My 14 Favorite Movie Kisses (Plus a Couple From TV)

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, a holiday that compelled me to watch a sappy movie or two. Then I came here to Epinions, and I revisited a list that my good friend Beth compiled of her favorite movie kisses. When she first published it, I said I’d have to compose a similar list soon, but I never did, so I’m doing it now. Of course, I’m terrible at coming up with lists like this because every time I think I’ve got it figured out, I think of another movie or ten that I need to add to the list. But here, in chronological order, is my not-at-all definitive list of 14 favorite movie kisses – a couple of which aren’t technically kisses, but feel like them – followed by my favorite miniseries kiss and TV series kiss.

"Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes on this lovely belle notte." - Lady and the Tramp (1955)

The spaghetti kiss.  Accidental, and only lasting seconds, but incredibly sweet.  Sheltered, elegant Lady and rough-and-tumble Tramp are enjoying a night out on the town, and for my money, this may be the most romantic dinner scene in movie history.  The fact that they are dogs makes it all the more romantic, especially when Tramp nudges the last meatball her way.  Anybody with a dog could tell you what a remarkable gesture this is...



“You can’t… marry someone when you’re in love with someone else.” - The Sound of Music (1965)

When I think of impactful movie kisses, this one almost always comes to mind first. The Sound of Music is such a perfect movie, with the romantic tension between Captain Von Trapp and Maria stretched out just enough to make us really cheer for the moment when they finally confess their love for each other. The scene is just so beautifully done, especially that instant when the eyes get all misty and the oh-so-composed captain reveals the extent of his vulnerability. And though the two are truly alone together for one of the first times in the movie, within that first blissful kiss are wrapped up a love of the Captain’s children, of the nuns who are Maria’s family and of the God who guides them both. Just beautiful.



“Look to me, reaching out to show as sure as rivers flow, I’ll never let you go…” - Pete’s Dragon (1977)

Up until a couple months ago, if you were to ask me to name my favorite Disney love song, I would, without reservation, say Candle on the Water from Pete’s Dragon, even though we don’t meet the object of Nora’s affections until the end of the movie, even though it’s not the film’s main focus. Ever since Tangled, it ties with I See the Light, a song of romantic awakening – and I can’t help finding it funny that my two favorite Disney love songs both use light on the water as the central metaphor. But Candle on the Water is all about steadfast devotion, about keeping the faith against all odds. Nora does, and when her faith is finally rewarded, what an embrace awaits!



“When he comes back, I won’t get in the way.” “Oh, Han, it isn’t like that at all. He’s my brother.” - The Return of the Jedi (1983)

When they first met, roguish Han Solo and haughty Leia Organa didn’t much like each other. By the second movie, they’d gained some respect for each other, but Han still had a major self-serving streak, and he had it coming when Leia called him a “stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerfherder” before kissing Luke. Leia and Luke don’t have the tumultuous kind of relationship she and Han do, and they share a deep psychic bond. Of course, early in the third movie, we learn that Luke and Leia are siblings, but poor Han, who is finally learning to live for someone other than himself, remains in the dark. While he’s fighting alongside Leia for Luke’s sake, he still views him as a romantic rival, and a clean-cut hero probably better suited to a princess. So the look on his face at the end of the trilogy when Leia laughs off his blessing to go with Luke, the slow shift from disappointment to confusion to blissful incredulity as she kisses him and reveals that Luke is her brother, is absolutely priceless.



“Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.” – The Princess Bride (1987)

Well, the quote about says it all about Westley and Buttercup, doesn’t it? Here’s a couple who endured, among other things, presumed death, actual death, lengthy separation, quicksand, kidnapping, unusually sized rodents, torture and marriage to a pompous prince with a nose for iocaine powder. A couple whose love is so epic, so profound, that even a skeptical pre-adolescent boy doesn’t mind hearing about that one last kiss assuring that nothing will ever come between them again. After all, this is true love; you think this happens every day?



“It’s amazing, Molly, the love inside… You take it with you.” - Ghost (1990)

No, not the famous scene that my dad speculates caused enrollment in pottery classes to skyrocket. I’m talking about the final scene in the movie, when Sam has finally ensured Molly’s safety and is ready to move on. Suddenly, Molly can see with her own eyes what the eccentric Oda Mae has been telling her all along: that Sam is there. And finally they can speak one last time, without an intermediary. When Sam, engulfed in light, kisses the stunned Molly, it’s a moment at once joyful and melancholy, made inexpressibly more poignant by the celestial orchestral arrangement of Unchained Melody, one of my favorite pieces of movie music ever.



“Please don’t leave me. I love you!” – Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Who could ever learn to love a Beast? Belle, the noblest and deepest of the Disney princesses, could, and the extent of her regard for this man too long enslaved by his own selfishness carried the power to save a life and transform a kingdom. Granted, it’s a rather crummy stipulation that she must actually state the words; it was clear that she loved him when she left the castle to find her father. Was there ever any doubt that she would return once she had restored him to health? But then we wouldn’t have this climactic moment that so dramatically illustrates the power of love to bring light forth from darkness.



“It was the happiest moment of my life.” - Forrest Gump (1994)

Forrest and Jenny, bosom buddies since the age of five, do share kisses in the movie, but it’s this hug to end all hugs that best conveys the vastness of their regard for each other. As thousands of riled-up protesters look on, Jenny wades into the Reflecting Pool looking like Mary Travers and Forrest, sharp as a tack in his freshly decorated uniform, leaps into the crowd and does what he does best – runs. Right into the waiting arms of the woman for whom his love has never wavered, and never will. And the crowd goes wild. In that moment, this vagabond who’s already seen so much of the worst the world has to offer is genuinely as happy to see this man who has only ever shown her kindness as he is to see her. No kiss could trump the affection encapsulated in this moment.



