by James David Patrick
It’s hard to agree on a movie that satisfies the demands of both partners in a relationship. Maybe one person wants a little bit of action, while the other’s got a soft, gooey spot for romance (and maybe won’t admit it). The following seven movies provide ideal date-night entertainment. Action! Comedy! Romance! Adventure! Each movie comes pre-approved to provide the total entertainment package and then some.
Diana Rigg and George Lazenby in James Bond’s sixth adventure, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Peter Hunt, 1969)
George Lazenby’s only outing as 007 has a vague reputation as a lesser Bond. George Lazenby’s greatest offense, however, was just not being Sean Connery. Lazenby wasn’t really an actor by trade (he’d made a few commercials before getting cast as James Bond) and that inexperience may have actually benefitted his portrayal of the love-struck 007 who falls for Diana Rigg’s Tracy. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service features a James Bond unlike any other, a human and emotional character, but the similarities to Connery outweigh the relative eccentricities of Peter Hunt’s vision for the future of James Bond (circa 1969). The winter-sport action spectacle (Bobsleds! Skiing! Curling!) gives way to a gut-punch finale that causes grown men to weep.
Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw on the run in Sam Peckinpah’s The Getaway (1972)
The Getaway (Sam Peckinpah, 1972)
Peckinpah would never be mistaken for a sappy romantic, but this mainstream offering from the gritty director of humanist masculine fables features off-the-charts sexual tension between Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw that mirrored their off-screen affair. With the help of his wife, Doc McCoy robs a bank and the heist —as it does—goes wrong. After that, The Getaway’s a basic chase movie, an update of the Bonnie and Clyde story, but the heat between these co-stars gives Peckinpah’s populist moneymaker the kind of heat that just can’t be scripted.
Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn in the comic neo-noir Foul Play (1978).
Foul Play (Colin Higgins, 1978)
No one has ever accused Chevy Chase of being Clark Gable, but his partnership with Goldie Hawn in Foul Play puts him in the conversation. The neo-noir action-comedy finds the recently divorced librarian (Hawn) and a detective (Chase) attempting to thwart a plot to kill the Pope. The high-concept comedy and Hitchcock homage (complete with a MacGuffin) dabbles in overt spoof but remains a more earnest caper in the mold of something like Stanley Donen’s Charade (1963). Our protagonists get to indulge in a little bit of romance along the way. Chase (in his first leading role) and Hawn proved to be wonderful on-screen partners and both earned well-deserved Golden Globe nominations for their Foul Play performances.
Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas sizzle in Romancing the Stone (1984).
Romancing the Stone (Robert Zemeckis, 1984)
Without the success of Romancing the Stone, Robert Zemeckis doesn’t get to make Back to the Future (1985), but that’s not all we love about this action-adventure comedy set in the jungles of Colombia. It’s the mismatched pairing of rugged ex-pat Jack Colton and the agoraphobic romance novelist Joan Wilder that makes the movie an old-fashioned brand of sexy. Low on overt titillation but overloaded with personality friction and steamy, fully-clothed animal attraction – Jack and Joan must claim the mysterious treasure to save her kidnapped sister… and refrain from killing each other in the process.
Patricia Arquette and Christian Slater catch a Sonny Chiba marathon in True Romance (1993).
True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993)
It’s called True Romance, after all, but this violent crime caper comes prepackaged with a love story for the ages. An Elvis Presley-obsessed comic book store employee falls in love with a prostitute and goes about securing her release from the business. Quentin Tarantino’s script provides a cast of characters full of delicious excess, but the foundation for the story – the love between Clarence (Christian Slater) and Alabama (Patricial Arquette) – gives Tony Scott’s masterpiece of form and function a real, beating heart.
Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney smolder in Out of Sight (1999)
Out of Sight (Steven Soderbergh, 1998)
Often, the best kind of cinematic sexy is the forbidden coupling of two souls on opposite sides of the law. Career criminal and bank robber Jack Foley (George Clooney) breaks out of jail and forms an immediate, kinetic connection with U.S. Marshal Karen Cisco (Jennifer Lopez), whom he kidnaps to make his escape. When Jack heads to Detroit to fleece a loose-lipped ex-con (Albert Brooks), Karen’s put on the case, but can she bring him in? The chemistry between Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney makes Soderbergh’s underappreciated heist film more about romance than twisty grift.
James David Patrick is a Pittsburgh-based writer with a movie-watching problem. He has a degree in Film Studies from Emory University that gives him license to discuss Russian Shakespeare adaptations and oeuvre of Jason Statham in the same sentence. He hosts the Cinema Shame podcast. You’ll find him crate diving at local record shops. James blogs about movies, music and 80’s nostalgia at www.thirtyhertzrumble.com.