Cousins

Well, it's Valentines Day.And in true Homer Simpson fashion, I'm late to the game on this. I'm not a big fan of a lot of romantic films. The thought of having to sit through The Notebook, Pretty Woman, or Love Story makes me want to run for the hills. So over the next few entries, I thought I would offer up some truly great, but forgotten romantic films that could be a nice alternative to the standard. First up is 1989's Cousins.

This remake of the 1975 French film Cousin, Cousine stars Ted Danson and Isabella Rossellini as Larry and Maria who meet at the wedding of Larry's uncle and Maria's mother, making them cousins by marriage. There's an instant chemistry between the two and they soon find out that they have more in common than expected when they discover that their spouses Tish, Sean Young, and Tom, William Petersen, are having an affair. Deciding to get revenge on the two, Larry and Maria pretend to have an affair, but as these two friends spend more time together love begins to blossom.

Usually I would groan at the thought of watching such a sweet movie, but Cousins is so charming that it's hard to resist. The cast is terrific. Danson, who around this time was saddled with playing roles similar to his Sam Malone character from Cheers, really shines here in one of his best performances. Rossellini is great as always. Petersen plays the perfect cad. And Young comes across as vunerable. There's a nice side story in this as well with Lloyd Bridges, as Danson's dad, and Keith Coogan, as Danson's son, helping one another out in their love conquests. The veteran actor and child star work well together and add a lot of humor to the proceedings.

This was directed by Joel Schumacher, and was a refreshing change of pace for him.Around this time he was mostly making brat packer movies, so it was nice to see him do a more adult film. And he handles it nicely with a light touch. Something you don't usually get from a Schumacher film.

If you are looking for something truly heartwarming, than Cousins is a perfect pick for this Valentine's Day.

It's available on dvd.