My confession: I love awkward, embarassed romance stories.

[camtipli]

All right, so I have a confession to make, one that I have been denying for... a while.

I love romance and friendship stories. I get weepy at cheesy, sentimental lines about the strength of love. Stories of betrayal devastate me. Despite my desire to be tough and cool, I am a softie and I am slowly, uncomfortably embracing my inner romantic.

So, let's get on topic. I love awkward, embarrassed romance stories. Shoujo manga, 90's cartoon romance, slice-of-life stuff, and in general anything with holding hands and blushy goodness. I am willing to risk ridicule in order to reach out to those of you who, like me, are trying to be open-minded about your own interests. I am hoping to get a conversation going, particularly about stories of any media that you like, or grew up with. I promise, I won't judge you. I probably will secretly look it up if I haven't heard of it.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Shoot!  One of my favorite movies is "An Affair to Remember" with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.  My favorite scene?  The one toward the end of the movie where he finds the portrait he painted hanging on her wall and realizes she is the woman in the wheelchair the dealer told him had bought it.

[camtipli]

Oooh! I haven't seen that! Is it a sad movie?

[Samael]

The Notebook - I know literally no one who likes that movie.
Sure, it's emotionally manipulative, but, hell, what does anyone expect when they go for that kind of material anyway?
The acting is great, being a fan of Ryan Gosling and James Garner, and the ending is beautifully sad.

--Also, I'll never admit to this ever again.

[camtipli]

I know what you mean. Since you're being bold and admitting it, I'll admit I loved The Notebook, too. Everyone I know is very critical of it, too.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Oooh! I haven't seen that! Is it a sad movie?

It's a mix of so many emotions and each of them carry you through the scenes in which they play.  The principal actors do an amazing job of portraying the emotions with a subtlety that gives them even more impact that if they had gone for the dramatic.  There are times when it nearly shreds your heart.

[camtipli]

Aw. That's enough recommendation for me to want to see it.

[Silverfyre]

"An Affair to Remember" is well worth seeing.  It is a wonderful movie if you ask me, but I'm a romance sap as well!  Maybe that's why I write so many romances here!  Heh.

[Iniquitous]

EEE I love romances!! Sadly... I have not one romance story going and it makes me sad! :(

P.S. I LOVE The Notebook!!! And City of Angels with Meg Ryan and Nic Cage. Omg... tear jerkers!

[Cold Heritage]

I'm not sure if I'm quite the same, but I'm rather fond of instances where the romance is, for some reason, unable to be fulfilled. Like, one character is unable to express their feelings in a way another wants or needs to hear, or there's something stopping the characters from being together even though they both love one another, or one character pines for another who doesn't see their feelings. Wesley and Fred on the show Angel was heart-wrenching but oh so sweet. Clark and pretty much everyone except Lois on Smallville was pretty choice. Maxima's final scene on the episode Instinct is a tough one to watch because the actress really pulls the character and her emotions off so well.

I liked City of Angels.

[flightzeit]

If you can get your hands on the German film, "Kein Ohr Hasen". It is the BEST romantic comedy I have ever seen. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me happy~!

It's great. :).

If you wanna' talk about cheesy romance, I've been reliving my childhood/highschool years by watching Fruits Basket and Ouran High School Host Club on Netflix. It's embarrassing, but, they're both just soooo cute. I can't help myself.

[Satin]

Ok, I'll admit it too! I'm a sucker for a romantic novel or movie. Cheese flavoured romance can gives me a warmth inside and more than a few tears in my eyes. I just love to kick back with a nice red wine, a box of tissues and some fruit (in reality, chocolate) and watch a romantic movie by myself. 'Letters to John', 'The Notebook', 'Sleepless in Seattle' and the oldies like 'Casablanca' or 'An Affair to remember' are all favs.
Can I hold my head up proudly in public again after this admission?
Cheers
Satin

[Shjade]

Hm...it's problematic. I know I have at times enjoyed romance movies, but I can't think of any that had an actual impact on me, largely because romance is one of the most predictable genres and it's hard to get an emotional impact from a movie you're unraveling far in advance of the plot. So they tend to not stick with me.

That said, I think the best romance movie I've ever seen, and probably the only one to make me get all misty-eyed, is the first 10 minutes of Up.

[Argleblather]

Mine is French Kiss, with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. I don't know how many times I've seen it. Dozens, I'm sure. I used to fall asleep with the VHS playing in my room when I was in high school.

[Chris Brady]

I'm sentimental, and I like happy romantic endings.  Yes, getting there might be a trip through hell inside the handbasket, but if they do 'win' in the end, I love it.

[Beorning]

I like romance, too!

I freely admit to liking Pretty Woman  ;D

[Caehlim]

Generally speaking I don't like most romance stories that you see around in the modern day. Many of them are too predictable or have plots that hinge on the characters acting like complete idiots.

However when a good romance story comes along they're truly glorious. I just finished rereading 'A Civil Campaign' by Lois McMaster Bujold. I absolutely love that book.

[Ellipsis]

Amélie.

Not sure if it counts but Audrey Tautou is so adorable and awkward that I can't friggin' stand it!

[Shjade]

Amelie is the best creepy stalker romantic comedy.

[Ellipsis]

Amelie is the best creepy stalker romantic comedy.

+1 High-five!

And, if you're in the mood for an actual stalker movie, He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not.

[Madriv]

Kal Ho Naa Ho and just about every other Hindi language (Bollywood) film ever made. Romance is a big part of many Indian films, with plenty of miscommunication, longing glances, unrequited love, fantasy dance sequences, and sensual interactions between the hero and heroine with no nudity and not even a kiss (if the film is pre-2005 or thereabouts). There will sometimes be humor that isn't humorous and references to cultural interactions that Westerners won't "get" but don't let it stop you. If you like romance you'll like Bollywood.