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Patch Picks: Top 5 Valentine's Day Movies

What better way to spend Valentine's Day than watching a film (or two) tonight from the 'Golden Age' (1980s) of romantic comedy?

"Dinner and a movie" used to mean dinner out and two tickets to see the latest flick at the cineplex. Price? Upwards of $50. Ugh!

Thankfully, in these more challenging economic times, there are alternatives to the spendy, uber-trendy date night scene of Valentine's Days past, such as an evening at home involving you, your significant other, a bowl of pasta for two (think "Lady and the Tramp") and a DVD. 

So in honor of Valentine's Day weekend, we at Patch recommend the following flicks, just in case you decide to take the rotini and DVD route this year. Carefully selected from our "vault" of 1980s cinematic gems, these films will tickle your heart, excite your mind and guarantee you some laughs with the one you love. Enjoy!

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  1. "Say Anthing" (1989). John Cusick and Ione Skye star in this offbeat romantic comedy many consider to be the ultimate "opposites attract" film. Lloyd (John Cusack) is a wannabe kickboxer who falls for an intellectual classmate, Diane (Ione Skye), leading to an unlikely, unconventional courtship. The soundtrack is famous for its alternative-80s flavor and includes memorable songs by Depeche Mode, Peter Gabriel and Living Colour. Pop in this DVD, put on your hi-top Keds and your neon legwarmers and relive a defining moment in '80s pop culture!
  2. "Somewhere in Time" (1980). A box office flop when it was released, this film about time travel to the year 1912 stars Jane Seymour and the late Christopher Reeve, and has become a cult classic in the 30 years since it first flashed across screens. Reeve plays a man fixated with an image of an actress (played by Seymour) who lived long before his time. Through self-hypnosis, he is able to transport himself back in time to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., where he falls madly in love with her. Is this a plausible storyline? Probably not. But sometimes you just have to let your imagination run wild and live a little!
  3. "About Last Night..." (1986). Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, in their mid-80s preppy prime. What more can you say? What more could you ask for in a romantic comedy than this David Mamet tale of yuppie love--and heartbreak--set against the backdrop of a snowy Chicago winter? The soundtrack features Sheena Easton's underrated "So Far, So Good," and Jon Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins are brilliant comedic relief as Lowe's obnoxious best friend and Moore's shrewish and sarcastic sidekick, respectively. You'll laugh, you'll cry...and hey, isn't that what ro-coms are all about?
  4. "Working Girl" (1988). This movie made Melanie Griffith a film icon of the 1980s. In her performance as Tess--an upwardly mobile, identity-stealing secretary from Staten Island--Griffith is at her most charming. In one particularly memorable scene, Tess gets dolled up in her boss's clothes and then accidentally dopes herself up after raiding her medicine cabinet. After downing a "triple" of tequila at a swanky Manhattan party, she ends up blacking out, conveniently falling into the all-too-eager, waiting arms of love interest Harrison Ford in the process. Priceless! This is one you'll probably want to watch more than once.
  5. "Dream a Little Dream" (1989). Perhaps not as well remembered as some other late '80s teen-coms, "Dream a Little Dream" famously starred the "two Coreys," a.k.a. teen idols Corey Feldman and the late Corey Haim. In typically zany '80s fashion, the plot involves meditation-induced body switching involving the Coreys and two neighbors, played by Jason Robards and Piper Laurie. Much hilarity ensues as romance inevitably blossoms. Be sure to take special note of Michael Damian's "too cool" version of "Rock On"--a number one Billboard hit at the time--as you snuggle with your honey bunny and enjoy the laughs. 


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