Sleepless in Seattle

Last night I was putting something on Netflix to stream while I wrote.

I chose the wrong movie. I chose Sleepless in Seattle–one of my favorites, and I would have been better off with a crap movie because I got sucked in right away. Teary-eyed, glued to the screen, and nary a written word flowing from my fingers.

I confess–I'm a total sap for any movie that makes me cry. And this one is way up there on that list. But what I find so fascinating about it is how it's this iconic movie romance…and yet it's not really a romance at all. We never see the characters falling in love with each other. We see the signs that let us know they'll be perfect for each other –the words spoken in unison during the radio show, Meg Ryan's character peeling an apple like Tom Hank's wife, other things they toss in to show that these people will have a happily ever after. But we don't even get to see them do more than just meet. There's no romance arc. No developing relationship.

No falling in love (at least not in the traditional sense).

And yet it's a romance through and through. And a great tear-jerking romance.

It's the complete opposite of another favorite romance, also a Meg Ryan movie, When Harry Met Sally. But there, we see the whole relationship develop in great detail.

But now I know better than to stream it while I'm trying to write!

So what's your favorite movie romance? Do you go for the tear-jerkers?