Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of Thor: Love and Thunder, we’re counting down our favorite movies with love in the title! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
I adore rom-coms interestingly enough, and have seen several more than once. One of my favorites is Crazy, Stupid, Love. This film tells the story of Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) when Emily breaks the news of an extramarital affair and wanting a divorce, which sends Cal on a tailspin. One night, Cal meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling), who tries to teach Cal his womanizing ways before Jacob himself meets and falls for Hannah (Emma Stone). This movie has an amazingly stacked cast, which it benefits from. The rest of the cast includes Lio Tipton, Joey King, Marisa Tomei, and Kevin Bacon. Love is truly a key theme here beyond being in the title, as each character comes to learn the meaning of love. Whether it’s first crushes, first real relationship, or rediscovering love again, love is in the air. Similar to how Love, Actually or Valentine’s Day is set up to tell multiple stories, the same happens here, but with a twist. Unlike other films, all the stories do intertwine for a hilarious misunderstanding scene that makes this movie that much better. All these great comedic actors play so well together to make this one of the greats and will always be a high recommendation from me. (Austen Terry)
For the longest time, teen movies have mostly been about raunchy nonsense with a little message about friendship sprinkled in. Superbad and American Pie-esque movies made it look like teens were just hornballs who wanted to have sex, tell fart jokes, or get popular via makeover. By 2018, this genre seemed to have died on the vine somewhat. So Netflix grabbed the film rights to the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before book franchise and cast Lana Condor and Noah Centineo. Although they were two relatively unknowns at the time, their amazing chemistry as a quirky bookworm and a dorky jock endeared themselves to their audience. The story about a fake relationship becoming real is not new, but the two of them pull this off so effortlessly; it feels like the genre was re-invented. That same chemistry and earnestness had us invested in them. Seeing the two of them get together at the end definitely brings a smile to my face. Part of me was happy to see the couple stick it out, and I was also pleased to see a teen movie not about losing one’s virginity over a stupid pact with Jason Biggs. As Netflix has struggled through the growing pains of being a major studio in a competitive industry, making quality movies like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before gets them some needed credit in this business. P.S. — No shade intended at Biggs. He gets too much crap for being good at one thing and sticking to it. No one rational hates on Steph Curry for shooting threes. (Sam Nichols)
Love and Monsters follows Joel, played wonderfully by Dylan O’Brien, as he attempts to navigate his way from one post-apocalyptic colony to another in an attempt to find his girlfriend. Oh, and he’s also dodging some huge monster bugs. It excellently blends together the post-apocalyptic setting with the monsters, a road adventure, a coming-of-age story, and some good old fashioned humor and romance. Nothing feels cheap or unearned, and a lot of that has to be credited to the charm of O’Brien, who is delivering such a winsome performance that we immediately fall in love with him and want him to succeed. A lot of the effects are really great, especially considering the lower budget; it’s a pretty tight script and everything always looks really great in camera, as things are generally pretty brightly lit. Oh, and there is a companion dog. Immediate five stars. I think it’s unfortunate that Love and Monsters wasn’t able to get a wide release on the big screen due to the pandemic, but I think in many ways that might have been the best case scenario for it. It’s a fun movie that delivers on its promise, is a joy for just about anybody, and it provided a good amount of hope and cheer during a pretty dour time. (Nashua Doll)
Uncut Gems showed the world that Adam Sandler could be a genuinely great actor when given the chance, but this came as no surprise to those of us who had already seen his Oscar-worthy turn in 2002’s Punch-Drunk Love. Sandler stars as Barry Egan, an awkward but lovable owner of a toilet plunger marketing company who finds himself falling for his sister’s co-worker, portrayed by the always wonderful Emily Watson. Barry’s crippling social anxiety makes for one of the more unique leads in a romantic film, but one should expect nothing less from writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson. Aided by an uncomfortably frenetic score from Jon Brion, the first act of Punch-Drunk Love distressingly depicts Barry’s many anxieties and quirks. What sets the film apart, however, is the humorous and surprisingly wholesome turn it takes. At a brisk 95 minutes, Punch-Drunk Love somehow manages to encompass the full range of human emotion with both sincerity and optimism. Anderson’s idiosyncratic writing, spotless direction, and gorgeous visuals shine throughout the entirety of Punch-Drunk Love, making it a standout entry in a filmography seemingly full of standout entries. (Foster Harlfinger)
This film gets a terrible rap, doesn’t it? Known as the film that beat Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture, Shakespeare in Love is quite the enjoyable romp through this fictitious account of Shakespeare’s love for a woman who wanted nothing more than to be on the stage. British and humorous to a fault, this whimsical romance is full of love, conning, and big theater ideas. This film boasts a ‘90s perfect pair with Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow. The supporting cast is stacked to the gills with talent from Geoffrey Rush to Tom Wilkinson to Colin Firth to Academy Award-winner Dame Judi Dench. It might not be as serious as its competition, but this film is full of charm and laughs to share all around. Sit back, relax, and prepare yourself for something fun and enjoyable. Not every film has to be the next instant classic, does it? Sometimes it is just nice to have a light and entertaining ride that everyone can enjoy. (Shane Conto)
