New and old favorites about mismatched couples come to DVD just in time for Valentine’s Day. You can enjoy two unlikely lovers bringing up a baby (Life as We Know It), another couple with a different type of “baby” (Bringing Up Baby), and a third couple that loves online, but fights in person (You’ve Got Mail). For some inexplicable reason, the wonderful Academy Award-winning romantic comedy Moonstruck, starring Cher and Nicolas Cage in the Norman Jewison-directed story about an ugly ducking becoming a beautiful swan, comes out on Blu-ray February 15 – just in time to miss Valentine’s Day sales.
Best New Romantic Comedy DVD Release for Valentine’s Day
Life as We Know It (Widescreen and Blu-ray)
When a young couple dies and leaves a baby behind, their closest friends (the godparents) are appointed guardians. These friends – a single man and woman – seem particularly ill-suited for the job because they know little about babies and hate each other immensely. Even so, they move into their friends’ home and begin the most difficult task of their lives: raising a child together. As you might expect, their mutual hatred for each other turns into something else.
- Starring Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Hayes MacArthur, Christina Hendricks, Sarah Burns, Jessica St. Clair, Britt Flatmo
- Director: Greg Berlanti
- Writers: Ian Deitchman, Kristin Rusk Robinson
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Discs: 1
- Run Time: 114 minutes
- Rating: PG-13 (for sexual material, language and some drug content)
- DVD Release Date: February 8, 2011
- Click here to watch a trailer for Life as We Know It.
Best Recent Romantic Comedy DVD Release for Valentine’s Day
You’ve Got Mail (Blu-ray)
In this delightful film from 1998, the owner of a small children’s bookshop battles with a huge book retailer that threatens her business. In addition to her professional problems, her personal life falls apart when she begins a flirtation with a man she meets in an online chat room. Unbeknownst to her, the man is her nemesis in the business world. Charismatic performances by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan make this an utterly charming romantic comedy set in New York City during winter. Memorable supporting roles by over-the-top employees, friends, and ex-lovers add to the fun.
- Starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, Jean Stapleton, Dabney Coleman, Heather Burns, Cara Seymour
- Director: Nora Ephron
- Writers: Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron (screenplay); Miklos Laszlo (play “Parfumerie”)
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Discs: 2
- Run Time: 119 minutes
- Rating: PG (for some language)
- Blu-ray Release Date: February 1, 2011
Best Classic Romantic Comedy DVD Release for Valentine’s Day
Bringing Up Baby (Fullscreen)
From 1938, this screwball comedy classic involves an outgoing heiress and a shy zoologist on a hunt together for a missing dinosaur bone. Their adventure begins on a golf course and carries them into a fast-paced and fast-talking search for the artifact. Along the way, they deal with various conflicts, including falling into a creek and falling in love with each other. This film set the standard for romantic comedies that followed.
- Starring Cary Grant, Charlie Ruggles, Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Catlett
- Director: Howard Hawkes
- Writers: Dudley Nichols (screenplay); Hagar Wilde (screenplay and story)
- Genre: Screwball Romantic Comedy
- Discs: 1
- Run Time: 102 minutes
- Rating: Not Rated
- DVD Release Date: February 8, 2011
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Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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