Browse Movies : 2003 : Romance

"Samsara" is a spiritual love story set in the majestic landscape of Ladakh, in the Himalayas, about one man's quest to find enlightenment. Tashi, a brilliant young disciple, is just completing three years of solitary meditation in a remote hermitage. Brought out of a deep trance, Tashi is taken back to his ancient monastery where he slowly recovers his strenght, but his return has unexpected results. Despite a life devoted to the rigors of spiritual development, he finds himself experiencing a suprisingly profound sexual awakening. These feelings coincide with his journey to a village to perform a harvest blessing where he meets Pema, a beautiful young woman. For the first time, Tashi begins to question the spiritual values of his monastic existence, realizing that one has to experience worldly existence in order to renounce it. Through Tashi's eyes, this spiritual and moving love story chronicles one man's discovery of the promise of "Samsara" - the world.

They're all Italian living in Montreal, but they could be from any large city in the western world with an Italian community. Angelo is a travel agent trying to become a television writer in his late twenties. Nino is a well-respected law enforcement officer, also in his thirties. Maria and Gino, Angelo's parents, emigrated in the 1950's and married after their arrival in "the new world". Maria and Gino's world is shattered when their son decides to get a place of his own. They are relieved however when Angelo's childhood buddy Nino decides to move in with their son. Their relief is short lived as they find out that Nino and Angelo are more than just roomates-they're lovers!

Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) is a 35-year-old San Francisco writer whose perfect life has just taken an unexpected detour. Her recent divorce has left her with terminal writer's block and extremely depressed, and her best friend, Patti (Sandra Oh), is beginning to think she might never recover. "Dr. Patti's" Rx: 10 days in Tuscany. And it's there that, on a whim, Frances purchases a villa named Bramasole - literally, "something that yearns for the sun." The home needs much restoration, but what better place for a new beginning than the home of the Renaissance? As she flings herself into her new life at the villa in the lush and beautiful Italian countryside, Frances makes new friends among her neighbors, but in the quiet moments, she is fearful that her ambitions for her new life - and a new family - may not be realized... until a chance encounter in Rome throws Frances into the arms of an intriguing Protobello antiquities dealer named Marcello (Raoul Bova). Can this be what she dreamed of? Can love last with Marcello? Will her new life flower under the Tuscan sun?

Based on the best-selling novel by Susanna Moore, "In the Cut" is a psychological thriller starring Meg Ryan and directed by Jane Campion. Ryan plays a lonely New York woman who discovers the darker side of passion after becoming involved with a tough homicide detective, who is investigating a series of murders in her neighborhood.

The film follows 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain (Romola Garai), and the fortunes of her eccentric family, struggling to survive in a decaying English castle. Her father (Bill Nighy) is desperate to repeat the spectacular success of his first novel, but hasn't written a word for 12 years; her exquisite sister Rose (Rose Byrne) can only rail against their fate, and their bohemian step-mother Topaz (Tara FitzGerald) is a nudist and no help at all. Salvation comes in the form of their American landlord Simon Cotton (Henry Thomas) and his brother Neil (Marc Blucas).

This homage to the golden era of 1950s Technicolor musicals tells the story of a cabaret singer, Billie Golden (Isabel Rose), living with her mother in Queens who aspires to get out of the "airport circuit" (she sings at a dingy lounge at JFK Airport). Meanwhile, Billie is also trying to choose between two men who represent different paths her life could take next: a corporate attorney (Cameron Bancroft) she knew in high school, who could provide her with money and security; or her piano teacher (Andrew McCarthy) who doesn't have much money but understands her passion for music. In addition to the songs Billie performs on stage, there are also occasional musical numbers that represent Billie's daydream fantasies.

In this modern update of the classic 1987 teen comedy "Can't Buy Me Love", our hero is high-school senior Alvin Johnson (Nick Cannon), a brilliant, likable outcast who has come to regret the years of intellectual endeavors that prevented him and his un-hip friends from socializing, getting girlfriends and hanging out with the super-cool "Elite" kids. When queen of the Elites, Paris Morgan (Christina Milian) wrecks her mother's car, Alvin steps in and mortgages his future to help her out. The catch: In exchange for $1500 in car parts and Alvin's automotive expertise, Paris agrees to "fake a front" with him to convince the school that they're dating. The question is: can Alvin rein in his newfound ego before he loses his true friends, his chance for a scholarship and a shot at a real relationship with Paris?

The winner of the second Project Greenlight screenwriting contest, "The Battle of Shaker Heights", is a uniquely funny portrait of modern youth under siege. For high school senior Kelly Ernswiler, life is war - or, at least, it's simulated war. In all his 17 years, Kelly has found just one true passion: re-enacting the epic battle scenes of World War II. When he meets Bart Bowland, a fellow war re-enactor who is Kelly's direct opposite, his life take twists and turns he never expected – including a real-life Special Ops mission against a school bully, an ongoing battle with his outrageous family and the epic teenage crush of a lifetime.

Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor are the toast of the town in the most stylish romantic comedy of the year! From the producers of "American Beauty" and the director of "Bring It On" comes a teasing, tantalizing battle of the sexes that is "pure enchantment" ("Daily News"). When best-selling feminist author Barbara Novak (Zellweger) becomes the target of dashing playboy Catcher Block (McGregor), these sparring, would-be lovers generate enough sparks to fly you to the moon and back. In other words, the ultimate catch has just met his match!

Eager but accident-prone young executive Tom Stansfield has finally happened upon the opportunity of his lifetime: he can impress his megalomaniac boss and the boss's luscious daughter, Lisa, by simply house-sitting their lavish mansion for one night. It's a plan that could lead to love and success, if only the guests didn't keep arriving. From director David Zucker ("The Naked Gun", "Airplane!") comes an outrageous, fast-and-rowdy romantic comedy about a young man whose quest for the girl of his dreams is interrupted by a constant flow of calamities. One by one, a barrage of wild and crazy visitors take over the house he's supposed to be watching and turn it upside-down, as well as inside out.

Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall), Charley Waite (Kevin Costner), Mose Harrison (Abraham Benrubi) and "Button" (Diego Luna) freegraze their cattle across the vast prairies of the West, sharing their friendship forged by a steadfast code of honor and living a life unencumbered by civilization. When their wayward her forces them near the small town of Harmonville, the cowboys encounter a corrupt Sheriff (James Russo) and kingpin rancher (Michael Gambon) who govern the territory through fear, tyranny and violence. Boss Charley find themselves inextricably drawn towards the inevitable showdown as they are forced to defend the freedom and values of a lifestyle that is all to quickly vanishing. Amidst this turmoil, life suddenly takes an unexpected turn for loner Charley when he meets the beautiful and warm-spirited Sue Barlow (Annette Bening), a woman who embraces both his heart and his soul. As these courageous men prepare for the decisive battle that looms, they are also forced to confront and conquer their own internal demons.

Based on Rosamond Lehman's book, "The Echoing Grove", "The Heart of Me" stars Olivia Williams and Helena Bonham Carter as sisters who become closer after the unexpected occurs in their lives. Paul Bettany plays a husband of one of the sisters who is having an affair with the other sister.

Set in a small town somewhere in the south, this is the story of a young inexperienced man (Paul Schneider) who falls in love with the little sister (Zooey Deschanel) of his best friend.

A thief on the run from a life of crime. A nightclub singer hoping to escape from the blues of heartache. Two lost souls who have become fugitives from the past... but now, fate is about to bring them together in the unfolding present. Half way around the world, in a mysterious and enchanted village, they will each seek a way to literally save their endangered lives, while discovering a love that will radically change them. Valentin (Jeremy Irons) is an English jewel thief and master of disguise who has managed to pull off heists from the greatest gem shops of Europe using only two weapons: humorous bluff and charming deceit. Jane Lester (Patricia Kaas) is a jazz chanteuse reeling from a bad love affair with a philandering trumpet player. Their fates collide when Valentin's yacht (which is named "Ladies and Gentlemen") crashes off the coast of Morocco.

This movie is an anthology of four gay-themed short films that have been recent hits on the film festival circuit: "Bumping Heads"; "L.T.R."; "O' Beautiful"; and "This Car Up". "Bumping Heads" is the story of two gay men trying to figure out if they want to become boyfriends who find themselves working through issues one night at a hospital emergency room. "L.T.R." is the story of a young gay couple in a "long-term relationship" who allow a documentary film crew to follow them around. "O Beautiful" shows what happens after a gay bashing in a corn field, when one of the attackers returns to reveal a secret, and express remorse for what he did. "This Car Up" uses a split-screen to follow the synchronized lives of two lovers.

When a lonely guy (Steve Martin) meets a woman (Queen Latifah) on the Internet who happens to be in prison, she breaks out to be with him, and quickly proceeds to bring chaos and some much-needed change into his middle-class life...

Directed by Academy Award®-winner Anthony Minghella ("The English Patient", "The Talented Mr. Ripley") and based on Charles Frazier's best-selling Civil War novel of the same name, "Cold Mountain" tells the story of Inman (Jude Law), a wounded confederate soldier who is on a perilous journey home to his mountain community, hoping to reunite with his pre-war sweetheart, Ada (Nicole Kidman). In his absence, Ada struggles to survive, and revive her father's farm with the help of intrepid young drifter Ruby (Renee Zellweger).

This concert documentary captures the performances of the "Concert for George" on November 29th, 2002 at Royal Albert Hall in London, as a celebration of the life and career of the Beatles' "quiet one," George Harrison. That day was the 1st anniversary of Harrison's death. The concert featured performances of Harrison's songs by the other two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as other friends and contemporaries of his like Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, and fellow Traveling Wilburys Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. These performances include Jeff Lynne singing "I Want to Tell You," "Inner Light" and "Give Me Love"; Tom Petty singing "Taxman," "I Need You" and "Handle with Care"; Ringo Starr singing "Photograph" and Paul McCartney singing "For You Blue" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." There is also a performance of a special composition by Ravi Shankar, performed by his daughter Anoushka Shankar and a 16-piece Indian orchestra. The other Harrison songs that were performed were: "All Things Must Pass," "Here Comes the Sun," "Honey Don't," "Isn't it a Pity," "My Sweet Lord" and "Something." Finally, the musical performances are accompanied by some of George's favorite skits by his good friends, the Monty Python troupe, accompanied by Tom Hanks, including "The Lumberjack Song" and "Sit on My Face."

"Divine Intervention" follows ES, a character played by and clearly based upon the filmmaker himself. ES is burdened with a sick father, a stalled screenplay and an unrequited love affair with a beautiful Palestinian woman (Manal Khader) living in Ramallah. An Israeli checkpoint on the Nazareth-Ramallah road forces the couple to rendezvous in an adjacent parking lot. Their relationship and the absurd situations around them serve as metaphors for the lunacy of larger cultural problems, and the result is palpable, bottled personal and political rage.

This movie tells two stories in three settings, going back and forth between each story as the film proceeds. One is the story of two cowboy brothers (Joseph Fiennes, David Wenham) who worked as mercenaries in Turkey around the turn of the century, and fall in love with the same woman (Anne Brochet). The other is set in contemporary New York, and is about a 90-year-old woman with a secret horde of Balkan gold and a thief (Adrian Lester), who surprisingly become friends. The third setting is the Ottoman Empire, circa 1913.