I love basketball, so any chance I get to watch a movie about it is fine with me. I watched Love & Basketball when I was in high school and fell in love with it (pun intended). Love & Basketball is the story about Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps), two neighbors who grow up together as adolescents with nothing but their love of basketball to tie their friendship together. The pair grows through the ups and downs and pushes and pulls of high school and college as they struggle to maintain their blooming relationship together. As they both turn professional with basketball, both of them realize they can love one another and still maintain their love of basketball. The basketball aspects are outstanding, with both of them playing for USC, and both of them playing professional ball, all while also churning out outstanding performances from the lead performers. Lathan and Epps just cruise on their chemistry together while putting out a really underrated romantic tale. (Mike Hilty)
There have been several memorable entries within the Bond Franchise; From Russia with Love is at the top of that list for many fans. It’s the second film in the series, and the second film to star arguably the greatest Bond, Sean Connery. Agent 007, James Bond, is tasked to obtain a Russian decoding device before the nefarious organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E. get their hands on it. He will have to work alongside Tatiana (Daniela Bianchi), a Russian cipher clerk, in order to complete the mission. Bond has many obstacles in his path, but none as daunting as the burly and keen Grant (Robert Shaw). Shaw does a superb job playing essentially the heavy of this film, and from his introduction the viewer is shown he isn’t to be trifled with. Another standout is Bianchi — her job is to act like she is in love with Bond, but that starts to become a reality. Connery and Bianchi play off of each other very convincingly, and their initial meeting is memorable to say the least. The secret agent spy genre tropes largely come from this film, which laid down the foundation for future Bond films. (Joe Vargas)
If you know Michael Haneke, you know Amour won’t just be like any other movie about “old people in love”. What might start predictably, slowly turns into a drama about life, death, and relationships, but that drama is incredibly quiet one. Amour isn’t movie for the masses because not only it’s paced deliberately slowly, it is also about things nobody “wants to” see — old people falling ill and struggling because of it. The reason we don’t like to see it is simple — it is a reminder of our own mortality, the fact we have limited days and hours on this Earth and that thought can be tough to handle. Yet there was something magnetic about Amour,whether it was the performances by our protagonists (Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva, who have both sadly passed away) or the ending that leaves you speechless. Amour is one of those great films I struggle to recommend due to its heavy nature. But if you are in the mood to get emotionally destroyed, by all means, this movie will do it just fine. Just a warning, this isn’t your typical love story. (Luke Burian)
If you’ve ever wanted to see a film that understands the visual language of movies beyond simply portraying characters going about their business, In the Mood for Love is a great option. The movements of its characters are slight and delicate and a lot of the movie sits very still in the frame, but it’s the way those moments are framed and where it draws your eyes that really matter to this movie. Of course, as a Hong Kong production, you’re going to be reading the subtitles quite often, but as long as you can keep your eyes on the faces of its main players, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, and let yourself get taken along on a journey that has no major moments or stand-out revelations and twists, you’ll eventually see something blossoming in just the way the film means to portray. It’s certainly not an eventful film, but it is one that manages to capture a complete view where all the separate images seem so small. (Chris Bakker)
Paraphrasing philosopher George Santayana, Winston Churchill once wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” This is what makes Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb as terrifying as it is hilarious. This Cold War comedy is an impactful satire about the incompetence of a few world leaders determining the fate of the entire population. It is a cautionary tale of the damage, which can be caused by one crazy conspiracy theorist in a position of power, and that sadly makes it as relevant today as it was upon its release 58 years ago. Stanley Kubrick is an unquestioned master of tension, and this proved him equally adept at comedy both as director and co-screenwriter. Lines like, “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, this is the War Room!” steal the show, and the one-sided casual conversations about a nuclear Armageddon between the president and the Soviet premier are delightful. The cinematography is as dynamic as always, despite taking place almost entirely in three confined spaces, with the War Room in the Pentagon being a particular highlight, and the shot of Major Kong riding the bomb is iconic. The old battle hymn When Johnny Comes Marching Home is used to great ironic effect throughout the bomber scenes as you are forced to root against the American troops, and the ending track We’ll Meet Again continues the irony as one of the best needle drops in film history. (Jason Mack)
I Love You, Man
I Love You, Man is the hilarious story of bro meets bro, warmly packaged as an unapologetic love letter to the Canadian rock band, Rush. Always more of a girls’ guy, Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is newly engaged and determined to find a best man to stand by his side when he marries his fiancée Zooey (Rashida Jones). His search for true, platonic love yields a series of regrettable man dates before Peter finally meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) during an open house. There’s a spark almost immediately, but the flower of their camaraderie truly blossoms when they discover a mutual love of Rush. From there the focus of this laugh-out-loud comedy is the loving, if at times awkward bond that develops, reducing Zooey to secondary in the proceedings. The unlikely pair are perfect foils for each other — Sydney is slovenly, blunt, and confrontational, while Peter is strait-laced and lacking the confidence to engage in anything even resembling confrontation. The laughs come from Peter’s attempts to mirror Sydney’s carefree, “cool guy” attitude, often only managing nonsensical platitudes. Theirs proves to be a friendship that reshapes both of their lives, with Sydney challenging Peter to let loose and stand up for himself professionally, and Peter encouraging his man-child friend to simply grow up a little. If you’re looking for a funny man-com with touching moments sprinkled throughout, with I Love You, Man “you got it Jobin!” Laters on the Menjay. (Jonathan Fedee)
