Celebamour

Posted: 14 Feb 2008 12:03 PM CST

This Valentine’s Day, I’m thinking romance but keeping the men in mind too. I’ve put together a classic list of romantic movies that appeal to both men and women.

Top Gun - Tom Cruise plays Maverick, a talented training pilot in an elite U.S. school for fighter pilots. Kelly McGillis plays Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood the fighter-school’s beautiful, savvy engagement and tactical instructor.

Ghost - One of the best romantic films ever made. In it, we see just what lengths someone will go to for their love for someone else, and also shows us that the love we have for someone in our life goes on after death. Patrick Swayze plays Sam Wheat and Demi Moore, his longtime girlfriend Molly.

Pretty Woman - Julia Roberts plays Vivian Ward an LA hooker who meets millionaire wheeler-dealer Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) who falls in love with the lady while giving her an extreme lifestyle makeover.

An Officer and a Gentleman - Richard Gere stars as Zach Mayo–a charming, rebellious, and somewhat amoral badboy enters the Naval Academy to become a pilot, he immediately clashes with Louis Gossett, Jr. as his supervisor. Learning about teamwork and friendship, his life is further complicated by a local girl, Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger) looking to latch onto a promising future.

Titanic - As starving artist Jack Dawson and soon-to-be-married socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater, DiCaprio and Kate Winslet won the hearts of viewers around the world, and their brief but never-forgotten love affair provides the humanity that turned the tale of Titanic into an emotional experience.

Sleepless in Seattle - Tom Hanks plays Sam, left miserable by the death of his wife, with only his young son, Jonah (Ross Malinger), to console him. The consolation goes a bit far; Jonah rings up a radio talk show to say that his dad needs love. Many listeners melt with sympathy, none more so than Annie (Meg Ryan), in Baltimore, shortly to be married and none too happy about it.

Witness - When Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young Amish boy traveling with his mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis), witnesses the murder of a police officer in a public restroom, he and his mother become the temporary wards of John Book (Harrison Ford), a detective who’s been assigned to solve the crime but ends up falling in love.

Dirty Dancing - Frances “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey, daughter of ageless hoofer Joel Grey) has been vacationing in the Catskills with her family for many years. Uneventfully. One summer, she falls under the sway (as it were) of dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). Baby is a pampered pup, but Johnny is a man of the world. Baby’s father, Jake (Law and Order’s Jerry Orbach), can’t see the basic decency in greaser Johnny that she can.

Grease - The story of Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsen (Olivia Newton-John), two teenagers that share a summer romance and upon the end of their vacation, go separate ways. Fate brings them together when Sandy is transferred to Rydell High School, where Danny goes. He’s the typical adolescent, good looking, cocky, bad boy. She’s sweet, innocent and naïve, but certainly not boring.

The Bridges of Madison County - Meryl Streep costars as Francesca, the lonely Iowa farmer’s wife who is instantly attracted to Robert (Eastwood), the photographer from National Geographic who is in the area to photograph the bridges along Iowa’s rural roadways. The two fall in love while Francesca’s husband and children are away at a county fair, but the story’s passion and lasting appeal derive from their decision to part forever after just a few brief days of intimate connection.

Jerry McGuire - Sports agent Jerry McGuire (Tom Cruise) whose fall from grace motivates his quest for professional recovery, and the slow-dawning realization that he needs the love and respect of the single mom, Dorthy Boyd (Renée Zellweger) who has supported him through the worst of times while Maguire grows increasingly close to her and her little boy Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki).