Saturday, July 11, 2009

Movies That Make Me Want to Pack a Suitcase

ROMAN HOLIDAY -- A princess rebels against her royal obligations and escapes to explore Rome on her own. She meets an American newspaperman who, seeking an exclusive story, pretends ignorance of her identity. But his plan falters as they fall in love. Hepburn is cadaverously thin, Peck is... yum, yum, yummy. (Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn)

A MONTH BY THE LAKE - For 16 years Miss Bentley has spent the month of April at an elegant hillside villa on Lake Como, where guests are treated like family. This year, 1937, she is melancholy about her father's recent death, but perks up at the arrival of a handsome new guest, Major Wilshaw. A mutual flirtation develops... until the nanny of a visiting family begins to flirt with the Major, purely out of boredom. This is about love, foolishness, jealousy, maturity and compassion... but it's all easy to miss because of the spectacular scenery in and around Lake Como, Italy. (Vanessa Redgrave, Uma Thurman)

ENCHANTED APRIL -- Two married women trapped in unhappy marriages decide to rent an Italian castle for a get away vacation. To save money, they advertise for two more roommates. One is an elderly widow is struggling with loneliness; the other is Lady Caroline Dester, a gorgeous flapper who believes that she is sick of men. From imdb.com: "This slow-paced gem is about the civilizing influence of Italy on beleaguered Londoners both male and female and has its own civilizing influence on the viewer. It's almost like taking a little mini-trip to Italy, a gorgeously filmed enchantment." (Miranda Richardson, Joan Plowright)

UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN - While on vacation, a just-divorced writer buys a villa in Tuscany on a whim, hoping it will be the start of a change for the better in her life. Restoring the home and learning the Italian way of life also restores herself. Along the way she finds that sometimes what seems like a mistake is really a blessing. (Diane Lane, Sandra Oh)

BONJOUR TRISTESSE - Cecile -- a gorgeous young Jean Seberg -- is the spoiled 17-year-old daughter of Raymond, a wealthy Parisian widower/playboy. Vacationing on the French Riviera, her indulged lifestyle is threatened when her godmother, Anne, is invited to visit and Raymond abandons his playmate, Elsa, for a serious relationship with Anne. Cecile plots with Elsa to split up the pair but the plan does not turn out as expected. This movie made a lot more sense to me when I learned it was based on a novel written by a 17-year old. Again, the scenery stars. (David Niven, Jean Seberg, Deborah Kerr)

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS - An established, professional con-man and an amateur wanna-be vie for the attentions and the bank account of an American heiress, agreeing that the loser will depart the exquisite and exquisitely rich town of Beaumont-sur-Mer, the fictional Beaulieu-sur-Mer. (Steve Martin, Michael Caine.)

AMELIE - Educated at home by her parents, Amélie lives in a fantasy world of her own. When she finally leaves home and finds work as a waitress in a Parisian café, life is uneventful until she discovers a lost treasure belonging to her apartment's former occupant. Returning the box of mementos and seeing the owner's delighted reaction, Amélie sets out on a mission to make others happy. Along the way, she falls in love herself, and discovers that reality can be more fulfilling than romantic daydreams. (Audrey Tautou)

With the exception of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, these all probably qualify as Chick Flicks. What's your favorite travel movie?

2 comments:

John said...

Alien, lol!

Seriously, Lonesome Dove.

La Cootina said...

I almost missed this. Alien. You crack me up!