Quirky Love Stories
I love quirky love stories, the ones that based on an unlikely pairing or take place in an odd setting or have some bizarre element about them. In honour of Valentine’s Day I decided to introduce a few of my favourites that all have one thing in common: they seem to appeal to men as much as women. The other thing they have in common is that they don’t take themselves seriously and some are downright hilarious! So for a light-hearted Valentine’s Day treat, you might want to rent one of these movies, order in a pizza and get out a bottle of champagne. Pizza and Champagne? Why not?
Quirky Love Stories
A story set in Medieval times but with a modern twist is the first movie I have in mind. A Kinght’s Tale opens in the most unlikely way. The scene is a jousting field with bleachers set up for the audience and a pavilion for the ‘nobles’ and their ladies. So far, no surprises. Then the crowd bursts out clapping, stomping, and singing “We Will, We Will Rock You…” Everybody is in Medieval costume, the setting is utterly absurd as the locale for this Queen classic and yet as you watch you really get into it! So do the audience, some of whom dance across the screen in anything 
but a Medieval manner. And there you have the recipe for a truly quirky, one-of-a-kind love story that is timeless in its appeal exactly because of the inherent contradiction between audience expectation and the unfolding story on screen. Written by the ingenious Brian Helgeland, the characters of A Knight’s Tale are as unlikely as the juxtaposition of rock music and Medieval life: an ersatz “knight” played by the enormously talented and sadly departed Heath Ledger as William/Sir Ulrich, Shannyn Sossamon as the acerbic Lady Jocelyn, Mark Addy (Cold Feet) as the faithful churl Roland, Rufus Sewell as the wicked and cunning Count Adhemar, Paul Bettany as the hilarious and outrageous Geoffrey Chaucer and James Purefoy (Marc Antony in Rome) as The Black Prince. If you have difficulty getting the male in your life to sit still for a love story, this is just the ticket to change his mind.
Quirky Choice 2
If a sex comedy is more to your taste, then you might enjoy a classic from the decade of the sexual revolution, the story of two couples whose efforts to “liberate”
their libidos result in unforseen complications.
The cast is hand-picked from the cream of the quirky crop of deadpan comedic actors, Elliott Gould and Robert Culp and multi-talented actresses Natalie Wood and Dyan Cannon. Written and directed by Paul Mazursky, the film skirts the edges of kinkydom whilst examining the effect of changing cultural norms on otherwise conventional couples. Culp and Wood attend an “encounter weekend” (meant to evoke echoes of Esalen) and as a result of their weekend “awakening” enthusiastically share their hopes for an ‘open relationship’ with some of their closest friends. Their overtures come to naught at first but in the end, Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon decide to join Culp and Wood in their sexual adventure on a weekend jaunt to the capitol of decadence, Las Vegas. Perfect setting, perfect partners – something is bound to go wrong. Right?
These movies can be rented directly from Amazon.com or purchased in Delia’s Amazon Shop HERE.
