100 Favorite Movies, Part 6

• 50. PERSUASION (1995) - This Austen adaptation is perhaps the most grown-up of her stories. It follows Anne Eliot, a woman on the edge of spinsterhood (at 28!) who may get a second chance at love when Captain Wentworth, the man she turned down 8 years ago, returns. He is bitter about their past and determined to forget her, but they are continually forced together and eventually see they were made for each other. Anne is the most mature and compassionate of the Austen heroines, and Wentworth is a more rugged leading man, the first of Austen's starring suitors to not be a gentleman, but rather a sailor. The casting of this film also wisely strayed away from glamorously beautiful stars and instead the actors have a natural and realistic appeal that suits the wariness and lived-in qualities of the story.

• 49. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986) - I can't really explain what I love about this Woody Allen masterpiece. The characters are all intelligent and talky, as in most Allen pictures, but this somehow hits a nerve. I can't explain why, but there are some films where the characters don't have to do much; you are content to listen to them talk. This is that kind of movie for me. The tangle of relationships is just inherently fascinating. It also showcases Allen in his most sympathetic performance, features inspired references to ee cummings and Bach, and youngest sister Dianne Wiest is the perfect combination of neurotic self-involvement and raw vulnerability.
• 48. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991) - From the opening prologue, this film plunges us into a fairy tale that is not only fun and romantic, but ominously mysterious. The score's continuous refrain gives the story just that touch of scary magic, and the songs are some of Disney's best. Everyone knows and loves "Beauty and the Beast" and "Be Our Guest," but "Provincial Life" is a wonderful cornucopia of small town life, from the sentimental to the absurdly funny. And have we ever seen such a vain villain as Gaston? It is his very self-absorption that makes him so terrifying, and yet so funny in his self-titled (of course!) song, "Gaston." (Please, are there more amazing Disney lyrics than, "I'm especially good at expectorating!" or "And every last inch of me's covered with hair!"))
• 47. TOOTSIE (1982) - I never get tired of this one. Dustin Hoffman is the out of work actor so desperate, he dresses in drag and gets the role of a female hospital administrator on a soap opera. But while in drag, he gains some valuable insight about women and himself and starts to see the hypocrisy in many of his own credos when he falls for costar Julie (Jessica Lange). Hoffman is great as both Michael Dorsey and his alter ego Dorothy, who is warm, smart, sticks up for herself and actually feels like a separate entity. The supporting cast is also excellent, Teri Garr providing broad humor as the erratic girlfriend, and Bill Murray famously and hilariously improv-ing most of his scenes as the dryly amused roommate.
• 46. ELLA ENCHANTED (2004) - Poor Ella (Anne Hathaway) was "blessed" with the gift of obedience at birth by her drunk-ass fairy godmother. This causes her no small amount of difficulty as stupid commands like, "Wait for me," or "Shut up," affect her literally, so she sets off to get the gift removed. On her way she befriends an elf who wants to be a lawyer, a book with a man trapped inside, and Prince Charmont (Hugh Dancy), the potential love interest with his devious Uncle Edgar (Cary Elwes) in tow. The movie owes a lot to classics like The Princess Bride in the way it mixes in anachronistic details (there is a mall in her village) and views (Ella is an advocate for "Ogre rights)," but still feels like an old-fashioned adventure. The humor straddles the line between adult and kid entertainment, also containing a rousing refrain of Queen's "Somebody to Love," and a great deal of silliness, all anchored by Hathaway's grounded and good-hearted performance.
• 45. MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975) - Anyone who doesn't love Monty Python is missing out on one of the great joys of life, especially when they brilliantly lampoon the Arthurian legend of the Knights of the Round Table. In between all the ridiculousness is a lot of smart and surreal dialogue placed in far-fetched conversations and iconic scenes like The Knights Who Say Knee, the killer bunny rabbit, the weighing of the witch against a duck, the clapping of coconuts to represent horse hoofs, and most magnificently, Arthur's fight with the Black Knight. After their epic bout, The Black Knight is left limbless, shouting "It's only a flesh wound, come back and fight you coward!" And Arthur snidely answers, "What are you gonna do? Bleed on me?" I love Monty Python.
• 44. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) - Where to start! Sure this one ends on a cliffhanger with poor Han encased in carbonite, but Empire offers the most tantalizing and dark peaks into the soul of this franchise. There's the introduction of the wise Yoda as Luke learns the balance in the force. We meet the ultimate space pimp Lando Calrissian in Cloud City. Han Solo and Leia's bickering finally leads to some lovey dovey action and when she tells him she loves him, he awesomely answers, "I know." And in the most spoofed scene of the series Darth Vader tells Luke that he is his father. That revelation turns the entire story on it's head, creating a more complex and layered arc for all of the characters and making room for Vader's touching redemption in Jedi.
• 43. WHAT'S UP DOC? (1972) - Screwball comedies were staples of the '30's and '40's, but don't get made much anymore. Sure, we have romantic comedies, but they lack the zany appeal of this kooky homage. Barbra Streisand is the perfect balance of wacky instigator and coy sex kitten to Ryan O'Neal's unamused straight man. Madeline Kahn makes her film debut as his fiance, the abrasive and inimitable Eunice Burns, and the film is full of crazy subplots involving identical bags and a crowded hotel floor. The final chase scene through San Francisco is full of sight gags, throwbacks to classic silent comedy, as well as the suspense of the chase. The confrontation in the courtroom as O'Neal attempts to explain the random nuttiness of this plot is the cherry on top of a deliciously funny movie.
• 42. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004) - One of the most visually inventive films I've ever seen depicts an entire love story in reverse through the creative lens of the mind's eye. It's damn hard to get your bearings straight while watching this movie! The script cleverly juxtaposes the romance with cold science and offbeat humor, and as the wonderfully understated Jim Carrey desperately realizes he wants to keep his memories, the procedure ruthlessly yanks them away. Kate Winslet creates a truly original Clementine, all bluster and need and noise. When we finally glimpse her vulnerability it is within the construct of Carrey's memories, and that whimsical touch only serves to make the story more poignant as he watches it disappear.

• 41. ABOUT A BOY (2002) - This is probably Hugh Grant's best performance to date. He plays a cad, yes, but a cad that changes, grows and becomes a hero we root for. The romantic love story is second to the real love story between Grant's selfish Will and the awkward and honest Marcus, a thirteen-year-old boy who latches on and won't let go. Grant's narration provides amusing asides (I enjoy the way he increments his time in units) and makes the ultimate discovery that "All in all, I had a very full life. It's just that it didn't mean anything. About anything. To anyone." Toni Collette and Rachel Weisz are ideally cast and provide a necessary female point of view, and watching Will surrender and close his eyes when he finally gives in and sings with Marcus is a playful turning point.

100 Favorite Movies Part 7