Love Actually
Everyone has the movies they watch every year. Whether it be V for Vendetta on the fifth of November or Groundhog Day on the titular holiday, it’s just plain fun to have an excuse to watch an amazing film. One of my personal favorites is Love Actually, which is an annual holiday favorite in my household. It’s one that always excites me to sit down and watch — whether it be the third, fourth, or fifth time — and it’s not hard to understand why. The film’s undeniably charming ensemble cast holds it together, and there are moments designed to make you feel a wide variety of emotions. Granted, there are 10 storylines playing out simultaneously, but it’s surprisingly not too much work to keep track. Many of them are connected, and I always find myself overwhelmed with joy at many of the payoffs. I won’t sugarcoat it and deny that it’s a cheesy romantic comedy, because it absolutely is, but that’s what works so well about it — and it firmly proves that love is, indeed, all around. (Rowan Wood)
I Love You Phillip Morris
This seems to be rom-com week for me. Another favorite of mine, which is in my top 10 romcoms, is I Love You Phillip Morris. This is the story of Steven Russell (Jim Carrey), a former cop who comes out of the closet as a gay man and becomes a conman to keep of the gay lifestyle, and when finally caught goes to prison and meets Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). Russell immediately falls for Morris and sets out to continue his conman ways to stay wealthy and keep Morris in his life. I will say this is great, but would have been phenomenally better if two gay men played the lead roles. Carrey and McGregor are fantastic together and play off each other’s comedy fairly well, but I can’t help but imagine what could be. Despite not having the representation, this black comedy is still one exciting movie based on an incredible true story as well. If you only know McGregor from Star Wars, I implore you to check this movie out, because he truly shines as Morris and shows his incredible range. Carrey is also good in his role; even though he is outlandish sometimes his physical comedy brings something truly fascinating to Russell. I have seen this movie a few times, and I absolutely adore it. Believe me: this is a film that needs to be seen to believe. (Austen Terry)
Love, Rosie
Formulas become formulas for a reason — they work. Love, Rosie is a perfect example of this. If you were to judge it solely based off its synopsis, it would be easy (perhaps even understandable) to just write it off. The movie follows Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin), a couple of childhood friends who may… wait for it… become something more?! [Gasps! Fainting! Dramatic double takes!] What a twist! The fact that it’s able to rise above the rom-com cliché of it all is all down to our leads. Collins and Claflin are able to make the experience enjoyable because they are both charismatic and have good chemistry. If you’re a fan of the genre, or even just our leads, this one is worth checking out. (Jake Bourgeois)
Love Affair
Even if you’ve never seen it, there’s a good chance you’ve probably heard of An Affair to Remember. It stars Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr as a couple who meet, fall in love, and agree to meet at the Empire State Building in six months if their feelings remain. What you probably didn’t know is that it was director Leo McCarey’s second adaptation of a film he co-wrote and directed originally in 1939, Love Affair. In the original, Grant and Kerr are subbed for Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer, both multiple time Oscar nominees. Dunne herself earned one of the film’s six Oscar nominations for the 1940 ceremony — a particularly stacked year for film. McCarey’s script and Best Picture were among the other five, and it’s easy to see why. It’s an emotional story that’s sure to tug on the heartstrings, brought to life by spectacular performances. You’ve probably seen a litany of films inspired by this one. That should not deter you from seeking it out. It’s a seemingly forgotten classic that hasn’t gotten nearly the eyeballs it deserves from modern-day audiences. It recently got a new 4K restoration, in part thanks to The Museum of Modern Art, which looks stunning and I hope will help drive some eyes to it. It deserves them. (Jake Bourgeois)
The Lovely Bones
How do you help your family find your killer when you’re not alive? The Lovely Bones is about Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), a 14-year-old, who is murdered and watches over her family in the “in-between”, and is torn between striking vengeance on her killer and allowing her family to heal. Ronan is great as the young and naive teen Susie, who was coming into her teenage life but was tragically taken away from her without a chance to, and Stanley Tucci gives a disturbing performance as George Harvey, next-door neighbor and serial killer. I’ve never seen someone as chilling as Tucci with the blonde hair, blue, icy stare, and nice but creepy demeanor that makes you want to scream stranger danger. Every time he showed up on the screen, I squirm because that’s how good the man is in this role. We watch Susie wanting to be with her family, not ready to go on, but eventually finding peace in knowing the ones she loves are okay. The film doesn’t just deal with death, but also learning how to grieve, and moving on with the present. The Lovely Bones is a bit of a hard pill to swallow, but director Peter Jackson brings this dark story to light. (Chantal Ashford)
Also See: Love, Love, Simon, Love & Other Drugs, For Love of the Game