Great Movies of 2013: Best Romance and Comedies

This is a follow-up entry to my top 5 favorite movies of 2013.  My wife and I have been busy seeing at least one movie a week since the beginning of December and it is my goal to see the majority of Oscar nominated movies.  At the moment I have seen 6 of 9 best picture nominees and the three that remain are 'Her', 'Nebraska' and 'Philomena'.  Also, I have not seen 'Frances Ha' or 'Inside Llewyn Davis' which have garnered a lot of critical praise.  In continuation of my personal belief that 'spoilers' ruin the fun, I don't go into any significant detail about each movie.  These are my favorite Romance and Comedy movies in alphabetic order.  I will post one more blog on what were my other favorite dramas and action movies of 2013.

Romantic Movies:

About Time

About Time (Romance/Drama/Fantasy) - This is a wonderful story and makes a great movie to watch on a date night.  This is imaginative tale tells the story of Tim an awkward 'ginger' who learns on his 21st birthday that he can travel backward in time.  With this power he decides to make for himself a better life by getting a girlfriend, but this proves harder than you think.  Tim is portrayed by Domhnall Gleeson (son of actor Brendan Gleeson) and his romantic counterpart is Rachel McAdams, who now plays the love interest of a time traveler for third time ('The Time Traveler's Wife' and 'Midnight in Paris.') Overall the acting is convincing and Bill Nighy stands out playing the doting father of Tim.  Australian actress Margot Robbie ('The Wolf of Wall Street') manages to keep herself clothed in this picture and certainly charms.

This is the third movie that Richard Curtis wrote and directed ('Pirate Radio' and 'Love Actually') after a long career of comedic writing.  This movie is not nominated for any Oscars, but I think it is worthy of a best original screenplay nomination and a best supporting actor nomination for Bill Nighy.  This movie is no longer in theaters, but will be out on DVD February 4, 2014. (My IMDB vote 8/10)

Enough Said

Enough Said (Romance/Comedy) - This is the last movie starring James Gandolfini and I was sad to here of his passing in June 2013. This is a story of a divorced woman (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who pursues a man (James Gandolfini) and learns that he is the former husband of her new friend (Catherine Keener).  This is a movie that is clearly directed at Baby Boomers and for Hollywood it is rare love story involving people of the same age.  Both Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and James Gandolfini are born in 1961.  Usually you see the divorced older male chasing someone in their 20's. Toni Collette also appears as the bestfriend to Julia Louis-Dreyfus character and provides levity.

This movie is the fifth feature film written and directed by Nicole Holofcener and like all her movies before stars Catherine Keener.  I can't say I have seen her previous movies, but per IMBD this is the highest rated movie so far in her career.  What made this movie for me was the dynamic between James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the awkward everyday people they portrayed.  It shows the talent of both actors and that James Gandolfini was more than Tony Soprano.  (My IMDB vote 7/10)


Romance is my second least favorite movie genre after horror. I'm not much a fan of silly popcorn Hollywood love stories, but there are two movies from 2013 that still like to see which are 'Her' and 'Before Midnight.'  Other romantic movies I did enjoy from 2013 is 'Don Jon' and Joseph Gordon Levitt did a great job writing and directing this modern love story.  I also saw a few stinkers including 'Drinking Buddies,' 'Admission' and 'The Big Wedding.' Watch these at your own peril.

Comedy:

Blue Jasmine

Blue Jasmine (Comedy/Drama) - The latest Woody Allen movie is a tale of a New York socialite (Cate Blanchett) who falls under hard times and arrives in San Francisco to impose on her working class sister (Sally Hawkins.) This movie is nominated for 3 Oscars (Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay.)  Cate Blanchett performance is impressive and I think she'll likely garner the Best Actress Oscar over Meryl Streep ('August: Osage County.')  Woody Allen does a great job developing the characters by going forward and backward in time.  The cast also includes Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard, Bobby Cannavale and comedian Andrew Dice Clay in roles that are natural fits with their previous work.

This is also the only movie that I' am recommending that passes the Becdtel Test, although I think 'Gravity' should get pass as Sandra Bullock has the majority of screen time, dialogue and there is no love story.  I strongly recommend seeing this movie where I think Cate Blanchett has delivered her strongest performance yet in her career. This movie can now be found on DVD.   (My IMDB vote 8/10)

The World's End

The World's End - (Comedy/Action/Sci-Fi) - This is the third in a series of movies written by Comedian/Actor Simon Pegg and directed by Edgar Wright.  The first two were 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz,' and if you enjoyed them than you will certainly enjoy this.  What made those two movies great was the comedy combined with the bizarre out there circumstances that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost find themselves in. This story is about 5 mates from high school who try recreate and an epic pub crawl 20 years later.  Of course they all have grown and settled into their careers except for Gary (Simon Pegg) who's development arrested in his teens.  Plenty of English comedy and of course a plot twist that makes these 5 gents the only hope humankind's survival.

Other notable actors appear in the movie include Pierce Brosnan and Rosamund Pike.  This movie received no Oscar nominations and that doesn't surprise me as this movie is an acquired taste.  This movie is certainly a lot more enjoyable than some of the Hollywood comedies of 2013 such as 'The Internship', 'The Heat', 'We're the Millers', 'Identity Thief' or 'This is the End.' (My IMDB vote 7/10.)


On my yet to see list of 2013 movies that are comedies is 'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues' and 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.'  If I am a true Oscar completest I'll have to see 'Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa' which is nominated for best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Comments? Thoughts? Suggestions?  What was your favorite Romantic or Comedic movies of 2013?  Please add your thoughts below.