We’re thrilled to have our movie critic, professional actor, and life-long movie buff; Paul McGuire, back with us to share his picks on “movies for a rainy day.”   Just in the nick of time, as it’s supposed to rain this weekend… thanks to Paul, I’m good to go.  All I need to do is focus on the food and wine!

Movies for a Rainy Day:  Even though we’ve had some recent snow, spring has sprung and soon enough summer will be here.  I love going up to my parents’ cabin.  I relish in the opportunity to have a quick weekend getaway from work or other stresses in life.  It’s bizarre how your mind can escape everything and time sometimes seems to stop as you relax in a cabin or on a pontoon trolling around the water.  There are the days, though, when it starts to rain and you’re stranded inside the whole day.  While you could read a book, play cards, or try a new recipe, I would suggest watching a movie.  What a surprise!  I sat down to think about what movies I would watch while waiting for the rain to stop.  Too many choices came to mind.  There are fun comedies that are summer/cabin/camp themed, but sometimes a good romance is just the trick to pass the time.  Here are some ideas for either of those genres that you might be in the mood for:

National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

Directed by: Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters, Stripes)

Written by: John Hughes (The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles)

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) is pretty insistent on a family vacation with his wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), and his kids, Rusty and Audrey (Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron), to Walley World theme park.  Even though Ellen and Rusty suggest they fly there, Clark is determined to drive and make it a family road trip.  What kind of road trip doesn’t include meeting up with crazy relatives, a gorgeous blond (Christie Brinkley) in a convertible, and driving through the ghetto?  After meeting up with Cousin Eddie (pre-crazy Randy Quaid), they are forced to take along Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) for the ride.  Their road trip doesn’t quiet go as planned, which makes for some very funny situations.

Other fun summer comedies include:

1. The Great Outdoors (Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, 1988)
2. Meatballs (Bill Murray, 1979)
3. Caddyshack (Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, 1980)

The Notebook (2004)

Directed by: Nick Cassavetes

Based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks

The movie opens in present day with Duke (James Gardner) reading pages of a notebook to woman (Gena Rowlands) who is suffering from severe dementia.  He tells the story of a young poor man named Noah (Ryan Gosling) and how he came to fall in love with the pretty and elite Allie (Rachel McAdams) in the 1940s.  Despite their social class differences, Noah will stop at nothing to ask out Allie and win her over.   They fall in love and spend the summer together.  After breaking into an abandoned house, Noah promises Allie he will someday remodel it for her.  With every good romance, there must be some tension to cause our lovers to separate while you yearn for them to get back together.  With the disapproval of Allie’s parents and Allie moving off to the college, they break up.

Years later, after they have separated and moved on, Allie ends up marrying someone of her class.  Noah can’t seem to forget about Allie though.   One day Allie reads in the paper that Noah has indeed kept his promise and finished remodeling the house.  Allie decides to go visit Noah and have a look at the house.   After Allie realizes she never stopped loving Noah, she has to make a decision about who she wants to be with.  Does she give up her marriage and be with Noah or does she leave Noah again like she did so many years before?

With a smart script, beautiful score, and a strong cast, The Notebook is one of the best romance movies of the last ten years.  Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams have such amazing chemistry you can’t help but hope they get back together.  James Gardner and Gena Rowlands are also wonderful as the older couple.  Your heart just breaks as their story evolves.

Other romances worth a repeat viewing:

1. An Affair to Remember (Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, 1957)
2. Titanic (Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, 1997)
3. Casablanca (Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, 1942)
4. Ghost (Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, 1990)

It’s important to keep a few movies on hand for those rainy days.  Sometimes a light comedy is just the trick.  You can have a few laughs, and you don’t need to pay close attention.  Maybe you could curl up with your significant other and get sucked into a romance.  No matter how many times I’ve seen The Notebook or Titanic, I still get sucked in.  I know the endings, yet I am glued to the screen as if it’s the first time wondering how the couple will fare in the end.  Don’t let the rain ruin a perfectly good trip to the cabin.  Grab a glass of wine or a cocktail and settle in as you wait for the rain to pass.

Paul McGuire; Movie Critic, Professional Actor, Life-Long Movie Buff.
Check out Paul’s blog at http://eblogdepmcg.blogspot.com

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