“I come here with no expectation, only to declare, now that I am at liberty to do so, that my heart is, and always will be, yours.” - Sense and Sensibility (1995)

The kiss we didn’t see. When I read Sense and Sensibility, I was disappointed that we didn’t really get to see Edward and Elinor’s big moment first-hand. We spent most of the book leading up to it, and then it felt rather glossed over. Emma Thompson’s brilliant screenplay fixes that for us, and Hugh Grant is at his most adorable as he bumbles his way through his earnest declaration of love. It’s enough for us to see unflappable Elinor a mangled mess of laughter and sobs before the demure cutaway. But I am free to imagine the kiss that followed, and I imagine that it was a doozy.



“When was the last time you were decently kissed? I mean truly, truly, good and kissed?” - That Thing You Do! (1996)

I couldn’t leave Erie’s little claim to fame off the list, even if the lovebirds decide to remain in California instead of returning to these frosty shores. In this Tom Hanks-helmed charmer about a one-hit wonder band that starts out in Erie, fresh-faced 20-something Guy is a percussionist passionate about music. He’s also a deeply devoted friend to Faye, the neglected girlfriend of bandleader Jimmy. Throughout the film, he attends to her when Jimmy does not, and it’s obvious that he genuinely cares about her. After Jimmy takes his self-absorption one step too far, the band falls apart and Guy thinks the dream is over. But when he sees Faye sitting alone, preparing to return to her old life, he realizes that a new dream is just beginning.



“You saw me when I was invisible.” – The Princess Diaries (2001)

Ah, the foot-popping kiss. It’s such a Disney sort of moment, with the princess and her true love locking lips for the first time. In this instance, it isn’t quite the first kiss for Mia, who only recently was a gangly geek used to getting stomped on by nearly everyone in school, but it’s the first one that means something. Like Mia, I’ve always imagined my first kiss being something magical, with the orchestra in my heart, to borrow a term from Pushing Daisies, playing at full volume. But whatever the circumstances, I would want to share it with someone who, like Mia’s sweet admirer here, appreciates me for who I am, with all my kooky quirks.



“But I don’t understand. I was supposed to be beautiful.” “You are beautiful.” – Shrek (2001)

As much as I love Beauty and the Beast, I also love the scene in Shrek in which Fiona does not transform. Shrek already looks like a beast, and by night, Fiona does too. But the ogre is her true form, and she does not need the conventional beauty afforded her by the human princess body in order for Shrek to deem her beautiful. It’s really a lovely subversion of a fairy tale I adore that ultimately makes the same point: that true beauty is more than just skin deep.



“You wanna know a secret? … You’re the sweetest guy I’ve ever known.” - 13 Going on 30 (2004)

I saw this movie for the first time in October of 2005, when I was coming off a very depressing period and moving into a very fruitful one. Maybe it was partly my giddy state of mind at the time, but this movie threw me for a loop. I expected a light little romcom, but it took hold of me completely, touching me far more profoundly than I would have expected. “Well,” I thought, “that’s what love is all about.” It’s a shame that the movie’s most memorable kiss occurs when Matt, the childhood chum of Jennifer Garner’s teen-in-adult-skin Jenna, is engaged, but these two feel so right together that I can’t deny them that perfect moment, after which, she tells her teenage confidantes at a slumber party soon afterward, she “floated home on a cloud”. All I can do is long for the clock to reset so that Jenna can reclaim those lost years and treat the best friend she ever had with the respect and love he so richly deserves.



“Other lights may light my way; I may even find romance. But I won't forget that night when you taught me how to dance.” - Miss Potter (2006)

I’d half-forgotten this moment until Beth mentioned it on her list, but there’s something so incredibly sweet about the awkward, gradual courtship between confirmed spinster Beatrix and her starry-eyed young publisher Norman. It’s such a wonderfully touching love story, tragically cut short. If this movie is any indication – and given the restrictions that surrounded Beatrix under the care of her stuffy parents, it wouldn’t surprise me much – the two shared just one kiss, at once chaste and passionate, before they were torn apart for what was meant to be merely a brief separation. Wrenching.

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”I don’t want diamond sunbursts or marble halls. I just want you.” - Anne of Avonlea (1987)

When I think of Gilbert Blythe, the first word that comes to mind is “patient”. In Kevin Sullivan’s brilliant pair of miniseries (we won’t go into the two that followed), it takes all of Anne of Green Gables just to get Anne to fully forgive him for the egregious offense of teasing her about her hair way back when they first met. He bends over backwards to try to win her friendship, and she stubbornly brushes him aside. In Anne of Avonlea, they’re friends, but Anne has her ideals of romance, and boy-next-door Gilbert doesn’t fit them. His proposal horrifies her – and her refusal horrifies just about every gal watching at home. It takes an extended separation, a proposal from a man who fits her dream profile and Gilbert’s near-death from illness to make Anne finally appreciate what she should have had all along. The kiss is understated; the catharsis isn’t.

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“I love you, Penny… and I’ll never leave you again.” - There’s No Place Like Home, Part 3, LOST (2008)

And speaking of unions a long time in coming, I had to mention the epic romance that swept so many LOST fans off their feet. The season two finale of the trippy, emotional island drama introduced viewers to Penelope Widmore, the daughter of a wealthy businessman and the one true love of Desmond Hume, the Scotsman stranded on the Island for three years. Throughout the third and fourth seasons, we saw the trials they weathered and the lengths to which both were willing to go to finally reunite. Their first contact, by phone, after years apart remains one of the most brilliantly written and acted scenes in the series. In fact, I still rank it as my favorite Desmond and Penny moment. But when they finally physically reunite in the season four finale after two long seasons of build-up, the ecstasy in that reunion lip-lock may just be enough to nudge Westley and Buttercup from their exalted position.

So, there you have it: a collection of my favorite cinematic kisses, to which many could no doubt be added. What are some of yours?

The Anastasia Soundtrack Is a Melodious Celebration of Adventure and Romance

It’s a frosty Valentine’s Day in Erie, PA, the perfect excuse to pull out the soundtrack to one of my favorite wintry romances: Don Bluth’s Anastasia. My brother and I caught this underrated gem in the theater in high school, and it may just take pride of place as my favorite Bluth movie, though there are several others that I love as well. One of the big reasons I’m such a fan of Anastasia is the music, with songs by Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music) and a score by David Newman. I liked it so much that I not only bought the soundtrack, I got the sheet music too. It’s sweeping, melodious and adventurous, with just a dash of romance. A great way to start off my Valentine’s Day.

A Rumor in St. Petersburg - A lively opening number. This isn’t the first scene in the movie, but it’s the one that firmly sets us in a time a decade after the initial scene, during which villainous Rasputin launches an attack on the Romanovs, Russia’s royal family, in which most of them are killed. Princess Anastasia, a young girl, escapes but loses her memory. This song brings us up to speed in delightful fashion, with a whole city full of characters gossiping about the rumor that Anastasia might still be out there somewhere. This song gets a lot of exposition out of the way in a most entertaining manner, and it also introduces us to likable conmen Dmitri and Vladimir, who plan to find a girl who looks like Anastasia and go to Paris, where Anastasia’s grandmother has put out a reward for her return, to pass her off as the princess. Jonathan Dokuchitz voices slick young Dmitri instead of John Cusack, while Kelsey Grammer is one of the few voice actors in the movie who takes on his character’s singing role as well as speaking. I’m a big fan of Frasier and of Grammer in general, but he’s so effectively disguised his voice in a thick Russian accent here that I always half-forget it’s him. A wonderfully chaotic beginning that reminds me of such Disney greats as Beauty and the Beast’s Belle and Aladdin’s One Jump Ahead. “We’ll find a girl to play the part and teach her what to say, dress her up and take her to Paris. Imagine the reward her dear old Grandmama will pay! Who else could pull it off but you and me?”

Journey to the Past - I love this song, and as is almost always the case with these animated musicals that produce radio hits, I prefer the in-movie version. There’s such an air of wonder and anticipation, as well as trepidation, about it, and I can relate so well to that tug-of-war between a longing for adventure and a fear of leaving the familiar. The song reminds me a lot of I Have Confidence from The Sound of Music, and it’s one of my two favorites in the movie. The piano and violins evoke the snowflakes and wind that accompany her as she sets out. Liz Callaway, singing in place of Meg Ryan, voices Anastasia with a clear-throated exuberance and beauty that reminds me of Jodi Benson from The Little Mermaid. This is the moment during which the audience is meant to fall in love with the adult Anastasia, who goes by Anya and does not yet realize who she is. All she knows is that she yearns to belong to someone. An exhilarating track. “Heart, don’t fail me now. Courage, don’t desert me. Don’t turn back now that we’re here. People always say life is full of choices; no one ever mentions fear…”

Once Upon a December - Callaway has this one to herself as well, and it’s a whispery, awestruck waltz that is nothing short of haunting. Anastasia has returned to her childhood home and is catching snatches of memories, none of which make much sense to her. The song is an outgrowth of the lullaby she and her grandmother used to sing together, the song that played in the music box that she received on the night her life changed forever. It’s an utterly beautiful song that captures the sense that all of Anastasia’s childhood lies just beyond a veil, and dim glimpses are all she can see. It carries with it the hope that one day those memories might be recovered. Starts and ends quietly, with a crescendo in the middle as everything comes into focus for one shining moment before eluding her again. Gorgeous. “Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember, things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember. And a song someone sings once upon a December…”

In the Dark of the Night - The big villain’s number. Jim Cummings, voice actor extraordinaire perhaps best known for replacing Sterling Holloway as the voice of Winnie the Pooh, is Christopher Lloyd’s singing counterpart as the evil, putrescent Rasputin. This is an appropriately dark and creepy song reminiscent of Gaston’s Kill the Beast from Beauty and the Beast and especially Scar’s Be Prepared from The Lion King. He’s plotting the destruction of the one person who foiled his perfect plan for the annihilation of the Romanovs. The sound is ominous, and Cummings’ delivers the lyrics with sadistic relish. “I was once the most mystical man in all Russia. When the royals betrayed me they made a mistake. My curse made each of them pay, but one little girl got away. Little Anya beware, Rasputin’s awake!”

Learn to Do It - This is a fun number that covers several hours or days during which Dmitri and Vladimir give Anastasia a crash course on how to be a Romanov. There’s a banter type of feel to this song as Vlad, Dmitri and Anya interrupt each other in their eagerness to instill and display knowledge. Definitely one of the most fun tracks. “Count Sergei.” “Wore a feathered hat.” “I hear he’s gotten very fat.” “And I recall his yellow cat…” “I don’t believe we told her that…”

Learn to Do It (Waltz Reprise) - The same basic melody as the last track returns in this gentle, much shorter reprise. Where the last one was energetic and a bit zany, this one is quiet, slow and romantic. It’s mostly instrumental as Dmitri shows Anya how to dance to prepare her for the possibility of a formal ball in Paris. As Vlad watches, it’s painfully obvious to him that this tender moment was the only catalyst these spitfires needed to realize that they have fallen in love – and that could wreak major havoc on their perfect plan. A nice little showcase for Kelsey Grammer. “Vlad, how could you do this? How will we get through this? I never should have let them dance…”

Paris Holds the Key (to Your Heart) - Another very lively song that gets the whole city involved, but in this case we’re in France instead of Russia. It’s basically an exuberant celebration of French culture led by Bernadette Peters as Vlad’s old flame Sophie, with a moment at the end for some quiet reflection by Dmitri, who has just realized that Anya actually is Anastasia and suddenly doesn’t find the idea of a hefty cash reward all that attractive. I don’t get that into the more raucous parts of the song, but I really like Dmitri’s lines, which show how much he’s changed over the course of this journey. “Paris holds the key to her past. Yes, Princess, you’ve come home at last. No more pretend; you’ll be gone, that’s the end.”

At the Beginning - This radio-ready end-credits song is performed by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx. It’s a nice follow-up to Journey to the Past as it reflects Anastasia and Dmitri’s desire to embark on a new journey together. I’m not a huge fan of Lewis’s voice, but I do like this song, and I think it’s nice that one more song was written to give us a sort of epilogue to the movie. Of course, it’s a great stand-alone too. “No one told me I was going to find you. Unexpected what you did to my heart. When I lost hope, you were there to remind me this Is the start.”

Journey to the Past (Aaliyah) - I considered this song pretty superfluous at the time, but even though I prefer the movie version, there’s something very poignant about listening to this song now, since Aaliyah, the promising young singer who performed it, died in a tragic accident a few short years later. She puts a funky vibe on it and sings beautifully; this arrangement is a little repetitive, but it’s still a nice track.

Once Upon a December (Deana Carter) - This song scarcely changes from the movie version. It’s a little less dynamic, and the most prominent instrument is a mandolin, played by Jerry McPherson. I love his instrumental work here, and that’s the main reason to listen to this, though Carter does a nice job with the vocals too.

Prologue - This mostly-instrumental track captures the sense of majesty in the Romanov court, along with the tenderness between Anastasia and her grandmother. We get to hear Angela Lansbury, who, unlike Kelsey Grammer, is immediately recognizable despite her Russian accent, as well as Lacey Chabert as the young Anastasia, singing a snippet of Once Upon a December together before the tone turns dire with the appearance of Rasputin.

Speaking of Sophie - A bright, sunshiny instrumental track heavy on the woodwinds that evokes the giddiness of Vlad’s recollections of his long-ago love. Just a very cheerful, sweet track that puts me in mind of a picnic in the park.

The Nightmare - The creepiest of the instrumental tracks, it’s half blissful dream and half torturous nightmare. The chorus of voices adds to the eeriness, and the full orchestral backing captures the frightening flavor of a storm at sea.

Kidnap and Reunion - Starts off a bit perilous but blossoms into one of the loveliest tracks on the album, with a hope-filled melody peeking out hesitatingly as Anastasia’s memory finally begins flooding back and her incredulous grandmother begins to think that this might actually be the little girl she lost so long ago. It concludes with a reprise of Once Upon a December, with Lansbury and Callaway this time. Probably my favorite instrumental track, along with Reminiscing with Grandma, which almost feels like a continuation. Lovely and stirring, it incorporates Journey to the Past and feels mysterious and familiar all at once. Finale also feels mostly like an outgrowth of these two scenes as we get the impression that her journey has come full circle and she is home at last but has gained something valuable in the journey as well as the destination. A joyous conclusion.

Viaje Tiempo Atras (Journey to the Past) - You know, this song would make more sense if it was in Russian, or even French. But a Spanish version of Journey to the Past seems pretty random, not to mention superfluous, since it’s the third version of this song on the soundtrack, not counting the song’s appearances in the instrumental tracks. Thalia does a nice job with the vocals here, it just seems like a rather odd choice.

But I really do love this album, especially the first eight tracks. Another plus is that the liner notes include stills from the movie, along with the lyrics to the songs. It’s very attractively packaged. Anastasia is a story of self-discovery and learning that sometimes it takes another person to help you become yourself as fully as possible. A touching tale and stirring music for Valentine’s Day or any day.

It's Love at First Listen for Annie in Sleepless in Seattle

“Do you believe that two people can be connected? Like soulmates?” This is the question that gentle Libby poses to The Teddy Bear Formerly Known as Hurley in Everybody Loves Hugo, his only centric episode of LOST’s sixth season. They’ve never met in this intriguing timeline in which everything seems slightly askew, but Libby can’t shake the feeling that he is her destiny. Crazy, right? Or could there be something to it?

This was the scene that kept replaying in my mind as I watched Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle for the first time in years. With Libby, it’s a glimpse on TV that sparks the sense of recognition. For Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), the young woman in the movie, it’s hearing him on the radio. After his precocious 8-year-old son Jonah (Ross Malinger) calls in to a radio show to discuss the sad state of his dad’s life, recently widowed Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) reluctantly spills his guts to radio psychiatrist Dr. Marcia Fieldstone (Caroline Aaron).

Annie is not the only woman who feels an instant connection; hundreds of women write to him after the show airs, offering to help him dip into the dating scene again. But Annie is our focus, and we’re meant to believe that her attraction to him is deeper. That they truly are soulmates. Which would mean, it seems, that Sam has two, since all indications are that he and his wife Maggie (Carrie Lowell) shared an idyllic relationship, and now he can scarcely function without her. Early in the movie, Sam states, “It doesn’t happen twice.” That’s not to say that a person can’t have two happy, fulfilling marriages. But if he and Annie were "MFEO" ("made for each other," one of the annoying acronyms coined by Jonah’s even more precocious friend Jessica (Gaby Hoffman)), where does that leave Maggie?

