[1]

Tagline: 'The world will never be the same once you've seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump.'

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Cast: Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field

Plot in a Nutshell: Forrest Gump is the story of a man's journey through life and innocent reflections on what living is all about. It tells the story of a man that's tangled in life but survives the hardships through his simplicity.

Why it works: The performance is a breathtaking balancing act between comedy and sadness, in a story rich in big laughs and quiet truths.

[2]

Tagline: 'The comedy that won a Pulitzer Prize.'

Director: Bruce Beresford

Cast: Morgan Freeman as Hoke Colburn, Jessica Tandy as Daisy Werthan, Dan Aykroyd

Plot in a Nutshell: Adaptation of Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play looks at the 25-year relationship between an elderly Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the South.

Why it works: Well adapted, Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy are great! All it wants to do is be cute and makes you squeal and it succeeds.

[3]

Tagline: 'A nervous romance.'

Director: Woody Allen

Cast: Woody Allen as Alvy "Max" Singer, Diane Keaton as Annie Hall, Tony Roberts

Plot in a Nutshell: Romantic adventures of neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer and his equally neurotic girlfriend Annie Hall. The film traces the course of their relationship from their first meeting, and serves as an interesting historical document about love in the 1970s.

Why it works: There’s something about the directness of Allen’s stand-up-inspired comedy style that translates beautifully to this film.

[4]

Tagline: 'It's a wonderful world, if you'll only take the time to go around it!'

Director: Michael Anderson

Cast: David Niven as Phileas Fogg, Cantinflas as Passepartout, Shirley MacLaine

Plot in a Nutshell: When Phileas Fogg is challenged to prove his contention that a man can go around the world in 80 days, he bets his entire fortune and leaves with a new butler on a world tour. This Victorian adventure has a kicker, the bank of England has been robbed. Is this Fogg's way of avoiding arrest? The detective following him believes so, and his butler is becoming unsure.

Why it works: It is benign and charming, with an intoxicating musical score, compelling cinematography and a continually advancing locale.

[5]

Tagline: 'Everyone just pretend to be normal.'

Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

Cast: Abigail Breslin as Olive Hoover, Greg Kinnear as Richard Hoover, Toni Collette, Steve Carell

Plot in a Nutshell: A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.

Why it works: Unspoken reactions can be funnier than dialogue or punchlines. It's a perfect and satisfying blend of bittersweet plot and stinging social commentary.

[1]

Tagline: 'The greatest romance of all time!'

Director: Victor Fleming

Cast: Clark Gable as Rhett Butler, Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara, Leslie Howard

Plot in a Nutshell: This classic film narrates the love between Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler during the American civil war. It's the history of a selfish woman who doesn't want to admit her feelings about the man she loves.

Why it works: A dramatic, compelling story with standout performances and exceptional direction.

[2]

Tagline: 'Collide with Destiny.'

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater, Billy Zane

Plot in a Nutshell: A fictional romantic tale of a rich girl (Winslet) and a poor bohemian boy (DiCaprio) who meet on the ill-fated voyage of the 'unsinkable' ship.

Why it works: A staggering film, layered with melodramatic romance, tragedy, intensity and breathtaking production design.

[3]

Tagline: 'A Love Caught in the Fire of Revolution.'

Director: David Lean

Cast: Omar Sharif as Dr. Yuri Andreyevich Zhivago, Julie Christie as Lara Antipova, Tom Courtenay

Plot in a Nutshell: The life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during the First World War and then the October Revolution.

Why it works: Focuses more on its performances, storytelling and it's one of those movies that takes its time for the story to unfold.

[4]

Tagline: 'Love is the only inspiration.'

Director: John Madden

Cast: Joseph Fiennes as William Shakespeare, Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola de Lesseps, Geoffrey Rush, Ben Affleck

Plot in a Nutshell: Shakespeare in Love is a romantic comedy for the 1990s set in the 1590s. It imaginatively unfolds the witty, sexy and timeless tale behind the creation of the greatest love story ever told.

Why it works: The devilishly clever script, giddily romantic movie that speaks the language of love with such hot-blooded delight.

[5]

Tagline: 'In love, there are no boundaries.'

Director: Anthony Minghella

Cast: Ralph Fiennes as Count László Almásy, Juliette Binoche as Hana, Willem Dafoe

Plot in a Nutshell: The moving story of a Hungarian mapmaker and his dying memories of the romance that tragically alters his life. Burned horribly in a fiery plane crash while crossing the Sahara Desert during WWII, he is tended to by a Canadian nurse with ghosts of her own and haunted by a thief seeking answers for a crime from his past.

Why it works: Force and range of the performances, crisp camera work, vast landscapes mingle with the minute details of desire, and the combination is transfixing.