Thursday Movie Picks - Romance Trope Edition: Cinderella Plot

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It's another romance theme at Wandering Through The Shelves. I missed last week because I was on a work trip and had no time for myself, but I'm here again and we're going to pretend like that didn't happen Here's what I came up with for Cinderella Plots, or our protagonist being swept away by a wealthy person.


1) Crazy Rich Asians - While Rachel is in no way poor, she doesn't know her boyfriend Nick is CRAZY rich until she travels home with him for his best friend's wedding. I think this is one of the best romantic comedies ever made.


2) Coming to America - Prince Akeem goes undercover in NYC looking for a wife he can really connect with before he springs on her that he's the heir to his country's thrown. It's been years since I've seen this, so I probably need a refresher, but I believe it counts here.


3) Me Before You - Lu becomes a caregiver for a very wealthy man who was paralyzed in an accident, and they eventually fall in love. I didn't love this movie (or book) but Emilia Clarke's smile is so infectious so she carries this film easily.

Comments

  1. BirgitFebruary 9, 2023 at 9:36 AM

    I still have to see Crazy, Rich...it’s on my bucket list for movies. Coming to America is funny and I love the quick scene with Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy, now homeless...very funny. The last movie was ok...typical romance

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    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 9, 2023 at 4:45 PM

      You need to see Crazy Rich Asians! I love it. I cried twice lol

      Delete
  2. joel65913February 9, 2023 at 12:41 PM

    I haven’t seen your last choice though I’ve heard of it but liked the first two.

    When I was managing movie theatres Coming to America played at mine for what seemed like an eternity so while I thought it was enjoyable I’ve never felt the slightest desire to watch it again even after all these years.

    I was pleasantly surprised by Crazy Rich Asians. It had a respect for its audience where every single event in the film didn’t have to be spelled out. I’m thinking specially of the mahjongg scene and how it played into the story but it was up to us to figure out how.

    Since this story is such a popular basis for so many films coming up with three was easy. My first two are straight takes off the original and the third a reworking into screwball comedy.

    I saw The Slipper and the Rose (1976) at Radio City Music Hall when it first came out as part of their Christmas show followed up by the Rockettes!! A nice movie and a great memory!

    The Glass Slipper (1955) is a beautifully filmed studio version with Leslie Caron as “Cinder” Ella with a fantastic cast of character actresses-Elsa Lanchester, Estelle Winwood & Lurene Tuttle-backing her up.

    Lastly Midnight (1939) stars Claudette Colbert as a down on her luck actress/chorus girl in Paris with only a gold lamé evening gown to her name taken under the wing of a cab driver (Don Ameche) and a lovesick, obscenely wealthy, and wily man (John Barrymore-who steals every single second of his screen time) who takes on the job of Fairy Godfather. It’s a bit daft but a charmer.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 9, 2023 at 4:47 PM

      Lastly Midnight sounds fun! I'll have to look into that one.

      Delete
    2. joel65913February 9, 2023 at 9:16 PM

      Oh it's the title is just "Midnight". I just meant it was my last pick :-)

      It is very much checking out though.

      Delete
    3. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 10, 2023 at 8:12 AM

      I figured that out quickly when I started looking for it. lol

      Delete
  3. thevoid99February 9, 2023 at 3:08 PM

    "My name is Peaches and I'm the best. All the DJs want to feel my breasts... hic-cup, hic-cup, hic-cup, hic-cup" "I want to be a singer. A pop singer. A rock singer. Produce my songs. Write my own songs. Direct my own videos. Produce my own videos. Then try to be an actress because people say how talented I am..." "I want you to know that I've been watching you from afar and I want to tear you apart. And yo' friend too!"

    I can quote that whole fucking film to death. I fucking love it. I saw some of the 2nd film and it didn't work for me. I did like Crazy Rich Asians though I don't think it is as great as people claim to be. Me Before You was OK but my god, who was the costume designer for Emilia Clarke's clothes. She wore some of the worst clothes I had ever seen.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 9, 2023 at 4:48 PM

      I didn't see Coming 2 America because I knew I needed a refresher on the first one. Emilia made those wacky clothes look adorable! lol. I kind of love that they did that.

      Delete
  4. SJHoneywellFebruary 9, 2023 at 3:57 PM

    I enjoyed Crazy Rich Asians a great deal. It's a standard story, but it's nice to see a fully Asian cast in a movie that, with specifics changed, could be about anyone--despite the name, there's nothing beyond the cast and location that is specifically "Asian." You could make 95% the same movie and call it "Crazy Rich White People."

    Coming to America holds up really well. I watched it not that long ago.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 9, 2023 at 4:48 PM

      Now I really need to re-watch Coming to America. It has to be streaming somewhere.

      Delete
  5. Wandering Through The ShelvesFebruary 11, 2023 at 5:21 AM

    I found it silly Rachel didn't know he is rich...like she never tried googling him or sees his name somewhere in passing. He is the crazy rich heir of some business empire (named after the family name) and comes from an English speaking Asian country; he would have been written about a lot in English (very Google-able) in local and international society and business papers....and as Rachel is an economics professor she would at least have to be up to date on economic, business and finance news...not like perhaps a veterinarian where the world of money is alien.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 13, 2023 at 11:00 AM

      I do find that a bit hard to believe as well, but I'm willing to ignore it since everything else worked so well.

      Delete
  6. ThePunkTheoryMarch 4, 2023 at 1:40 PM

    Crazy Rich Asians is on my list of book vs movie things that I really want to look into soon!

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    1. Brittani BurnhamMarch 6, 2023 at 7:55 AM

      I never read the book. I'm not sure if I will now because I love the movie so much and I know it's different.

      Delete

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