That aspect of the movie bothers me a bit. Jonah, like Eddie in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, is obsessed with finding a replacement mom. “I’m starting to forget her,” he sadly confides at one point, but mostly he seems to be okay with that. He wants to get the show on the road. Sam doesn’t. Sam seems like a very real, reasonable guy who spends most of the movie in a bit of a haze. He’s a devoted dad; that’s his one defining characteristic here. But he still misses his wife terribly and just isn’t sure how to proceed in her absence.

Sam is the one unwittingly caught up in this, annoyed by his son’s initial interference and later fixation on a woman who lives on the opposite coast. Throughout the movie, he is all practicality – except on the three occasions on which he actually sees Annie. The first two times, he doesn't know that she is the one who wrote the letter that so impressed Jonah, but he too feels a sense of connection. It’s enough to jostle him out of his stupor. But he has no idea if he will ever see her again.

Ryan brings all of her usual charm to the role of Annie, though anyone who acted as she does in real life would be charitably considered erratic. She abuses her privileges as a journalist to essentially stalk Sam and Jonah “for a story”, flying all the way out to have a look at them for herself. But when Sam spots her looking and greets her from across a busy street, she panics and bolts.

Her obsession with Sam is all the more troubling because she is engaged. Walter (Bill Pullman) isn’t one of those stereotypical jerk boyfriends you so often find in movies like this. We’re meant to find him boring, and clearly there’s a certain zing lacking in their relationship. But Walter is a seriously nice guy who has done nothing whatsoever to drive his fiancée into the arms of a strange man. So while I confess that I do get caught up in the whimsy of this movie and catch myself feeling all fluttery, I can’t help feeling really sorry for poor Walter, who, while the woman he loves is dashing off to fulfill a cinematic fantasy atop the Empire State Building, is having the worst Valentine’s Day of his life.

And then there’s the fact that this big moment is preceded by Jonah, with the help of Jessica, securing a plane ticket to New York and somehow managing to make that journey all by himself and then spending the day atop the Empire State Building waiting for Annie to show up, as she proposed in her letter, to which he responded – except, since he has no idea what she looks like, he has to ask every woman in sight if she is Annie. It’s a colossally stupid and dangerous plot.

Four years later, Ryan and Hanks teamed up again for You’ve Got Mail, which was loosely based on the Jimmy Stewart classic Shop Around the Corner and features another unconventional romance, this time involving anonymous Internet pals who are falling in love online and don’t realize that they are rivals in real life. I really like that movie and the gradual development of the relationship at its heart. While I’m watching Sleepless in Seattle, I like it too. But when I stop to think it over, it’s no surprise to me why my dad walked out on it after ten minutes. “This is so contrived,” he complained. Although I am not immune to its charms, I can’t disagree.

“It was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together,” Sam tells Dr. Fieldstone when she asks what was so special about Maggie. A million tiny little things that he doesn’t know about Annie. Do I believe that two people can be connected? Like soulmates? Yes. But once the warm fuzzies wear off, I don’t think that Sam and Annie are quite there.

Season Two Brings Us Chuck Versus Charlie Pace and Lots of Other Geeky Goodness

Here in northwest Pennsylvania, football fans are busy gearing up for an exciting Super Bowl. They’re either eagerly rooting for the Steelers or, because they hate the Steelers – usually favoring the Browns or Bills – they’re rooting for Green Bay. My Facebook news feed is all lit up with declarations of anticipation. But on Sunday, my dad has already declared that we will be spending the day watching a “Chuck-a-thon,” and that sounds grand to me. We can still have the party, but the main event will be different. We finished the second season of Chuck a few days ago and are now embarking upon season three. “This show is addictive!” noted my dad, who has seen several of the episodes twice, since he’ll watch them with Mom and then re-watch them with me when I get home from an evening of working at the mall. I quite agree. But I am not complaining.

Season two of the action-mystery-romance-comedy, created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak, finds Chuck (Zachary Levi) temporarily believing that he is about to resume his normal life. He’s had the Intersect, a compendium of top-secret government information, in his head for about a year, but the new Intersect is finished, and the government is done with him. He hopes that means a shot at a real relationship with Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski), the sweet and pretty CIA agent who has been his handler all this time. What neither of them knows is that the third member of their little team, tough-as-nails NSA assassin John Casey (Adam Baldwin), still my second-favorite character on the show, has been ordered to put Chuck out of commission permanently. This is the first of several times in the season when we find him torn between duty to the government and loyalty to his friends – because by this point, it’s unmistakable that he has come to care about Chuck and Sarah, though he rarely shows it outwardly. Still, while his stoic but sarcastic demeanor continues to bring the laughs, we get to see a bit more of his softer side this season, and its way of expressing itself is usually just as funny as it is touching.

When the unveiling of the new Intersect ends in disaster, steely General Beckman (Bonita Friedericy), who we mostly only see via videoconference, is left no choice but to reassess Chuck’s value to the government, and she almost begins to see him as a person rather than simply a piece of equipment. Meanwhile, it becomes more and more difficult for him to separate his spy life from his home life with his sister Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) and her soon-to-be-husband Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb (Ryan McPartlin) and his work life at the Buy More with his best friend, Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez), and an array of oddball associates. It all becomes quite entangled, with his friends and family getting unwittingly involved in his missions in hilarious and something frightening ways, and one member of his inner circle even gets in on the spy secret this season.

