Career Opportunities

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Career Opportunities!

Original image located here. Accessed 10th July 2026

I think it's fair to say that this movie exists purely because of Jennifer Connelly. Indeed, if people know this movie it's because they've seen the footage of Connelly on the coin-operated horse.
But is there more to it than that? I mean it has John Huston's name as writer so it has to be good, right? Surely this movie has a reason to exist other than Connelly looking stunning?

Probably not. 

Okay seriously, this movie was many things: aimless, obnoxious, amateurish. And yet at the same time it was strangely goofy and our two leads made an oddly compelling duo. Yeah it wasn't great but hey I've seen worse. 

And lets face it: if it wasn't for Connelly, no one would care for this movie.

Rosaline

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Rosaline!

Original image located here. Accessed 13th February 2026

This movie came to my attention through a high concept: A re-telling of Romeo and Juliet through an unseen character - a love interest of Romeo that is immediately disregarded once Juliet enters the picture. Sounds like a challenge to me....

So this is pretty much Romeo and Juliet thrust into the lens of deconstruction and post-modernism (the kind of lens that served Shrek so well). It come across like a fanfiction someone wrote to try and force modern logic and perceptions into a centuries-old text.
And yet, I had so much fun with this movie. There were some great jokes, the cast seem to be having the time of their lives and there are certainly nods to Shakespeare that one such nerd, like myself, could pick up on. The description in the above paragraph may sound like a disaster but somehow it works.

Great stuff

Revenge of Bridesmaids

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Revenge of the Bridesmaids!

Original image located here. Accessed 6th February 2026

Sometimes a movie sneaks into your 'To-Watch' list and you forget why you put it there in the first place. Still, I'm not afraid to step out of my comfort zone and watch something I wouldn't normally consider so here we go. But hey, with a title like that you can't be at least a little curious. 
From the outset this is the story of how some ladies get invited to the wedding of a (not really) friend and the hijinks they get up to. Sounds like an excuse for some bitchiness right?

Well not quite. Yes this movie is clearly a TV-movie (to the point of painful), yes this movie is obviously done on the cheap and yes, the editing is all-over the shop. But hey: This movie was a lot of fun to watch and had some really good jokes.
And also props to showing a female bond on-screen where they are there for each other and are willing to stand up for each other. So much so, I think this should be studied...

When Harry Met Sally

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... When Harry Met Sally!

Original image located here. Accessed 14th February 2025

Well it's Valentine's Day so here's one I've been saving for such an occasion. 

Seems to me that this movie is remembered for three reasons: Firstly, it defined rom-coms for the next couple of decades. Secondly, it made Meg Ryan the go-to actress for rom-coms. And thirdly, the diner scene. But I however came to this movie to judge on it's own, without these three factors in play.

And honestly, it's still really funny. There are some great gags and some razor-sharp writing, exploring the mindset of both genders. And it's interesting to note that whereas this movie became a benchmark of rom-coms it doesn't really follow the tropes associated with the genre (as dictated by It Happened One Night) and is all the better for it. 

It's also nice to see Carrie Fisher in a non-Star Wars role. 

It Happened One Night

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... It Happened One Night!

Original image located here. Accessed 12th January 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 7 (1934)

This film has quite the reputation behind it: It was the first movie in Oscars history to scoop the top five awards (Best Picture/Actor/Actress/Director/Screenplay) and several elements inspired the mannerisms of Bugs Bunny. But perhaps the greatest legacy of this movie is that it is the progenitor of the modern rom-com.
You know those movies where two people come together, by chance, start hating one another and then form a romantic bond that cumulates in a disrupted wedding? Yeah, you can thank this movie for that.

Ultimately however this is still pretty funny and age has not withered the humour present. Likewise for the presence of our two leads - which is an impressive achievement considering Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable hated making it. But you wouldn't think that watching it now.
In fact, this movie still comes across as fun even when it has been copied countless times (but never bettered). Truly a gem.

50 First Dates

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... 50 First Dates!

