Spoiler alert, you will not find The English Patient or anything with Hugh Grant in it on my list.
10. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Gangster chic. Two beautiful people meet, fall in love and, very elegantly, rob banks. Remember the banks were the bad guys in the foreclosure-heavy 1930s, so this criminally well-dressed duo was sticking it to the enemy.
9. Say Anything (1989) Putting the “boom!” back in boombox, John Cusack rocked a trenchcoat, and staked his claim. A sweet little piece that captures teenage angst, and the awkward, rickety bridge between childhood and adulthood.
8. Cinema Paradiso (1988) It’s kind of a rule that you have to have at least one foreign language film in a Top Ten list dealing with anything cinematic. Also, it’s a dope film. It’s really a love story about a boy and his adult mentor, the projectionist at the theatre, or a boy and his mother, or a boy and film itself, so while it’s light on romance, it’s raining love.
7. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) You know how in all old-time movies, they always start every sentence with “Say…”? Well, this one does that while delivering a kickass romantic storyline, colorful after-dinner-mint costumes, and Gene Kelly just singin’ and dancin’ in…well, you know.
6. The Way We Were (1973) That sound you just heard is me surrendering my man card. Netflix this guy, and pop up some corn, get some of those fancy tissues with the baby oil built in, and press play.
5. Rocky 1, 2 and 3 (1976, 1979, 1982 respectively) Just kidding. Before Sunset (1995). I really do like Rocky though.
4. Breathless (1960) A seedy French criminal and his youthful American girlfriend with Paris as their backdrop. It’s like an 11 on the style-ometer. Plus, you’ve gotta love the original French title: “A Bo De Souffle” (out of breath).
3. An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) See first line under The Way We Were.
2. Vertigo (1958) What kind of self-respecting list wouldn’t include a Hitchcock film? And number one?
1. Casablanca (1942) If you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and get your hands on it.
Honorable Mention: Manhattan, Annie Hall, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Blue, As Good as it Gets, Badlands, The Surrogate, Gone With the Wind, City Lights, and, of course, Reservoir Dogs.