Give it to the Brits to come up with the most iconic romances in the history of film. Notting Hill, About A Boy, Love, Actually,Β weβve seen them all and God forbid we havenβt abused our copies of the DVDs already. Indeed, the golden days of British cinema dominated by Hugh Grantβs puppy eyes and lovable stutters are long gone, but heart-warming β and at times heart-rendering β gems do come along once in a while to cure Saturday nightβs blues. With this weekβs release of Me Before You, an adaptation of Jojo Moyesβs best-selling novel starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke, we take a look at all the British comedies and weepies we love, and their soundtracks which we love even more.
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) β βLove Is All Aroundβ by Wet Wet Wet
Over two decades later, we still feel this Oscar-nominated film in our fingers and we still feel it in our toes. It kick-started the British rom-com mania and reintroduced the timeless tune originally sung by The Troggs that sets the mood and tone for all of Richard Curtis’s feel-good essentials to come. βItβs written on the wind / Itβs everywhere I go,β the song goes. Itβs cheesy, alright, but thatβs why itβs so good.
Notting Hill (1999) β βAinβt No Sunshineβ by Bill Withers
The seemingly long shot in which Hugh Grantβs Will Thacker walks along Portobello Road through the four seasons, brokenhearted from Julia Robertsβ Hollywood megastar Anna Scott is undoubtedly one of the most memorable cinematic moments. Bill Withersβ sad, soulful voice couldnβt be more fitting to set the sequence to. Itβs just perfect.
Bridget Jonesβs Diary (2001) β βOut Of Reachβ by Gabrielle
However many times Robbie Williams poses the question, βHave You Met Miss Jones?β The answer is always, yes, we have but only βOut Of Reachβ is this chronic-drinking, calorie-counting and diary-keeping Miss Jones. Period.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002) β βIndependence Dayβ by Mel C
Football, Keira Knightley, a second generation Sikh trying to compromise family traditions and her own aspirations β it doesnβt get more modern British than this. To wrap that up nicely, our soundtrack pick is from a Spice Girl. While not the strongest single from Mel C, βIndependence Dayβ captures the filmβs thematic focus of womenβs empowerment and how their lives have more going on than romance and marriages.
Love, Actually (2003) β βGod Only Knowsβ by The Beach Boys
Who doesnβt love a bit of intertwined love stories featuring stellar British cast every Christmas? (Um, maybe not that creepy bit). While weβll never get Joannaβs βAll I Want For Christmasβ out of our head once comes the holiday season, or Billy Mackβs βChristmas Is All Aroundβ, even, thereβs only one place in our heart for the best Love, Actually soundtrack and itβs for this Bryan Wilson-penned classic.
Wimbledon (2004) β βJust What I Neededβ by The Cars
Before Paul Bettany joined The Avengers, he was a washed-up tennis player looking to make the most of his final tournament. A quintessential meet cute story follows as he is accidentally given a wrong set of room keys, which belongs to Americaβs rising tennis star Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst). Our pick by The Cars not so surprisingly captures the dynamics between the characters even though one wouldnβt normally associate new-wave music with the posh world of Wimbledon.
Starter For Ten (2006) β βBoys Donβt Cryβ by The Cure
This hilariously romantic coming-of-age tale adapted from David Nichollsβs 2003 novel does not only feature rising talents who went on to become the face of todayβs so-called British invasion (James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve) but also a killer mixtape-style soundtrack that makes you strangely nostalgic for the 80βs. The Smiths, Kate Bush and several other epochal artists are in the album but we have to go with The Cure.
About Time (2013) β βHow Long Will I Love Youβ by Jon Boden, Sam Sweeney and Ben Coleman
Richard Curtisβs rom-com return didnβt do so well at the box office but this beautiful ode to time, familial love and life itself proves an instant classic for fans of the genre. Itβs about time someone made a βchick flickβ much bigger and more wholesome than what it seems. Hopefully this now prolific wedding song has turned some people around. Although better known in the form of Ellie Gouldingβs cover, this rendition of the song is the one to go with. Sorry Ms. Goulding, weβre just a sucker for folky tunes.
Love, Rosie (2014) β βAlone Again (Naturally)β by Gilbert OβSullivan
In this book-turned-film adaptation, the timing never seems to be right for Rosie and Alex, childhood best friends wary of making the first move. Considering how they actually end up together, this 1972 hit may be a shade too dramatic, even bleak. But itβs an instant favourite and, hey, when the man youβre in love with is across the Atlantic and having a baby with a neurotic girlfriend, projecting on to depressing lyrics is what you need, okay?
Me Before You (2016) β βPhotographβ by Ed Sheeran
Have you ever watched a trailer that gets you all mushy and then when the soundtrack comes in you feel hit even harder in the feels? Thatβs what itβs like for us with Me Before You. If you havenβt read the book and are waiting to see this tearjerker in the cinema, be assured that Sheeranβs beautiful big-drums ballad fits the unlikely love story of Lou and Will to a T.
Bonus:
Leap Year (2010) β βDream a Little Dream of Meβ by The Mamas and The Papas
Yes, beside lead actor Matthew Goode (whose Irish accent fools nobody), nothing in this film really says British. But youβll forgive us because Leap Year is a real treat of an across-the-pond romance that makes up for the lack of Britainβs romantic exports between 2010 and 2012. And, of course, because of this dreamiest rendition of βDream a Little Dream of Meβ.
