If you love a good story of a beautiful young woman helping a bunch of quirky guys and getting swept of her feet by a handsome love interest, then you might get a kick out of any of these:
+ Ball of Fire (1941) -- A nightclub singer (Barbara Stanwyck) hides from her mob-affiliated boyfriend (Dana Andrews) by helping a group of eccentric professors (including Gary Cooper) compose a new lexicon by teaching them how "real" people talk in the "real" world. It's not quite a screwball comedy, but does have a sassy flair. (This one has some kissing, Stanwyck in a revealing outfit singing a somewhat suggestive song, a bit of fisticuffs. Quite mild overall. No bad language.)
+ Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) -- A young woman (Jane Powell) marries an exuberant backwoodsman (Howard Keel) almost on a whim, then discovers he has six brothers at home that he expects her to cook and clean for. Lots of dancing and singing ensues, because why not? (This one has a little mild innuendo about a newlywed couple, girls claiming to have a baby out of wedlock so their fathers will let them get married, and some kissing. Also involves kidnapping, but it's not scary.)
+ Mirror Mirror (2012) -- Snow White (Lily Collins) escapes her evil stepmother (Julia Roberts), falls in with a band of thieving dwarves, falls in love with Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer), and tries to get rid of her stepmother. Sean Bean fans will love the way this movie is the exact opposite of most Sean Bean movies -- if you're a fan of his, you know what I mean. This is a vivid, quirky fairy tale that I think more people should see. (This one has some low-cut dresses, Armie Hammer shirtless several times, characters wearing only long underwear, love potions, some violence and scary bits... no bad language except I think one instance of taking God's name in vain. I would show this to my 9-year-old, but not my younger kids yet.)
That's it for today! Next time, I'll get back to some of the requests you've given me, but if you've got any new requests for movies you'd like me to make comparison suggestions for, let me know!
Also, Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans :-)
Wow, I had never realized that these were retellings of Snow White! How cool!
ReplyDeleteMovieCritic, it took me years to realize it myself! I actually read someone else calling "Ball of Fire" that, and went, "OH!" And then I figured out 7BF7B myself a couple years ago.
DeleteDANA ANDREWS IS A MOBSTER??? Now I've really heard everything.
ReplyDeleteHuh, I've heard of "Mirror Mirror," but I think I somehow got it confused with "Snow White and the Huntsman." I didn't realize it was a separate movie with different actors, is what I'm getting at . . . I'll have to check it out! :-)
Have a wonderful, wonderful Thanksgiving, friend! <3 <3
Jessica, I know, right? He played a bad guy only a handful of times, but this is one.
Delete"Mirror Mirror" and "Snow White and the Huntsman" came out the same year, so it's easy to be confused by them. "Huntsman" went dark and gritty, while "Mirror Mirror" went cotton-candy fun and a bit silly.
I hope you had a good Thanksgiving too! We definitely did.
We did, thanks! It was great to have a day off from school (mostly) and to hang out with family and eat delicious food. And we went to church in the morning, too, which was awesome :-)
DeleteAll movies I love on this list! I was recently talking about Ball of Fire with my dad, as he doesn't normally like Barbara Stanwyck, but he loves her in that one. I'm really in the mood to watch that. I started re-watching Swamp Water last week, so I guess I'm shifting back into a DA mood?
ReplyDeleteAlso thinking it was time to re-watch Mirror Mirror. :-D
DKoren, you know, I've been thinking I should rewatch Mirror Mirror too, and review it here.
DeleteAre there other Snow White retellings you also dig?
Ball of Fire sounds fun! I like Dana Andrews... and really should watch more movies from that era. And Mirror Mirror definitely is fun! I was really amused by Sean Bean's role! ;)
ReplyDeleteSarah, Ball of Fire is just a great romp of a film. The scene where Stanwyck teaches the professors to dance in a conga line is all on its own worth the price of admission/rental.
DeleteOh, I've seen the last two! And that's very interesting - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers IS a lot like Snow White! I like that film, it's cute. :)
ReplyDeleteMirror, Mirror, however, I found a little weird. (The puppets on strings were just... no.) The only thing I really liked about that film was Armie Hammar. :D
~Miss Meg
Miss Meg, yes, Mirror Mirror is a little weird. Especially the puppets. But overall I found it bouncy and cheerful and playful, just a movie that wants to have fun and wants you to have fun watching it. I quite like unpretentious, uncomplicated movies like that.
DeleteI love Mirror Mirror! I wasn't amazed with my very first viewing, but somehow I ended up watching it again a while later. And loved it! So now it's one I pull out occasionally when I need a grin. :)
ReplyDeleteKara, I was just talking to DKoren about how there's a specific vibe some movies have that endears them to me -- a laid-back "We're not making High Art here, we're just having heaps of fun, and we hope you have fun watching" vibe. Mirror Mirror totally has that vibe, as do such very disparate movies as Jack the Giant Slayer, Hercules, and the 1990s TV show The Magnificent Seven. And I really, really enjoy all of those as much for that vibe as for anything else. It's so unpretentious and enjoyable.
DeleteMirror Mirror is all kinds of adorable in so many ways - and mostly it's just underrated. :)
ReplyDeleteRissi, I agree on both points!
Delete