ROTTEN TOMATOES: Five Favourite Films with Richard Curtis

Five Favourite Films with Richard Curtis

The director and Comic Relief mastermind shares his picks.

by Joe Utichi | September 07, 2009

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Richard Curtis has a plan. "What I've decided is to choose recent films," he explains to RT. "I do think that often people get stuck in always picking the five greatest films of all time, films they saw between the ages of 17 and 22, because that's when you're forming your opinions. I think I'll talk about modern films, which aren't necessarily the greatest films ever made, but are five great films."

Modern films are certainly Curtis' bread-and-butter. Best known for defining a genre with Four Weddings and a Funeral, the writer of Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary turned to feature directing in 2003 with Love, Actually -- an entire career on the big-screen set in the here and now. The Boat that Rocked, out on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK this week and soon to hit US cinemas retitled Pirate Radio, is his first 'period' film and he doesn't go much further back in time than the swinging 60s.

On the small-screen, he's Britain's ruling king of comedy, giving us the ultimate history lesson through the various series of Blackadder, and defining comedy for the 80s and 90s through BBC favourites Mr. Bean, The Vicar of Dibley and Spitting Image. In 1985 he founded Comic Relief, which has raised Ł80m for good causes this year alone.

Read on to learn about the five films he can't do without.

Click on a thumbnail below.

Let the Right...

Lost in Translation

Knocked Up Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine...

Animal House

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(1-20 of 25 posts) | Reply

Bigbrother writes:
on Sep 07 2009 11:27 AM

I absolutely adore Love Actually as well as Black Adder and The Vicar of Dibley, but aside from Animal House not sure I can support his other choices. They're not bad movie's mind, but don't think they would have come close to making my top 5 list. Good to see new choices though.

(Reply to this)

De4ective Detectiv3 writes:
on Sep 07 2009 11:42 AM

I support Let the Right One In and Animal House, but I always felt Knocked Up, Lost and Translation, and Eternal Sunshine were good not great. They are just really trendy films, as far as Charlie Kaufman goes, Adaptation is easily his best work, Juno is better than Knocked Up, and I really don't think Broken Flowers get enough credit, that movie is heartbreaking and gut wrenchingly funny at the same time.

(Reply to this)

ZZ writes:
on Sep 07 2009 12:13 PM

I love Let the Right One In and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This is a great Top 5.

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headmonkeys writes:
on Sep 07 2009 01:37 PM

Whether or not you agree with his choices (and I do somewhat), he's got a far better system for choosing films than almost anyone else I've ever seen in this column.

(Reply to this)

He's a Cockapoopoo writes:
on Sep 07 2009 02:02 PM

Juno is the trendiest movie ever made

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Gordon Franklin Terry Sr writes:
on Sep 07 2009 02:25 PM

The opening scene of Lost in Translation is the girl's butt facing the camera--at least its only a 1:85.1 butt and not a 2:35.1 butt: what Sofia Coppola seems to be saying to me is look at or kiss my ''s.

The behind the scenes DVD extras makes Sofia Coppola look acutely pensive; Soffia Coppola's husband is filming the behind the scenes footage and the two divorced within a year of Lost in Translation's release.

Sofia Coppola has such a huge smile and huge buck-teeth in "The Outsiders - The Complete Novel" yet adulthood (by Lost in Translation) took its toll.

--
I'm putting "Let the Right" on my list
--
ANIMAL HOUSE . . . BELUSHI . . . FOODFIGHT!!!!!! "Guess what I am?"
"A ZIT!!!!!!!!!!"

Universal Studios:
Lon Chaney, Sr;
Lon Chaney, Jr.;
Boris Karloff;
Bela Lugosi;
Abbott & Costello;
John Belushi.
UNIVERSAL HAD THEM ALL!!!!!!!
(almost)
----

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unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Sep 07 2009 02:30 PM

I like Curtis, I loved Love Actually and am really looking foreward to his new one. Animal House really did nothing for me, I've always thought it was way overrated. I love Eternal Sunshine and Knocked Up thouroughly amuses me.

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ledawg1138 writes:
on Sep 07 2009 02:57 PM

He looks like a combo of Jack Thompson and Bill Clinton, except cool...anyway, awesome list. Swedish vampires and Belushi? Original.

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BigEarn writes:
on Sep 07 2009 03:07 PM

Eternal was a flick that I'll never forget. Knocked up, I will. Who is this dude again? He looks like Ted Koppel and Dana Carvey's grandfather had a kid.

