Ten Romantic Comedies for the Over-50s Crowd

1. When Harry Met Sally - This 1989 screenplay by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner (remember Meathead in All in the Family?) is a warm New York story (very much in a Woody Allen vein). Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are wonderful together as longtime platonic friends who keep dancing around their deeper feelings. Harry and Sally's instant attraction leads to a 15-year debate between them on whether sex will ruin a perfect relationship. The music by Harry Connick, Jr. is an added bonus to this film.

2. Pretty Woman - Richard Gere and Julia Roberts light up the screen in this 1990 irresistible comedy! In an improbable plot, Edward (Gere), a successful corporate mogul meets a carefree prostitute, Vivian (Roberts). Although their two lives are worlds apart, Vivian's energetic spirit challenges Edward's no-nonsense approach to life, and soon they are falling in love! A timeless rags-to-riches romance and if any lady over 50 doesn't love looking at Richard Gere and the clothes he buys for Vivian, I'd be amazed!

3. The Philadelphia Story was released in 1940 starring Cary Grant (romantic comedy at its very, very best), Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart. The film is about a Philadelphia socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the arrival of her ex-husband and an attractive journalist. Nominated for six Oscars, it won Best Actor for James Stewart and best adapted screenplay. A true classic for romantic comedy afficiandos!

4. Annie Hall - Woody Allan and Diane Keaton - a "real life pair" at the time, in a story about love and love of New York. As a native New Yorker I loved, loved, loved the shots of the city, a staple in any Allan film. Allan is his usual "schlumpy" neurotic self dealing with an implausible and impossible relationship and Keaton as a zany, repressed Mid-westerner is great. Won 1977 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. The scene cooking lobsters is a classic!

5. Moonstruck - Cher, Nicholas Cage, Danny Aiello and Olympia Dukakis in a classic love triangle with a real Brooklyn-New York twist. Cher is "devastatingly funny, sinuous and beautiful" (Pauline Kael) as Loretta, an unlucky-in-love Italian widow who finds romance through the intervention of the Manhattan moon. With her wedding to a close friend (Aiello) just weeks away, she meets and falls hopelessly in love with his younger brother (Cage). Her dilemma and her equally passionate and hilariously eccentric family make for an unforgettable film you'll find "beguiling" (Time), "enchanting" (Newsweek) and "irresistible" (Today). 1987 Oscar-winning performances by Cher and Olympia Dukakis and best screenplay of the year.

6. The Graduate defined the '60s generation of baby boomers with its theme of alienation, nonconformity, intergenerational romance, and a wonderful soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel. Watching Dustin Hoffman as a college graduate who spends his first summer out of school being seduced by the wife of his father's best friend (Ann Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson), while he's falling in love with her daughter is delightful, offbeat and funny. Mike Nichols won the Best Director Oscar for his generation-spanning film. "And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson."

7. Four Weddings and A Funeral - A surprise hit in 1994, this enchanting romantic comedy finds confirmed bachelor Hugh Grant attending weddings with his single friends as they all lament not being able to commit. Grant keeps running into an attractive American (Andie MacDowell) at these events and begins a long-running affair with her, even as he attends her own wedding, the funeral of one of his best friends, and his own pending marriage. This is a wonderful film about two people who belong together but just can't seem to tie the knot. A classic romantic comedy.

8. Sleepless in Seattle is another Nora Ephron, Meg Ryan film. It tells the story of Annie (Ryan) and Sam, a lonely widower (Tom Hanks) living in Seattle with his young son, Jonah. When Jonah calls a radio show to say his dad needs love, Annie living in Baltimore responds. For the rest of the movie, fate - and Jonah - do their best to bring the couple together, despite the continent that divides them. They finally connect and have their happy ending.

9. Two for the Road - An edgy romantic comedy from 1967 with two film icons, Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn. Jumping back in forth in time, the film chronicles the marital ups and downs of a stylish British couple as they travel on various vacations over the course of their 12-year marriage showing the joys and pains as the couple struggles to maintain their fading marital bliss. Hepburn and Finney give great performances. The over-50s crowd will love seeing Hepburn's fabulous late-'60s wardrobe with everything from candy-striped bellbottoms to hip sunglasses and outrageously stylish hats.

10. Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy about different aspects of love as shown through stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are linked as their tales progress. The ensemble cast is wonderful and includes Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson and Laura Linney. The film begins five weeks before Christmas and is played out during a week-by-week countdown until the holiday, with an epilogue that takes place one month later. The acting is wonderful and the soundtrack with The Beach Boys' God Only Knows will warm the heart of any over-50s audience. How can you go wrong with love and Christmas??

You can find all of these wonderful films at Netflix or Amazon. Get out the popcorn, the tissues and enjoy!