Ashtyn Britt
abritt@lc.edu
There are a few things we can depend on happening in this life. A few include death, taxes, and kisses in romantic comedies. As a sap myself, it’s one of the few positives from watching said movies. They’re predictable and upbeat, and it’s nice to be able to depend on the plots in these movies. I will admit there are problems with romantic comedies as well, but perhaps those will be discussed another day. For now, I will remain positive, and focus on my top ten favorite movie kisses in romantic comedies. Spoiler alert! These kisses usually are included at the end of movies, so this will spoil the endings. Proceed with caution!
- My Best Friend’s Wedding
This movie is closer to an anti-romantic-comedy. This features the story of two friends who agree to marry at twenty-eight years old if they don’t find someone else, except for one of them does find someone else- leading the other to decide she has to break the couple up to steal her best friend back for herself. Unlike the usual romcom trope, Julia Roberts as our main character doesn’t get the guy! However, the bigger message of the movie, that you don’t need a love interest to have a fulfilling life, is a valuable lesson. That didn’t stop at least one movie kiss from happening between Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney, which is what helps her begin to come to that realization. Not every meaningful kiss has to lead to a marriage with 2.5 kids and a picket fence!
- Something Borrowed
This movie is one you either love or hate, being about a woman named Rachel who ends up having an affair with her selfish best friend’s fiance, Dex. When the two fall in love, the movie brings up the question of her ethics throughout the movie. Eventually, after she ends the affair and decided to move on. For other reasons, the friend and Dex do break up, and he reunites with Rachel. They have a few major kisses through the movie, the most important one being at the beginning which starts the affair. The reason I included this particular movie is because it brings up some serious thoughts about when people act on their “What if” thoughts, and who it could hurt in the process.
- 10 Things I Hate About You
Based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, this is a story that still holds up today. The story focuses on Patrick Verona, who is paid by fellow classmate Joey Donner to woo radical feminist Kat Stratford, so that Joey may pursue her younger sister Bianca. This is because of the girl’s father’s rule, stating Bianca would only be allowed to date when her older sister did. However, things start to go awry when Patrick starts to like Kat for who she really is! Eventually, when the truth comes out, it takes serious effort and some time for Patrick to woo Kat back, confessing he knew how badly he messed up and confessed to her being his dream girl. She decides to forgive him and give their relationship a do-over, and the two share a very loving kiss that we’d been waiting for the whole movie. Kat is far from a weak lovestruck female character as is the usual trope in romcoms, and is to this day one of my favorite movies.
- Grease
This kiss takes place at the beginning of Grease, rather than the end. This may be one of the most famous romantic comedies of all time, not to mention one of the catchiest musicals! Grease tells the story of Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, two teens who share a deep summer romance and suspect they’ll never see one another again. Fate intervenes, however, and they end up attending the same school together. However, to avoid being seen as a weak lovesick boy, Danny acts like a “cool” jerk to Sandy, which she does not take well to. However, before they reunite, these two lovers share a very sweet kiss, thinking it may be their goodbye. However, as Danny reassured his love, it wasn’t the end- it was only the beginning.
- When Harry Met Sally
Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal bring up an age-old question- can men and women ever be just friends? We know well the answer in real life is, of course, they can! However, in this movie, these particular friends spent ten years building their relationship into a more meaningful and intimate one. When the two take the plunge and end up ending all contact for a while, Harry decides he can’t let Sally get away, and the two share a loving kiss on New Year’s Eve solidifying their relationship as so much more than just a friendship. This may be a movie from 1989, but in some ways, it still continues to hold up and bring a smile to anyone’s face today.
- That Old Feeling
This is completely my personal opinion, but Bette Midler as Lilly Leanord is a gift to this earth. That Old Feeling is a movie about a girl named Molly, played by Paula Marshall. Molly’s divorced parents, both remarried, fall back in love and run away together after reuniting at Molly’s wedding. Now, it is up to Molly, along with the help of a paparazzi who is not her new husband, to track her parents down and bring them home where they belong. Bette Midler and Dan de Mora as Molly’s mother and father provide amazing acting skills and a fabulous sense of humor. They also give plenty of great romantic scenes and a lot of enchanting movie kisses. If you’re looking for a truly amazing romantic comedy, start with this diamond in the rough!
- The Princess Bride
This is not only a romantic comedy but also a fantasy adventure that has been a treat for audiences for over thirty years now. This follows the story of lovers Buttercup and Wesley, as well as their adventure to not only find their way back to one another- but to also bring down the awful Prince Humperdinck, with plenty of witty and fun sidekicks at their side. (Especially the fencing master with a vendetta, Inigo Montoya!) I promise you this will be one movie you won’t be bored for a single minute! Whether you’re into sword fighting, intellectual mind games, or even the most romantic kisses between Wesley and Buttercup. These kisses aren’t just a part of the plot, they drive the plot!
- Never Been Kissed
One of this movie’s biggest plot points revolve around the concept of grand romantic comedy movie kisses, and it shows this concept very well! This movie stars Drew Barrymore as Josie Geller, who goes undercover as a journalist to do an article showing parents how their teenagers really live. Things start to get out of hand when Josie develops feelings for English teacher Sam Coulson, and her editor wants her to try to seduce him to expose him- while Sam thinks Josie is a teenager. While Sam and Josie grow close, the two never cross any serious boundaries He is however still hurt when she reveals to everyone who she really is, and she writes her article to reveal her own teenaged experience compared to that of her second time around, revealing she’d never really been kissed. Well, not like in the movies anyway. She also confesses her feelings for Sam and asks him to meet her in the middle of a baseball field and give her a real kiss to hopefully start over. While he may show up a tad late, he does show up and give her one of the most memorable movie kisses I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
- But I’m a Cheerleader
This is the story of a girl named Megan, a Christian cheerleader with a boyfriend who considers herself a normal teenage girl. Her family, however, infers based on a few of her odd behaviors, her fantasizing about cheerleaders when kissing her boyfriend, being vegetarian, and having only female posters in her locker, that she may be a lesbian. Her friends and family then send her to a conversion therapy camp to try to turn her straight, where she meets another girl named Graham whom she has a connection to. Throughout the movie, the girls fall in love and escape the camp to run away together. The ending kiss solidifying their acceptance of who they are was not only sweet but an amazing display of representation.
- Sex and the City the Movie
For those who haven’t watched the show, this shows the main characters Carrie and Big deciding after ten years of being on and off to get married. However, after Carrie is left at the altar, she cuts Big off despite his desperate pleas for the next year in hopes of reconciliation. It is only after months of healing and serious consideration that Carrie decides to forgive him and the two share a loving kiss and deciding to get married at the courthouse. The build-up through the series and the movie for this relationship was enough to snag the first place, but what makes it specifically stick out is the movie really focuses on whether you can -or should- forgive a lover when they truly hurt you. Most people would immediately say no, and not for bad reasons. However, for some couples, it’s a personal decision that can only be made for them and their situation. Carrie forgave Big because she felt that was the right thing for her to do, and it would’ve been just as fine to not forgive him if that’s what she felt was right as well. It wasn’t a conclusion she came to in a few days or even weeks. It took her a whole year of processing and thinking it through. The ability to choose and be confident in your ability to make that choice is admirable, and I appreciate the way the movie approached it.