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planetawesome writes:
on Sep 07 2009 03:21 PM

Seriously? I loathed 'Love, Actually' with a passion. It's the total opposite of "show, don't tell". I felt like I was being forced at gunpoint to read the most treacly, superficial Hallmark card while someone (Curtis, I guess) screamed in my ear, "If you don't like this it's just because you're cynical and don't like love!" No, it's because the movie is total crap... actually, and doesn't trust its audience to think for themselves. Yes, I feel strongly about this.

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De4ective Detectiv3 writes:
on Sep 07 2009 04:00 PM

In reply to this comment (#2543475)
Juno might be trendy but that's besides the point - it is still a better movie than Knocked Up.

And Eternal Sunshine aint got **** on Adaptation. I was actually kinda disappointed by ES, but Adaptation hit me like a bag of bricks, although that movie isn't as trendy, but it is much deeper and honest.

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WallEField writes:
on Sep 07 2009 04:29 PM

One of the few "Five Favourites" to have any merit to it in a while. Other than Animal House and Knocked Up this list showcases the best of the best. And lawl at the idiot who said Eternal Sunshine was good not great. Only people without brains don't see the greatness in that film.

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WallEField writes:
on Sep 07 2009 04:30 PM

One of the few "Five Favourites" to have any merit to it in a while. Other than Animal House and Knocked Up this list showcases the best of the best. And lawl at the idiot who said Eternal Sunshine was good not great. Only people without brains don't see the greatness in that film.

(Reply to this)

ledawg1138 writes:
on Sep 07 2009 04:50 PM

In reply to this comment (#2543499)
Why is that person dumb? Because he can see flaws in it?

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Bigbrother writes:
on Sep 07 2009 05:11 PM

In reply to this comment (#2543499)
Yeah bud, it's called an opinion and you're not the only one who has one and despite what you're mom told you yours isn't special. I might have liked Sunshine better, but I watched it as part of a Kate Winslet marathon right after Finding Neverland. I preferred Finding Neverland.

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King Kubrick writes:
on Sep 07 2009 05:59 PM

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind is one of the most poignant love stories in all of cinema. One of the most fantastic lists in quite awhile. I respect curtis' work. Love Actually is a movie I should hate. Its overly saccharine and far too sentimental. But for some reason just the sheer exuberance and lack of pretension in the film somehow breaks through my deep cynicism and I find I can't help but love it. Admitting I like it will probably lose my some street cred but I'll be damned if I won't admit when a movie accomplishes the goals it sets out to do and entertains at the same time.

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JohnnyJonJon writes:
on Sep 07 2009 07:47 PM

Good list.

FOOD FIGHT!!!!!!

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JohnnyAza writes:
on Sep 07 2009 08:54 PM

Very good list. Let the Right One In is hands down the best of the bunch. So many details and character nuances, the film needs more than a few viewing to fully absorb and understand everything. The pool scene was not hard to understand, though my father and I debated about it; as well as other points of the film.
Lost in Translation is great. Scarlett is incredibly sensuous and endearing without forcing it. Bill is funny, no doubt about that. The emotions conveyed without saying is something I appreciated. When Scarlett and Bill were having fun together and being happy and having a blast about town, very few words were spoken. Their desperate need for each other was palpable, but they kept each other at a respectable arm's distance. The fact that in the end, they didn't ride off into the sunset together spoke volumes despite the fact that I couldn't help but want them to toss caution to the wind and ride their hearts happily ever after.
Eternal Sunshine. Geez. One phrase captures it all: What if?
What if I hadn't done this? What if she came home 5 minutes earlier? Later? What if we'd never met?
Cap that all with the ever formidible, Fate, and you have a movie that's poignant and funny as hell. And oh yeah, Kate Winslet is incredibly sexy and gorgeous.
Knocked up. Funny movie. Seth is king. But Heigl has her flaws, though she has a mighty fine rack. I guess I could never forgive her for not killing Chucky and his "wife" when she had the chance.
Animal House. Though funny in moments, I've laughed more at horror movies not meant to be funny. The toga scene is okay. Dunno. Just not in love with the movie.
Cheers,
JA

(Reply to this)

John Mclane writes:
on Sep 08 2009 01:55 AM

eeeewww british rom-coms

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martinscorsese25 writes:
on Sep 08 2009 03:38 AM

i would put Lost in Translation as one of the best film this decade. and the fact that Bill Murray got robbed makes it more memorable. i mean, yeah, Sean Penn is a way better actor than Murray, and Penn dos deserve some Oscars, but he won for the wrong film. A great performance in Mystic River, just not as great as Murray in Lost In Translation.

(Reply to this)

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