Escape to France this summer with the most deliciously romantic novel you’ll read all year 🇫🇷✨
We all like dining out in fancy restaurants. But most of us also enjoy a cheeky portion of fish and chips, or a large sticky bun from the bakery from time to time. Sure they might not have a Michelin star, but sometimes a hit of high-fat, carb-rich indulgence is just what the doctor ordered.
It’s the same with films. We may all love to stream the latest Oscar winning drama or high octane thriller, but who doesn’t sometimes have a hankering for a favourite rom-com you first watched back in the day.
My personal favourite is ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ – a film I often turn to for a comfort watch. Yes, it’s dated, but then so am I. And who can resist the whole table rendition of ‘I Say a Little Prayer for You?’
These sweet treats might not be the answer you’d give when someone you want to impress asks ‘what’s your favourite movie,’ but I reckon most us have watched many of them more than once. ‘When Harry Met Sally’? Check. ‘Notting Hill’? Check. ‘Love Actually’? That’s compulsory at Christmas in the UK, isn’t it?
For Becky and Amber in ‘The Village Café in the Loire’ their collection of 90s and noughties rom-coms they’ve devoured since being teens is something that binds them together. They quote and reference some of their favourites throughout the book – and always put time aside for a weekly movie night.
And for anyone who wants to indulge in a little nostalgia, here’s Becky’s top Five:
FIVE
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Who would have thought that a film whose opening dialogue features only the F-word would stay in the hearts of rom-com lovers for decades? The film follows unlucky-in-love Charles through a series of weddings (and a funeral, the clue’s in the title) until he finally figures out how to express himself and get the girl.
FOUR
My Best Friend’s Wedding
It’s a story about a woman trying to break up a wedding. What could be romantic about that? Yet somehow this 90s classic about friendship, love and not knowing what you have until it’s gone is guaranteed to leave you smiling. And if it’s your first time of watching, it’ll keep you guessing right until the end.
THREE
Love, Actually
Certain romantic aspects of this film have been picked apart on social media (stalking your best friend’s wife? Dumping someone because they take calls from their sick brother?) but although we know it has it’s issues, it’s hard not to fall in love all over again when we start streaming. My personal favourite moment? It has to be Hugh Grant’s Prime Minister flexing his moves to ‘Jump’.
TWO
When Harry Met Sally
Dated enough to feature a Rolodex, landlines and questionable hairstyles, this movie still has a place in the hearts of many hopeless romantics. The dialogue is quick-witted and hilarious (‘I’ll have what she’s having’) and while both Harry and Sally can sometimes be infuriating, you find yourself rooting for them anyway.
ONE
Jerry Maguire
A movie about a sports-agent gone rogue. Really? But this film about taking chances, self-belief and loyalty had both Becky and Amber at hello. When hot-shot agent Jerry writes a mission statement for his firm (which he spends hours photocopying – another clue that you’re not watching something from the 2020s), it backfires spectacularly. But fate is on his side – he may have a “crisis of confidence” (if you haven’t seen Rich Hall’s take on Tom Cruise’s movie plots, you have to look it up) but things begin to turn around.