Just in time for Valentine's Day, here are some romantic flicks available for instant gratification (i.e. streaming on Netflix). There's not a tear-jerker in the bunch: each one comes with a happy ending. So pick your pint of Ben & Jerry's, snuggle on the couch with the furry four-footed companion of your choice and medicate yourself with some cinematic delights.
• "His Girl Friday": It's the prototypical battle-of-the-sexes screwball comedy, with rapid-fire dialogue and characters who are actual grownups. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell star in the 1940 classic, directed by Howard Hawks.
•"Dirty Dancing": Nobody puts Baby in the corner! Jennifer Grey is the teen ingénue who falls for a suave dance instructor (Patrick Swayze) at a Sixties-era Catskills resort in this 1987 entry, dated but still delightful.
•"Amélie": Nominated for five Oscars, this 2001 gem casts the cute-as-a-bug Audrey Tautou as a Parisian free spirit who brings joy to those around her — and eventually, to herself.
• "While You Were Sleeping": So very high concept, yet so sweet. Sandra Bullock stars in this 1995 rom-com about a lonely Chicago subway worker who's mistaken for the fiancée of a comatose businessman (Peter Gallagher), only to realize her soulmate is his brother (Bill Pullman, adorable).
•"Much Ado About Nothing": Sadly, the 1993 Kenneth Branagh incarnation isn't available for streaming. But sigh no more, ladies: Joss Whedon's utterly fantastic black-and-white version from 2012 awaits you.
• "Playing by Heart": Generally unloved by critics and overlooked by audiences, this 1998 collection of intersecting tales deserves more respect. The appealing cast includes Sean Connery, Gena Rowlands, Gillian Anderson, Jon Stewart, Ryan Phillipe and Angelia Jolie. (Note: This one is not entirely escapist, but still worth a look.)
•"Emma": You can stream the delightful 1996 version of Jane Austen's classic tale starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam — or the equally great 1995 updating, "Clueless," with Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd.
•"Moonstruck": Possibly my favorite movie of all time. Cher won an Oscar for her role in this 1987 heart-warmer, playing a Brooklyn widow who falls for her fiancé's fiery brother (Nicolas Cage). Sample dialogue: "I'm in love with you." "Snap out of it!"
• "A Room With a View": Merchant and Ivory's pitch-perfect take on the E.M. Forster novel, from 1986, casts Helena Bonham-Carter as conflicted ingénue Lucy Honeychurch, and Julian Sands as the brooding youth she finally admits she adores.
•"Romancing the Stone": A throwback to classic Hollywood, this 1984 pleasure follows a romance novelist (Kathleen Turner) on a mission to Colombia to rescue her kidnapped sister, aided by an adventurer (Michael Douglas) who's nicer than he's willing to admit.
•"Sense and Sensibility": Another able Austen adaptation, this one from 1995 and directed by Ang Lee. Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet are two very different sisters, courted by the likes of Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman.
• "Strictly Ballroom": Baz Lurhmann helmed this wonderful 1992 fantasy, set in the crazy, cutthroat world of competitive ballroom dancing in Australia.
•"Ever After": Drew Barrymore is a spunky postmodern Cinderella in this fine 1998 retelling of the fairy tale; Dougray Scott is her Prince Charming.
• "Four Weddings and a Funeral": A super ensemble cast headed by Hugh Grant anchors Mike Newell's 1994 rom-com, about a group of British friends marking life's milestones.
•"Jane Eyre": Take your pick: the 1996 version of Charlotte Brontë's classic (starring William Hurt and Charlotte Gainsbourg) is streaming, as is the 2011 one (with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender).
•"13 Going on 30": Sort of a solo "Freaky Friday" (or a female take on "Big"), this genial 2004 picture casts Jennifer Garner as a young teen who magically becomes a grown-up, learning life lessons that lead to true love with her best friend (a dreamy Mark Ruffalo).
Saulnier is the Ithaca Journal's film critic. She appears weekly at 8:45 a.m. Friday and 9:50 a.m. Saturday on WHCU's Morning Newswatch show.
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. (Charles M. Schulz)
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