1996, R
Starring:  Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston, Jerry O'Connell, Jay Mohr, Bonnie Hunt
Director:  Cameron Crowe

139: minutes

 The Year of Living Dangerously

1983: PG
Starring: Linda Hunt, Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Bembol Roco

Director: Peter Weir

115 Minutes

Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actress, Linda Hunt

Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones head this tremendous epic that depicts the last of the romantics in a wild west saga. Together they drive a herd of cattle 2500 miles from Texas to Montana and viewers are treated to the intimacy and adventure of their lives.  Intertwined is the love story concerning a young prostitute and an older woman Duvall's character never got over.  Other characters enter the scenes in sub-plots a an abandoned husband searches for his wife who has left to chase the man she never got over. Her story ends on in the badlands where she pays for her infidelity with her life. Finally there is the coming of age story best captured by Rick Schroder's character as he crosses the chasm of childhood into adulthood.

Lonesome Dove has everything that makes a romance great and it elegantly, yet rustically explores the relationships that give life its spice and meaning.

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"You make me want to be a better man."

Similar to Jerry MaGuire, As Good as it Gets is the story about a man who finally grows up, albeit in his fifties due to his love of a woman.  Helen Hunt plays a struggling waitress and single mother of an asthmatic son, dealing with crisis and tough decisions as she plows forward with her life, one medical bill at a time.

The script is witty, funny and at times heart-wrenching.  What we like about this movie is its illustration of the give and take within a relationship as it builds and ultimately becomes real.  Too often people believe love Just Happens.  As Good as it Gets demonstrates love doesn't just happen but evolves one day at a time. TOP

Edward Scissorhands is a modern day Beauty and the Beast which borrows some ideas from Frankenstein. What we like about this movie is its focus on the uniqueness in each person and how even the most unlikely can enhance the life of another. 

Sadly, the most common questions we receive at Couples Company deal with "What is wrong with my spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend." 

As part of the human experience we seem to spend more time dwelling on what is different in a negative sense rather than what is exceptional and makes each person an asset to our lives.  Edward Scissorhands bypasses the negatives and creates positives from adversity. Through the story, compassion unfolds bringing to light the gift of love through the acceptance of even the most daunting differences.  Edward Scissorhands is a love story for anyone who has thought he or she wasn't good enough and later discovered how exceptional he or she really is through the eyes of love.  TOP

Spencer Tracy starred in the original film A Guy Named Joe; Always stars Richard Dreyfuss as the flying firefighter  who loves to take chances and risk his life, despite pleas from his frightened fiancée (Holly Hunter).  His luck runs out and Dryfuss dies only to discover that now he must play cupid and bring together pilot trainee and his fiancée.

The critics hated this movie, saying it wasn't up to Spielberg's caliber.  However, audiences love it for its simplicity and heartfelt lessons on love, sacrifice and letting go.  Always leaves you with Teddy Bear sized warm fuzzies and a few moistened handkerchiefs.  Most importantly it points to the sacrifices we make for those we truly love.  TOP

Who doesn't love a great Cinderella story?  Ever After takes the old version, ditches the fairy godmother and throws in a little twenty-first century female empowerment into the mix to create a delightfully vicious and at time poignant version of this steadfast romantic classic.

Drew Barrymore shows her family legacy playing her part as Cinderella to a T.  Anjelica Huston takes the part of the evil stepmother and makes you believe she is the only person who should ever play it. Ever After is funny, charming and a feast for the eyes, the perfect appetizer to an evening of home-cooked romance.

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The English Patient, based on Michael Ondaatje's award winning and acclaimed  novel is one of the most revered films of modern times. For fans of World War II epics, The English Patient delivers a story of love and lost during trying times and illustrates the compassion human beings display at their best. This is one of those movies you need to watch several times.  It is both complicated and simplistic and boasts a number of flashbacks that add depth and meaning to each of the characters.  The critics fell in love with The English Patient.  After just one viewing, you will too.

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1941: G 
Starring: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake

Director: Preston Sturges
90 minutes

1994: R 
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton
Director: James Cameron
141 minutes

True Lies is one of those films that just gets better and better each time you see it.  Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a CIA agent, but his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) thinks he's just the average boring Joe.  Enter the opportunistic slimy car salesman who pretends to be a secret agent and suddenly Schwarzenegger's delicious jealous streak becomes apparent.  He becomes obsessed with his wife's new infatuation and in the course of teaching her a lesson, suddenly draws her into his secret agent world.

This action packed adventure comedy will have you and your lover rolling off the couch and cheering the couple both at the same time.  If you're looking for an unusual romantic movie, True Lies fits the bill and makes for a fun frantic evening.