The Choice has hit the big screen this morning and is the latest Nicholas Sparks to get the movie treatment and it the perfect film to watch with you mum - especially with Mother's Day just around the corner.
The Choice
If you are looking for a couple of films to enjoy with your mum this weekend, we suggest some movies that perhaps you should check out.
- Stepmom (1999)
It was back in 1999 when Julia Roberts teamed up with Susan Sarandon for Stepmom, a funny and moving movie directed by Chris Columbus.
Columbus has already brought us movies such as Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire by 1999, but Stepmom was his first film since the Nine Months back in 1995.
Stepmom follows the story of an unlikely friendship that develops between Jackie (Sarandon), a divorced mother of two, and Isabel (Roberts), the career-minded girlfriend of Jackie's ex-husband Luke (Harris), who continually clash over the well-being of Jackie and Luke's children. But life is turned upside down when Jackie reveals that she is ill.
Stepmom is a terrific weepie that really will pull at the heartstrings. Roberts and Sarandon are terrific as two women whose lives are going down a very different path; Jackie will not be in her children' lives for as long as she expected while Isabel is going to have to play an even greater role in raising her stepchildren.
It is a movie that is as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming and is a film that explores the importance of family and the difficulties that the ever-changing family can face.
- Mamma Mia (2008)
It is hard to believe that Mamma Mia is already eight years old and it was one of the most success films to hit the big screen back in 2008.
The movie, which was directed by Phyllida Lloyd, is based on the stage show of the same name and inspired by the songs of ABBA. Meryl Streep took on the central role of Donna Sheridan and was joined on the cast list Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper, and Julie Walters.
Set on a Greek island, Mamma Mia follows Donna as she prepares for her daughter's wedding. Things are complicated when three men - all of whom believe they are her daughter's father - arrive.
Mamma Mia is a fun-filled film that really is a whole lot of fun. Of course, it is a movie that is packed with great musical numbers and silliness but, at its core, there is a mother and daughter story. Sophie is trying to find her place in the world while Donna is learning that she has to let go of her little girl.
The movie went on to gross over $600 million at the global box office and became the highest grossing musical film of all time.
- Dirty Dancing (1987)
When it comes to classic chick flicks, there is no movie greater than Dirty Dancing - a movie that continues to be loved by generations of women.
Next year, the movie will celebrate its thirtieth anniversary and it is a film that is as popular now as it was when it was first released. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey are one of the greatest film couples of all time and the soundtrack is still up there as one of the best.
Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle... but the course of true love never did run smooth.
I have to admit, Dirty Dancing is a film that I still just love and it is a movie that every girl should watch growing up. The chemistry between Swayze and Gray is really what drives this film forward - along with the terrific dance sequences.
Dirty Dancing is a coming of age story for Baby, a young woman who is discovering who she is as well as her place in the world. She is a character that anyone watching can relate to.
Dirty Dancing was a huge hit upon release and an even bigger success when it came to home release. I don't know about you, but I don't want to see any sequels or remakes to this film EVER!!!!
- The Notebook (2004)
Nicholas Sparks is one of the most adapted authors in recent years and The Notebook was the third of his books to be turned into a feature film.
Released back in 2004, The Notebook saw Nick Cassavetes take up the director's chair while Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams took on the central roles of Noah and Allie.
The Notebook follows Noah and Allie two lovers in 1940 that are separated by social and financial differences - but are they meant to be together? In the present day, an elderly man is reading a romantic story from a notebook to a fellow patient at a nursing home.
It is the chemistry between Gosling and McAdams that really makes this movie what it is as the pair just sizzles together. The Notebook is a romantic, emotional and a thoughtful film that will have you reaching for the tissues every time you watch it.
The Notebook is one of the best Sparks adaptation and Gosling & McAdams remains one of the best romance movie couples of all time.
- Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
I remember sitting down in the cinema a decade ago to watch Little Miss Sunshine, a movie that really was - and still is - a joy. The movie was the feature film directorial debut for Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton as they teamed up in the director's chair.
A blend of humour and satire Little Miss Sunshine introduces the audience to one of the most fractured, yet human, families in recent years: the Hoovers, who find themselves on a road trip across America to attend a beauty pageant.
Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, and Steve Carell make up the wonderful cast list as three generations of one dysfunctional family.
Little Miss Sunshine brings together a fine cast and while it does touch on darker themes of death and suicide the film is an uplifting and warm movie experience as it shows the importance of family. The film works well as both a comedy and a drama and neither one suffers from the existence of the other, it's hysterical without ever losing its human feel.
This was one of the best movies to hit the big screen in 2006 and went on to pick up four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. It went on to win best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin.
- Pretty Woman (1990)
Julia Roberts is one of Hollywood's biggest stars and it was her performance in Pretty Woman back in 1990 that really sent her star rocketing. Yes, it was the role as kind-hearted prostitute Vivian that turned her into a star - and it remains one of her most loved performances.
Pretty Woman saw Roberts team up with Richard Gere and director Garry Marshall for the first time - she would go on to work with both again later on in her career. The movie follows Vivian, who is hired by Edward Lewis to attend some social events with him as he moves in on a deal... however, things do not go to plan as they start to fall in love.
Like Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman is another of those movies that you just have to see - it is worth it for Roberts' performance alone; she really is just terrific from start to finish.
What has made Pretty Woman such an enduring film, is that it is a story that has so much heart - it is a modern day Cinderella Tale that you cannot help but get swept along with.
There is a terrific chemistry between Roberts and Gere and they are a couple that you are rooting for throughout the film... do they end up together? I can't imagine that there are too many people who don't know the answer to that.
Pretty Woman is one of the most successful romantic comedies of all time and Roberts went on to win a Golden Globe for her central performance.
- The Choice (2016)
If you are a rom-com fan, The Choice is a movie that you cannot miss this weekend and is the first Nicholas Sparks adaptation since The Longest Ride last year.
Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer take on the central roles of Travis Shaw and Gabby Holland while Maggie Grace, Alexandra Daddario, Tom Welling, and Tom Wilkinson are also on the cast list. Ross Katz is in the director's chair.
When feisty medical student Gabby Holland moves in next door to perennial ladies' man Travis Shaw, it sends them both on a romantic journey neither ever dreamed possible. Travis has always believed a serious relationship with a woman would cramp his easy-going lifestyle, while Gabby is all set to settle down with her long-term boyfriend... until an irresistible attraction between the unlikely couple upends both of their well-planned lives.
After a whirlwind courtship, Gabby and Travis wed and build a family together, making every decision hand-in-hand until one of them is forced to make the most important choice of their life alone. A poignant and life-affirming celebration of love, marriage, and family that explores the most heart-wrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?
The Choice is out now.
Tagged in Dirty Dancing Pretty Woman Little Miss Sunshine