Great Movies Celebrating a Great Birthday

 Today is my wife's birthday, so that means much mirth for her while I try and heap the mirth.  Rachel is an amazing woman and wife, someone I love sharing life with.  There are many laughs, many hugs, and some not so fun moments, which is inevitable.  All together, being married to her is about the best thing that could have happened in my life, outside of being bitten by a radioactive spider or being exposed to crazy amounts of gamma radiation.

Throughout the years, we have enjoyed movies together.  There are a few that we have returned to a number of times.  Certain films just click, and find a home in our shared experience.  In honour of her, it seems fitting to talk about some of those films.

The Devil Wears Prada - True story, our first ever date was to the theatres with no predetermined film in mind.  Rachel wanted to see The Devil Wears Prada, and I was a jerk and wanted to watch Nacho Libre.  A flip of the coin was the logical choice to select our entertainment, which is how our first date was watching Nacho Libre at the theatre.  Rachel was a real trooper.

A few years later, when we finally did see The Devil Wears Prada, it was a movie we could both enjoy.  With great performances from Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Emily Blunt, this was a breezy comedy that didn't follow all of the standard romance beats.  There were some good laughs, and an empowering story to top it off.

Mad Max: Fury Road - I'm not joking about this one.  It is a crowd favourite for the both of us, to the point of it being watched on our anniversary a few years ago.  It is a straightforward movie about a post apocalyptic car chase with surprising attention to characters and their development.  It also looks amazing and has some brilliant stunts.

The Italian Job - When we first started dating, this was a fun film to watch on a gloomy day.  We haven't returned to it in recent years, but it stands out to me as a movie with good memories.  It is a light hearted and fun heist movie, with many memorable moments.  Also it has Charlize Theron, who already made this list with Mad Max.

The Princess Bride - This is an all time classic, one that we both enjoyed in our youths.  Being ever so quotable, it is always a hoot when we revisit this movie.  Really, this is a film that has a bit of everything, from comedy to action with some romance mixed in.  There is never a time when watching The Princess Bride is a bad idea, a creative voyage to a world that is ever inviting and enjoyable.

Pride & Prejudice (2005) - I had never seen this film before we met, and didn't know a lot about the story.  I knew there was a massive miniseries based on the book, and the sheer length of that made me think that this wasn't a tale I would be interested in.  However, after first seeing this film, I realized that there is just so much to enjoy.  The characters are well developed and fascinating, the romance is solid, and there is a great deal of fun humour.  This is also the second time Donald Sutherland makes this list, having a small role in The Italian Job.

Game Night - When mainstream comedy was looking expired, Game Night found a way to remind me of all the fun comedies could be.  Starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, Game Night is a classic comedy of normal people stumbling into danger with criminals.  The concept has been around for ages, but it is the sense of humour, the chemistry between the actors, and the overall vibe that has it feeling fresh.  It also has Jesse Plemons in a scene stealing performance.

Of course, there are other movies that have been memorable for us, but these are the main ones that have gotten the most attention over the years.  On a day celebrating the love of my life, it only seemed right to highlight some of the cinematic joys that we share.  There were some things that didn't go so well, like when I decided we should see Clash of the Titans in theatre, but the experience have been positive more times than not.  I look forward to the upcoming years to see what other films find a connection with us as a couple.