We get to delve a little deeper into all of the characters this season. Retail annoyances Jeff Barnes (Scott Krinsky) and Lester Patel (Vik Sahay) reveal hitherto untapped talents and ambitions. One is a video game whiz; the other tries his hand at being assistant manager when Chuck declines the job, briefly believing that he will soon bid the Buy More goodbye. Both cherish surprising dreams of rock star glory with a duo known as Jeffster. Grumpy but lovable Buy More manager Big Mike (Mark Christopher Lawrence) undergoes serious changes on the domestic and work fronts that affect everyone in the store, particularly Morgan, and spicy Anna Wu (Julia Ling) finds herself torn when it comes to her relationship with Morgan. This season also introduces a new character, the deliciously irritating Emmett Milbarge (Tony Hale), who initially comes in to assess the productivity of the Burbank Buy More staff and stays on as assistant manager because he is so appalled by what he sees. Carrying himself with an effete sibilance reminiscent of LOST’s Ben Linus, whom he rather resembles, Emmett provided a lot of the season’s biggest laughs for me. On the home front, it’s all about the preparations for Ellie and Devon’s nuptials, which are stressing Ellie out big-time, mostly because Devon’s mother (Morgan Fairchild) is heavily involved in the planning.

The writing is just as sharp in the second season as the first, with all of the elements blended together perfectly but humor always mixed in just a little more liberally. The romantic tension between Chuck and Sarah increases as romantic rivals – most intriguingly, his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Jill Roberts (Jordana Brewster) – pop up and their missions require them to practice the art of seduction. Both Sarah and Chuck find themselves in some pretty steamy situations this season, usually not with each other. This makes the show feel slightly less innocent this time around. Overall, the tone gets a smidge darker as we explore Sarah and Chuck’s childhood traumas – when do we get to see Casey’s? – and the team goes up against a rogue organization known as Fulcrum. This year, they have a nifty control center that rests underground between the Buy More and Sarah’s cover job, which has been transformed from a schlocky hot dog stand to a trendy frozen yogurt joint.

The show still abounds with geeky references. The vintage TRON poster that adorns Chuck’s room and is one of the most iconic props in the series gains even greater significance here as a major plot thread late in the season has deep resonance to the cult classic. I found myself very glad that I finally saw TRON a couple months ago, as I think it deepened my appreciation for several episodes. Adding to the TRON-tasticness of season two is the casting of Bruce Boxleitner, who played Tron in the movie, as Devon’s dad. Among other hat-tips, I loved the nod to The Karate Kid and what I took to be an obscure homage to The Princess Bride courtesy of Morgan, and it was a big kick to see Scott Bakula of Quantum Leap take on an important multi-episode guest role toward the end of the season.

A key location late in the season is called Black Rock, though I’m not sure if that’s an intentional wink at LOST. However, I love that three of the Island drama's cast members have guest roles. Anthony Azizi, who played mercenary Keamy’s right-hand baddie Omar, turns up here as a slightly more sophisticated villain, while Mark Pellegrino, who at that time had not yet joined the cast as enigmatic Island leader Jacob, is a petty thug. While I’m sure LOST had little to do with those casting decisions, Dom Monaghan is another story. Chuck Versus the Third Dimension, so named because the episode aired in 3-D, marked Monaghan’s first television appearance since he ceased to be a regular on LOST, and his character, Tyler Martin, is pretty much just Charlie Pace at the heights of his rock star depravity. He still has endearing qualities, but he’s a libidinous lush who’s so out of touch with reality that he can’t tell the difference between Burbank and Cleveland. This is the only episode of Chuck to date that I’ve watched when it actually aired, and it was funny to see it again now, in the wake of the final season, and wonder whether elements of this episode may have, in turn, inspired LOST show-runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Charlie’s trajectory in season six seems similar to Tyler’s in this episode, with a level-headed person trying to keep him out of trouble. I love, too, that both Tyler and season six Charlie get hit with tranq darts and are told that it is vitally important for them to play a particular concert.

Season two includes three holiday episodes: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Thanksgiving includes what may be my favorite Big Mike moment to date, and he’s a major part of the Christmas episode too, during which we get to meet his equally bulky cousin. As Christmas episodes go, it’s a little twisted, since most of the time is spent in a hostage situation, but it also has its tender moments. Valentine’s Day offers a glimpse of what domestic life might be like for Chuck and Sarah if they were ever able to have a normal relationship. The season culminates in one of the most unique weddings ever to grace a TV screen.

In a season full of twists and turns, one thing that remains consistent is Chuck’s core decency. This is a guy with a strong sense of ethics and an unswerving devotion to his friends and family. When I say that he’s lovable enough to give LOST’s Hurley a run for his money, you know he’s really won me over. This is a terrific, life-affirming show that makes me laugh and smile in equal measure. Bring on the Super Bowl Sunday Chuck-a-thon!

Trixie Belden and the Clunky Characterization - Brought to You By UNICEF

This month, I started reading the Trixie Belden series, which features spunky 13-year-old sleuth Trixie and her close-knit band of friends and siblings, who call themselves the Bob-Whites: gentle Honey Wheeler, pretty Diana Lynch, resourceful Jim Frayne and Trixie’s brothers, witty Mart and studious Brian. I just finished the seventh book, Trixie Belden and the Mysterious Code, and while it has some intense scenes and a couple fun new characters, I found it harder to get into than the ones that preceded it. That’s because this was the point at which the writing of the series was taken over by a succession of ghost writers using the name Kathryn Kenny. Characterization was Campbell’s strong suit, and it wasn’t the strong suit of whoever was in charge of writing this volume, making it my least favorite of the series thus far.

