The top ten romantic movies that helped shape my views of
love, life, and relationships during my teen years are movies that still have
the power to move me, even today. They have the ability to take me back to
those universal issues that I went through during my own high school years, the
angst, the excitement of first attraction, the triumphs, the disappointments
that teens have to live through. It’s a challenging time in life, and these
movies got it right for me.
Sixteen Candles – You cannot argue this one. Jake Ryan was
one of the most romantic icons a young teenage girl could have. He was gorgeous
with a tough guy exterior, but we also saw that he had kindness and integrity.
He wanted the smart, thinking, caring, quirky girl, not necessarily the beauty
queen who was fine with trashing his house. But the best part of all? He goes
after who he wants. There’s that moment, that one perfect moment at the end of
the movie when Samantha is coming out of the church, having just gotten through
the crazy wedding with her equally crazy family, and suddenly he’s there,
waiting for her outside the church. Makes me tear up every time. Everyone wants to have their Jake
Ryan.
Pretty in Pink – One of my favorite scenes is when Ducky
comes to Andie’s place of work, the record store, and starts singing the Otis
Redding song “Try a Little Tenderness”. Love that scene! It was a scene that
prompted me to buy the Otis Redding album that had that song. I loved that she
was so creative, making her own clothing. She represents the alienation we all
feel at one point or other in life, not fitting the mold, which is truly a
gift, but in high school, you don’t know that. I loved her strength, and it was
the first movie I’d seen where a child had to step into a parent role. Her
father was a flake, with reason, but still.
Breakfast Club – I wanted to see Claire (Molly Ringwald) get
together with the bad boy, who I had the biggest crush on. They were so far
apart in school culture and societal expectations, but I wanted to see her get
a little dirty and him get a little clean. I wanted her to stop being such a
tight-ass, and him to have some self-respect so they could meet in the middle
and not just make it out alive, but thrive in life. I wanted them to be able to
stick it to “the man”.
Some Kind of Wonderful – Eric Stoltz. Doesn’t that just say
it all? And the angst Watts goes through
watching him fight for a girl who doesn’t even care about him gets me
every time, probably because I was a bit of a tomboy as a kid and didn’t know
how to be soft for a long time. She was in love with him, but he only saw her
as his friend. How was she going to get him to see that she was not one of the
guys, and was, in fact, a girl with a sweet heart?
The Pirate Movie – Completely sexy for a young teen girl. All
these hot guys were chasing all of these hot girls. There was tons of skin,
tons of sexual innuendo, and the music was just fun. It was playful, didn’t
show anything I wouldn’t want my own kids to see, and didn’t take itself
seriously in the least.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – My mother loved musicals,
and while there were many musicals I saw, this one sticks out the most. Again,
all of these handsome mountain men were going after all of these beautiful
young women, which involved a lot of singing and dancing. Great fun. Under it
all, I loved that even though they were newly married, Milly kicks Adam out of
the house until he can grow up, get his head on straight, and realize that he
needed to learn what it meant to truly love and respect another person.
Grease – If this movie is on, you might have to cover your
ears because I’m going to sing along, and I won’t by shy about it. I love the
music, the dancing and the innocence of the romance. Who didn’t want to be
Sandy wearing the black pants and leather jacket at the end of the movie, minus
the cigarette, which she ends up ditching anyway? Innocence spreading her wings
for a test flight into sensuality.
Desperately Seeking Susan – I had a thing for Madonna. I
must admit this. I did my best, as much as my mother would allow, to wear
clothes that would be reminiscent of her style. She was such a free spirit in
the movie, and I thought it was awesome that Rosanna Arquette’s character had
the opportunity to step outside of herself and experience life from a different
perspective with joy, excitement and true love. I learned that we can’t let
ourselves be hemmed into categories, and that realizing your full potential as
a human was part of fulfilling your responsibility in life.
Footloose – Kevin Bacon was hot! Need I say more? It was
also quite freaky that a small town would have a law against dancing. What was
ultimately cool, the wild child preacher’s kid pretty girl breaks the
stereotype she’s molded herself into and learns to have self-respect, and to
question who she really wants to be in life.
Goonies – Just so
playful and innocent. The cute girl grows a pair by the end of it all and isn’t
just reliant on the jock to take care of her.
It was so hard to choose only ten movies because there were
so many that I loved. I’m sure I’m missing a bunch that were equally good, but
I’m sticking with these.
What teen romance movies influenced you growing up?
NEW RELEASE!!!
Would you like a steamy read over the holidays? Book Three of the Dreamwalkers series just came out! Here's a quick summary...
Dr.
Cecilia—Ceci—Bradford at your service.
I
dance, rock climb, and have mastered MMA, because just being a
twenty-six-year-old doctor isn't enough. It doesn't keep me from remembering
the terrifying night my life changed, the night my true love died. I was nearly
seventeen.
Life
goes on, but the secret I keep is that I still talk to him in my dreams. That
was getting me by until Tabron showed up—or, more specifically, until the
six-foot-two brute of a Viking whisked me off to another planet because his
leader is dying. And the joy didn't end there. I'm being forced to choose a
mate. The Brausa are facing extinction.
Tabron
has no need for a mate, himself, and he's told me as much. Multiple times. What
he does have are hands and wicked lips that stir feelings I thought lost
forever. Choosing him (just to play along until I can find a way home) seems to
irk him and I find this surprisingly fun. But surviving a hidden conspiracy and
the dangers of this alien place might be more difficult than I could ever
imagine…
Book Three of The Dreamwalkers
BUYS LINKS...
Carina Press
Amazon
BN
Kobo
All Romance
Thanks so much for spending time with me. You can find me at www.facebook.com/Writer.D.Adele, www.twitter.com/DanubeAdele, www.google.com/+DanubeAdele, www.danubeadele.com, www.goodreads.com/author/show/7340150.Danube_Adele
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