London

Macy left for London today and I'm so jealous I could puke. Just kidding. I'd love to be en route to London, but I'm not feeling nauseous.

I don't know why I'm so madly in love with London. I've never been there in person. However, I've visited vicariously through books and movies, so tonight I thought I'd post a "Six" in honor of Macy's trip -- my six favorite romantic comedies set in London.

1. Love Actually
Love Actually is a charming, distinctly British, Richard Curtis film that weaves together, through vignettes, the tale of eight couples as they struggle to work out their baggage and find love in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The separate story arcs all come together and we discover connections between the characters as the timeline progresses . There's a heck of a lot of British talent in this film--Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Kiera Knightley, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman and so on -- but Bill Nighy provides most of the film's funniest moments as aging rock star Billy Mack. I started cracking up almost the moment he appeared on screen. This is just a fun, feel good movie with a great soundtrack. Check it out if you haven't seen it already.

2. Shakespeare in Love
You remember this one, right? Set in London in the late 16th century, William Shakespeare, as a young playwright. struggles with his latest work "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter". He meets Viola, who has always dreamt of being an actress and they, of course, fall in love and she becomes his muse. Here's a quote from the director--

"A script like this comes along once in a lifetime," says John Madden. "I never expected to find something that I would feel so strongly about. I've spent my life around Shakespeare - I've acted in it, directed it, I've studied it and I've even taught Shakespeare at university - and to find a script that actually gets behind it all and is so incredibly funny and fresh and brilliantly imagined is just wonderful. I am very proud of this film. We all are."

3. Bridget Jones' Diary
The film adaptation of Helen Fielding's bestseller chronicles the trials and tribulations of a thirty something singleton living in London. Bridget drinks too much, dresses unwisely and obsesses over finding love. She also makes foolish choices. Both the book by Helen Fielding and its film adaptation struck a chord with young, single women who identified with its "real" heroine. I loved both the book and the movie. Of course, I loved the whole chick lit phenomenon and I' m a Pride & Prejudice freak. I'm sure you've heard this before but the plot was loosely based upon the masterpiece by Jane Austen. To play that up, Colin Firth was cast as Mark “Darcy” in the film. He is the same actor who played Mr. Darcy in the much-heralded BBC/A&E version of the classic novel.

4. About a Boy
My favorite Hugh Grant movie. I just loved this film. It is an adaptation of a Nick Hornby novel. Grant is perfectly cast as Will, an unemployed, shallow, self-absorbed, trust-fund slacker who has never dated anyone for more than two months because he doesn't want to be involved or take responsibility for anyone. He tries to improve his romantic odds by preying on desperate single mothers in London. He even goes so far as to recruit the misfit son of a suicidal mother to pose as his own son in order to hang out with a particularly interesting "hot mom." Ultimately, his strategy backfires. He ends up befriending the boy and falling for the girl. Hard. A year later, he has an extended family he cares about and feels responsiblity toward. Other than that, all I can tell you is there is a very funny performance of Killing Me Softly With His Song. You have to watch it. Prepare to crack up.

5. Four Weddings and a Funeral
Just like the title says, this movie is about four weddings and a funeral. At the first wedding Charles, played by Hugh Grant, becomes smitten with an American woman named Carrie, played by Andie MacDowell. According to Amazon, this was one of the highest grossing films to come out of Great Britain.

6. My Fair Lady
This oscar winner was adapted from a stage musical based on the play, Pygmalion. I loved this movie as a kid, although I thought Henry Higgins was very mean. Now, of course, I'd say he was arrogant, but it still works for me.

If you're thinking, wow, she forgot Notting Hill, I have to say, while I loved the setting of that film, it's not one of my faves. I thought there was a distinct lack of chemistry, spark and sexual tension between the main characters. However, I did like other aspects of the movie. The flatmate, Spike? Hilarious!

Other movies set in London that I love are Elizabeth , Mary Poppins, Bend it Like Beckham and Snatch. Those are off the top of the head. I'm sure more will come to me later. For now, that should help us all get our London fix.

Have an amazing time Macy.

Cheers and happy writing,
Alyson