The story begins with the Bob-Whites in an uproar because the school board disapproves of their club, mostly since there has been vandalism occurring on school property and they suspect gang activity. If the Bob-Whites can’t prove that their club is making a valuable contribution to society, they’ll have to disband. Frankly, this premise didn’t make much sense to me. What business is it of the school board what these kids do off school property? I could understand them saying they’re not allowed to wear their club jackets in school, but beyond that, it doesn’t seem like they would have that kind of authority. And what exactly would disbanding the Bob-Whites mean? The six of them are still going to hang out all the time no matter what, so what would be accomplished by that? And why can’t a club just exist for the sake of existing?

But the Bob-Whites have to do something, and quick, so Trixie formulates a plan. They’ll have an antiques show, selling some items and merely displaying others, and the money raised will go to UNICEF. I think that UNICEF is a worthy organization, and I’ve donated to it a couple of times myself. But I couldn’t help wondering, in the early chapters, if somebody from UNICEF paid this author off to turn the book into one big pitch to donate to the fund. “Working with other organizations in the United Nations, UNICEF has trained nurses, doctors, teachers, technicians, in about eighty countries in the world, helping them to make use of their own resources,” Trixie tells the rest of the club. “You see, it isn’t just for today they are helping, but for years to come.” And every time someone, especially Trixie, talks about UNICEF, you get something like this spiel, usually with shining eyes to accompany it. After a couple of chapters, though, that gets toned down a bit, so the book starts to feel more like a regular story and less like a PSA. And if Trixie’s speeches have inspired real kids to pitch in to help needy kids around the world, then I suppose it’s a worthwhile trade-off…

Once I got past the odd premise and the speechifying, what continued to distract me was the way in which the characters were written. They seem like themselves, but not quite, and some less than others. Mart isn’t quite as funny in this book, but generally, he seemed about right to me, as did Di and Jim. Brian mostly did too, though he seems excessively annoyed with Mart’s use of big words, and it’s silly to have him imply that Mart doesn’t know what any of those words mean when his sentences, while overblown, make perfect sense. Honey definitely seems a little off to me; she appears to truly resent Trixie’s sleuthing obsession, disregarding her own stated interest in becoming a detective herself. While she’s always been on the jittery side, it’s overdone here, not just with the mystery but with having her blanch at a Western and the sight of a pair of Samurai swords found in her attic. And Trixie is just so syrupy here, particularly when it comes to certain word choices, like her calling her father “Daddy” instead of “Dad” and showering six-year-old Bobby with terms of endearment like “lamb” and “honey”.

Bobby probably bugs me more than any other character, since he has such a distinctive way of speaking in the first six books and that’s all but tossed out the window here. Once in a while he’ll use a word like “holp” or “losted,” but mostly, he doesn’t sound like himself at all, and he doesn’t seem nearly rambunctious enough. Bobby usually makes me chuckle, but that didn’t happen much in this book. Meanwhile, Trixie’s mom comes across as very easy-going in the first six books, but here, she’s both a worrywart and a nag, not to mention seemingly a bit jealous of Mrs. Wheeler’s looks. Indeed, she seems very hung up on looks here, and her constant getting on Trixie’s case to not be such a tomboy got on my nerves.

Along with individual character differences, there’s a distinct difference in writing style too. Mostly, I noticed that while the first six books only let us peek into Trixie’s head from time to time, here, we get a glimpse of what other characters are thinking, too. However, with Campbell, we could pretty much infer what they were thinking without being told upfront, and that made for more dynamic reading. For instance, “The thing Jim liked best about Trixie was her spirit of adventure, her readiness to go anywhere any time and not hold back, afraid, as so many girls did. Lately Jim had been noticing, too, that Trixie was a pretty girl.” All of this rings true, but its presentation is more organic in the earlier books, particularly Mystery Off Glen Road, when he is so clearly annoyed by Trixie’s sudden infatuation with Honey’s cousin.

All that said, while certain aspects of the writing continued to grate a little as the book went on, I still got caught up in the story. The titular code doesn’t ultimately play a huge role in the book, but its initial introduction offers an intriguing glimpse into Jim’s family history, and Trixie finds a clever way to make use of it when she’s in a tight spot later. It would have been fun if the whole code could have been included as an appendix so that readers could come up with their own secret messages. Even with the nine code letters provided, you could do that to some extent.

Trixie and the others spend the whole book looking at various antiques, and those are pretty interesting. I kept thinking, “Too bad Antiques Roadshow didn’t exist back then!” Some of the stuff they round up seems likely to be pretty valuable. The swords are especially interesting, as are the characters who become associated with them. I also like Trixie’s kind-hearted but tough neighbor, Mrs. Vanderpoel, and her eccentric friend, the elderly Mr. Brom, who tells wild tales of local folk legends and bonds with Bobby as a result.

Though it’s a bit of a detour from the main story, I like the adventure that Trixie, Jim and Brian have when they go off in search of Reddy, the Beldens’ Irish Setter, one snowy night. It gives them an opportunity to show their ingenuity and resolve, and it’s nice to see Brian with a moment in the spotlight, since Mart tends to be in the thick of things more than Brian does. This is also the fourth book in the series to incorporate a holiday, in this case Valentine’s Day, and it’s fun to see the hints of romance blossoming as a result of the Valentine dance Di hosts. And while Campbell took a break from the bad guys in the last two books, a couple of pretty unsavory characters show up here, making it feel like a more traditional mystery, and there are enough new characters here that we don’t immediately know who to suspect of nefarious activity.

