American Graffiti (1973)

American Graffiti (1973)

[9] A close-knit group of teenagers relish their last night of summer vacation before their paths diverge, changing their lives forever, in George Lucas's American Graffiti. Most of the cast succeed in creating wholly believable characters with compelling dilemmas, and…
Harold and Maude (1971)

Harold and Maude (1971)

[9] Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon play one of cinema's most unusual but endearing couples in Harold and Maude, a delightfully twisted romantic comedy from Hal Ashby. Harold is a rich, sheltered boy obsessed with death, and Maude is a…
Auntie Mame (1958)

Auntie Mame (1958)

[10] A young boy is orphaned and left in the care of his only living relative, an eccentric aunt who defies convention and encourages discovery. The pair endure challenge after challenge in an episodic narrative that ends in the boy…
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

[9]

It could just be my hillbilly roots, but I get a kick out of this corny but highly entertaining romp from the director of Singin’ in the Rain. A kind-hearted woman (Jane Powell) impulsively marries a mountain man (the booming Howard Keel) but gets more than she bargained for when he introduces his six brothers in the squalor of their remote farm house. Powell is the heart of the movie. Making the best of it, she tries to civilize Keel’s six lonely brothers to improve their chances of finding their own brides.

All About Eve (1950)

All About Eve (1950)

[10] Bette Davis revived her sagging career and writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz continued an Oscar streak with All About Eve. Davis stars as Margo Channing, an aging broadway star who takes a sympathetic, aspiring ingenue under her wing. Anne Baxter…
Adam’s Rib (1949)

Adam’s Rib (1949)

[9] Of the nine films which paired Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Adam's Rib is often considered the best. Writers Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin were friends of the famous couple and wrote the film specifically for them. Kate insisted…
The Philadelphia Story (1940)

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

[10] The day before her second wedding, a priggish socialite (Katharine Hepburn) entangles with her ex-husband (Cary Grant) and a tabloid journalist (Jimmy Stewart), causing an identity crisis that threatens to derail the ceremony. Does she really want to marry…
His Girl Friday (1940)

His Girl Friday (1940)

[9] Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell headline this quintessential screwball comedy from director Howard Hawks (Bringing Up Baby, Ball of Fire). His Girl Friday is based on a stage play and a previous film adaptation (The Front Page) about a…
Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

[10] Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant give marvelous slapstick performances in Howard Hawks' farcical masterpiece, Bringing Up Baby. This is my favorite screwball comedy of them all. The mismatched characters are forced into couple-hood through their shared adventures trying to…
It Happened One Night (1934)

It Happened One Night (1934)

[9] Somewhere along the way, Hollywood forgot how to make good romantic comedies. Because there are plenty of them to be found in the '30s and '40s, with Frank Capra's It Happened One Night being chief among them. Claudette Colbert…