also romantic comedy, is the best movie of all time. Please explain.
Time loops do weird things to film criticism, man.
I recommend “The Honeymoon Killers” from 1970. Now THAT’S true love.
I only just realized Teddy JR from Rectify qualifies a Baxter. He’s a much more complicated variety (perhaps the best heel-face turn I can recall in TV) and Tawny doesn’t wind up with anybody, but the things you mentioned are there. And since you mention Humphrey Bogart, in Casablanca he steals the noble act you ascribe to the Baxter from the Baxter archetype of the film.
I don’t know if I’d choose 1960 as the dividing line. “The sixties” in a cultural sense really starts with JFK’s assassination. Prior to that is sort of an extension of the 50s.
My vote for most romantic movie (or most romantic gesture in a movie) is The African Queen. When Bogart begs the captain to marry them just before they’re about to be hanged as spies because it would please Hepburn just gets me every time.
I’d like to request something because I am often driving or otherwise occupied while listening to this podcast and I’m sure other people are too. Is it possible to post the list of movies discussed in these posts or in the podcast episode description? Sometimes the titles of movies are mentioned only once and I want to be able to look them up or add them to my watchlist later.