So I still recommend The Mysterious Code, but definitely not as a starting point. The established characters simply aren’t as vibrant here, and several of them don’t seem entirely like themselves. If you’re hooked on the characters already, there are enough interesting elements to keep the pages turning in the first of 33 post-Campbell Trixie books. Still, it’s good to know that they weren’t all written by the same person. Here’s hoping the next Kathryn Kenny is a little more to my liking.

A Dizzying Cast of Characters Explores Love in Valentine's Day

I was supposed to be a Valentine’s Day baby. Instead, I arrived a couple of days early, which suits me fine, since I tend to have more enthusiasm for Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday I share, than for the holiday that hasn’t been too eventful for me since the end of the elementary school cardboard Valentine mailboxes. Still, I’ve never resented the holiday. I enjoy exchanging Valentines with my parents and a couple of friends, and at some point during the week, I usually make it out to the video store or the theater to catch a sappy movie. Last year, it was Valentine’s Day, a romantic comedy with an expansive cast of characters whose lives intersect on February 14 in, or on the way to, Los Angeles.

Two years ago saw the release of He’s Just Not That Into You, which had a similarly high number of characters to keep track of. Structurally, the two are fairly similar, but Valentine’s Day, directed by Garry Marshall, feels a lot less cynical, celebrating love both young and old and not restricting it to romance, either. While that is a major focus of the movie, it also lauds family relationships, mentorships and general kindness to friend and stranger alike. I found it refreshingly positive.

As with He’s Just Not That Into You, I found myself zeroing in on certain characters and zoning out on others, simply because there were so many. The main character is Reed Bennett, a puppy dog of a florist who absolutely loves Valentine’s Day and who is in an especially exuberant mood this year because his girlfriend has just accepted his marriage proposal. Ashton Kutcher plays Reed, and he surprised me in the role because usually, the mere presence of Kutcher in a movie might be enough to dissuade me from watching. I generally find him obnoxious, but here, he is thoroughly lovable, as is Jennifer Garner, who plays his childhood chum, elementary school teacher Julia Fitzpatrick – though that didn’t surprise me much, as she’s been one of my favorite actresses since her thoroughly endearing turn in 13 Going on 30.

Reed’s idyllic day is about to take a troubling turn. What everyone in the audience realizes long before he does is that his girlfriend is just not that into him – and furthermore, sweet-natured Julia is. But she has a romantic partner of her own, and he has a secret that could wreak havoc on her happiness. Aside from Reed and Julia, I was most interested in Hector Elizondo, always an actor I enjoy, as Edgar, a hopeless romantic still very much in love with his wife after decades of marriage and now ready to pass some wisdom on to his young grandson Edison (Bryce Robinson), who is determined to show the object of his affections just how much he cares. These four characters give us a strong sense of the differences between puppy love, adult romance and mature love that reflects a lifetime together.

Lots of other characters experience love in a variety of ways, too, and it’s fun to see how the different characters interconnect. At the same time, there’s little opportunity to really get to know most of the characters. The movie boasts a dizzying cast list full of familiar names: Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Taylor Swift, Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts, Larry Miller, Kristen Schaal… There’s scarcely time to pick them out before we’re on to a new scene with new characters to keep track of, and it’s a constant guessing game to figure out what one storyline has to do with the others beyond the general theme.

Some of the situations in the movie are a bit on the risqué side, but the focus here is more often on love than lust, which I appreciated. The film’s biggest flaw is probably that it’s trying to do too much at once. Still, I was more touched than confused by the end of the movie, and while I wouldn't rank it among the best romantic comedies out there, Valentine’s Day makes for pretty enjoyable viewing and may just leave you with a better appreciation of the holiday that inspired it.

A Snowgirl Named Just Sue Goes Nicely With A Snowman Named Just Bob

Three years ago, I read A Snowman Named Just Bob, a tender picture book written by Mark Kimball Moulton and illustrated by Karen Hillard Good. The two have since collaborated on Reindeer Christmas, which I like even better, but when I saw that there was a sequel to Just Bob, I had to have a look. Good’s country-flavored illustrations are lovely an old-fashioned, reminding me of a Lang Folk Art calendar, while Moulton’s verse is presented as artistically as possible, intersecting with the paintings in surprising ways, whether it’s a block of text or a wispy swirl.

A Snowgirl Named Just Sue takes place in February, a couple of months after the young narrator and his family built Bob. “All the holidays had passed,” he says. “Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah - each one had been a blast!” This line strikes me as a little odd, as it seems to imply that his family celebrated them all, which doesn’t seem too likely. But maybe he’s just speaking in general terms.

In any event, it’s getting warmer, and rain and sun are beginning to wear away the snowy friend so beloved by his creators. As Valentine’s Day approaches, they fear that another storm will wash Bob away entirely. But instead, that mooshy-gooshy holiday brings a very different type of shower. Not rain, and not snowflakes, but hearts, falling in “ruby, rose, vermilion, pink, / blush, crimson, coral, flame! / We tried our best, but there were reds / we couldn’t even name!”

Not only is Bob able to survive in such strange precipitation, the heartfall inspires the creation of Sue, a mate for Bob. Like A Snowman Named Just Bob, this story has a definite melancholy edge to it, and I would say it’s even more pronounced here when paired up with the romantic storyline. It’s really more of a Valentine story than Christmas, but with the continued presence of snow and the prevalent association of snowmen with Christmas, this sequel covers two holidays, and really three; as I read, I kept being reminded of the classic New Year’s song, Old Lang Syne.

Bob and Sue are not going to be with this family forever. But just as certainly, these “old acquaintances” will never “be forgot”.