Original image located here. Accessed 29th September 2023

If there has been a theme with my film selection of this year, it is the notion that I have been going through my 'To Watch' list and clearing some of the titles on it. Some of which have been on there for so long that I may have forgotten why I put it on there in the first place.
So why this movie? Beats me.
It's not much of a stretch to say that Adam Sandler is something of a punchline making crummy movies, through his production company Happy Madison, that are notorious for some really lousy humour. I can't say I have actively sought out his work but Still I was at least willing to give this film a chance. After all, if Adam Sandler can form a production company, Happy Madison, so he and his friends can make the movies they want then that is no different than Margot Robbie forming a production company, Lucky Chap, so she and her friends can make the movies they want.

It seems that when you watch a Happy Madison movie, you know exactly what you're getting in for: Dumb jokes that both repulse and age like milk. So given that these jokes are present in this movie, I should hate this movie. Likewise, this movie has become disreputable in recent years for it's depiction of a guy manipulating a woman with short term memory loss into making her fall in love with him. 
Major strikes to be sure but what works in this movie works wonders. Sandler and Barrymore make for an engaging on-screen couple, clearly Sandler is trying something different compared to the rest of his oeuvre, the tragic angle of living with someone with short term memory loss and certain moments that hit hard.
So yeah, when the movie works it works great. And almost makes the uncomfortable stuff excusable.

...........Almost

The Naked Kitchen

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Naked Kitchen!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st September 2023

Anyone heard of this? I know I've been throwing a lot of curveballs with my movie selection this year but  this may be the biggest curveball yet.
With a title like that one would think this is a porno but no: It's a South Korean rom-com. I only came about it when Kiera dropped the dvd case in front of me and insisted that I watch it.
I suppose that is one way to get's one attention.
And they say physical media is dead, eh?

As for the movie itself, I'm not sure what to make of it: Guy wants to open a restaurant, brings in a chef to assist him and chef ends up having a fling with Guy's wife? Yeah, not doing much for me. 
As such, I found the movie dull and a chore to get through. 
Easy come easy go I guess

The Holiday

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... The Holiday!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th February 2023

This movie came to me as something of a challenge. Because one thing that attracted me was the knowledge that it was a rom com with Jack Black in a key role. Nothing special about that you might think but the writer/director, Nancy Meyers, said the role she gave Jack was one especially written for him. Personally I feel that Jack Black can only play one character so to see him try something different is certainly welcome.

So what we have here is a Christmas movie (two months late I know but stay with me here) where a British woman (Kate Winslet) and an American woman (Cameron Diaz) switch houses and the adventures they have in the other country.
So yeah, I liked this one. Some say the rom-com may be cheesy and archaic but there still much to admire in this movie. Winslet is fun to watch, Black certainly stretches out to try something new and Diaz does this shtick with ease. There's some great laughs and these characters are treated with an empathetic eye. Sure it may be predictable but I will certainly welcome any rom-com that takes it's subjects seriously and doesn't really on gross-out humour and embarrassing situations - must be that feminine touch at play here.
You know, on the DVD case, there's the a critic quote that says that this is better than Love Actually. And I will not contest it.

The Five Year Engagement

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Five Year Engagement!

Original image located here. Accessed 23rd July 2021

Well I'm well and truly on my way to the alter so i was in the mood for watching a wedding movie.

Sure, some of the jokes were hit and miss, and you could've easily shaved ten (or even twenty) minutes off the movie. But this has credibility as a rom-com as we see the ups and down of a relationship from the proposal to the wedding itself - which is rarely seen in such a genre. Indeed, it may be easy to dump on the rom-com as a genre but I will certainly take any such movie if it does things differently and has a depth to match - This movie does indeed deliver. It also helps that both Emily Blunt and Jason Segel make a convincing couple
Plus it's funny to see a pre-Guardians of the Galaxy Chris Pratt and a pre-Fifty Shades of Grey Dakota Johnson. XD

Crazy Rich Asians

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Crazy Rich Asians!

Original image located here. Accessed 12 June 2020

I know more than few people who have been talking up this one. But I was cautious as it's intent is clearly spelled out in the title. Therefore I was concerned that this wouldn't be for me as I am a) white and b) not having money to burn

Thankfully that wasn't the case. For a movie that was telling a story through an Asian perspective, it is indeed universal and quite a lot of fun. It could be observed that the formula for the rom-com, which is movie is running on, is indeed rock-solid but, at the same time, challenged in numerous ways to present a healthy perspective on romance. But the real meat in this movie is the cast themselves, least not Michelle Yeoh, delivering stellar performances and giving them a chance to shine on their own terms.
At first glance, there may appear to be a lot stacked up against this movie but it comes out with it's head held high.

