Some days, watching travel chick flicks are the only way to leave the house.
Every Sunday evening, my roommate and I would drop in front of the TV for 2.5 hours of happy endings and romantic getaways, to start our week on a positive note. I suspect the reason we loved chick flicks so much was because they flew us out of our normal environments. It’s the same reason we love traveling: a chance to imagine ourselves the heroine of glamorous places and well-scripted adventures.
So this isn’t a list of guilty pleasures, though most of these titles meet the requisite cheesiness of the chick flick genre. This is a list of day dreams, a compilation of perfect journeys.
Chasing Liberty – The U.S. President’s daughter (played by Mandy Moore) rebels against the security of her father’s job and sneaks out on a cross-European escape. While dodging dad’s Secret Service Officers, she lands herself in a slew of idealized scenes – from a rooftop concert in Vienna, to a moonlit gondolier cruise in Venice. Freedom isn’t easy, but that’s how Moore makes it look in this twenty-something tribute to backpacking.
My Life In Ruins – The second film from Nia Vardalos features the actress as an unlucky tour guide, stuck in a loveless position educating Europe’s tackiest tourists. But with a little help from these misfits, Nia begins to see her life in less disastrous ways. Playing off international stereotypes (the Canadians are overly polite, no one understands the Australians’ slang), Ruins is a lesson in how travel puts things in perspective.
Made of Honor – A classic tale of love disguised as friendship. Tom and Hannah have known each other since college, and are so comfortable together, they laugh at the idea of romance. But after Hannah moves to Scotland for a job, Tom’s (Patrick Dempsey) dwindling dalliances with other women force him to realize she’s more than a best mate. Then a redheaded Scotsman invades the picture, and this dashing lady’s man will do anything – even wear a kilt and toss a caber – to win her back. One unfortunate fiance and an aborted wedding later, love is finally found in The Highlands.
Just Married – Traveling with a significant other can be challenging at times, especially if one wants museums while the other wants sports bars. This film raises the question, Is love richer when we roam, or just more blinding? And how can anyone see the difference, in between the distractions of a foreign country? When the European honeymoon of Tom and Sarah goes awry, they will test the bonds of marriage and find out just how far they must journey to be together.
Ella Enchanted – The travel chick flick takes on whimsical proportions in this twist of a fairy tale. Ella features Anne Hathaway as a headstrong young lady with a rather unpleasant habit: she always does exactly what she’s told. Off to find the fairy godmother who gave her the silly blessing, Ella fends off giants, dances with leprechauns and falls for the dashing young prince. Naturally, there’s an evil step father to defeat and a kingdom to save along the way; and of course, there’s a happily-ever-after.
Mamma Mia – A gorgeous location vies with an all-star singing cast for the best aspects of this film, based on the award-winning Broadway musical. It’s all things ABBA and travel, as three unsuspecting men return to a Grecian Isle, invited by the daughter they’ve never met. But which one is really her father? Only a few hours of Dancing Queen will solve the mystery, and settle the question of family forever.
Bride And Prejudice – Based on the Jane Austen novel of similar title, this Bollywood version pits the arrogance of an American Mark Darcy against the outspoken independence of an Indian Elizabeth Bennet (aka Lalita Bakshi). The vastly different worlds of Amritsar and Los Angeles conspire against this unlikely couple. Yet in the end, neither distance nor language barrier can stand in the way of destiny.
PS I Love You – A guaranteed Kleenex-waster. Ireland has never looked so captivating as it does in the poignant tale of Holly (a softer Hilary Swank), who receives letters from her dead husband. While each message brings memories and heartache, it helps Holly deal with her grief in unsuspecting ways. Full of Irish good humor and that lovely Gaelic accent, PS proves that love is the greatest travel souvenir of all.
The Holiday – When a relationship fails, the best medicine is a trip abroad. Two women (Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet), both suffering from ruinous affairs of the heart, swap houses over the Christmas season. Each thrives with the change of scenery and a little help from their male neighbors. Don’t worry about what happens at the end of their vacations – where love is involved, time no longer matters.
Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason – The loveable English lady is back, though just as confused and dysfunctional as before. Characters from the first film return – Mark as a love interest, Daniel as a love threat. This time, Bridget pursues her crushes through the Alps, to Thailand, where a sneaky drug smuggler lands her in a woman’s prison. As the two men fight for her affections, Bridget has to decide where her heart really belongs.
Letters To Juliet – The storyline is thin as the letter that started it all: a message to Shakespeare’s Juliet, tucked into a brick wall in Verona. When an American journalist (Amanda Seyfried) finds a particularly touching memo, she determines to help the author (Claire, now a grandmother) track down the Italian lover she left some 50 years before. Our young match-maker finds a romance of her own with Claire’s grandson, as the three scour the Italian countryside in search of the missing Lorenzo. Vineyards, pizza and Mediterranean romance abound.
Blue Crush 2 – This sequel never made it to theaters, and probably for good reason. But the young adult journey of one LA brat, who runs away to South Africa to follow in the surfing footsteps of her deceased mother, will inspire you to catch the next flight – or the next wave. The oceanic sport is supposedly the theme of Blue, but the film also features a stirring nomadic quest, young love and stunning shots of the South African coastline.
French Kiss – Popular romantic comedy star Meg Ryan is cast as the slightly neurotic teacher, Kate, who visits France to confront her two biggest fears: flying and a cheating fiance. Unbeknownst to Kate, the male passenger who helps her survive the plane ride is a thief – and unscrupulous enough to stash his stolen goods in Kate’s carry-on. Alibis and adventures collide as Kate and the thief work together to get back their prized possessions. In the end, both are surprised to realize their hearts have been stolen as well.
What do you watch when you want to escape?
~ Until the next adventure! ~ Kelli
Photo credit: Many DVDs – Yann de la marne, Wikimedia