Adam

And this week's Friday night movie has been....Adam!

Original image located here. Accessed 19th July 2019

As regular readers of this series would know, I will show favoritism for movies that feature characters that have Aspergers Syndrome. And this is one such case: A romance that shows a guy in New York, with Aspergers, meeting and falling in love with his neighbour.

It's not a bad movie. Its not the best movie I've seen but the portrayal of an Apsergerian is sincere and it's heart is in the right place. There are some moments that may be somewhat hard to swallow but in the end, the movie is indeed taking the romance seriously and the leads (Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne) certainly give it their all.
Not a bad effort at all

Say Anything

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Say Anything!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th June 2018

Being a thirty something, I have no place assessing teen-movies - largely because I ceased being a teen a long time ago. But I will give props to any movie that attempts to portray teenagers as....well....teenagers. And this is one of those movies that succeeds in that goal. So yeah, I enjoyed this one. It's also interesting to note that this movie came out the same decade as The Breakfast Club - which also succeeded in showing teenagers be teenagers. Both movies succeed in this goal so much whereas a lot of teen movies that have followed in their wake have failed. Kinda makes you wonder what happened there....

It may be easy to dismiss a twenty-nine year old movie through the lens of the present and say it's all about stalking. But I never got that vibe. If anything, it's more showing teens going through the ups and downs of romance and finding a future career - and seeing if someone else fits into the future one is building.
However in the wake of the world-changing MeToo movement, I have to admit that it would be interesting to see how this kind of movie (guy who genuinely wants a r/ship trying to win woman over) would be made today.

Marty

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Marty!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th December 2017

I recall my dad once remarking that he doesn't like watching movies that were made pre-1960. His reasoning was that they tend to age rather badly. I bring this up because whenever I bring up a post-1960 movie it gets a far greater response than when i bring up a pre-1960 movie, like this one. Seems my audience shares a similar thought. True, a pre-1960 movie would be well before much of my audience was born but I can't help but think how long a shadow the era of New Hollywood casts.

Rambling aside, what drew me to this film? Well it's about a guy who is in his mid-thirties (Hello!), is unmarried and resigns himself, however reluctantly, to bachelorhood (Hellooooo!).
Okay seriously, i enjoyed this movie. But what i find particularly interesting about it is viewing it through the lens of sixty years and numerous rom-coms. Yes, this movie isn't a rom-com but it does provide an interesting contrast: This is a romantic film about two grown adults, as opposed to teenagers/young adults. There is no reliance on tried-and-tested tropes (ie plots driven by misunderstandings, climax at some dance), there is no wish-fulfillment prospect (ie Oh My Goddess and Twilight) and comedy is taken a back-seat to a character study. And is all the better for it. I will even say that Marty's speech in the final scene still has potency some sixty years later.

That being said, is there any chance of such a film being made today? Of course not XD

Ever After: A Cinderella Story

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Ever After: A Cinderella Story!

Original image located here. Accessed 16th June 2017

This may seem like an odd choice but I have been intrigued by this movie ever since I first heard of it: A more realistic telling of the Cinderella story? Sounds like an intriguing challenge to me (although why it took me nineteen years to see it is...oh wait we're getting sidetracked here).

But yes, this movie is actually a delight. It works for me in that it takes a story told many times before and treats it as a historical fiction, eschewing much of the magic that is associated with the original tale. I mean why have a fairy godmother when you have Leonardo da Vinci instead?

Also pleasing is the treatment of the stepsisters and the stepmother (Angelica Huston is a standout) as real characters and not being evil for the sake of evil. The Prince and the King (and Queen) also get some substantial screen time and character development that the original story didn't provide.
In fact, now that i think of it, was this the turning point for the Cinderella mythos? Where everyone started treating the other characters as actual characters? Probably not, but I can't stop thinking that....

So in conclusion this movie was a lot of fun and enjoyable for the dateless wond...sorry, hopeless romantics out there

Love and Other Drugs

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Love and Other Drugs!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th August 2014

Can't say rom-coms are my forte but this has been a rare exception. It may adhere to the tropes of the genre but it seems a genuine and sincere entry when many of it's ilk aren't known for such qualities. That and Anne Hathaway