In 1970, Love Story told us that love means never having to say you're sorry. We know the truth. Love means always having to say you're sorry.
Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw star as the star-crossed couple. There was talk initially of having Christopher Walken play the part that O'Neal ended up getting. We were that close to having the logline be "Love means never having to ask for more cowbell." That's the breaks.
A Love Story Winery and Bistro in Miami is actually less focused on wine than on dining, events, and having a picture taken while phoning a friend from a pink telephone booth. The restaurant's wine list is truly impressive. I want to go there just to have a few glasses. However, for just one glass, let's get Champagne from Maison Bonnaire. I see their Love Story Grand Crus Extra Brut selling online for north of a hundred bucks. But, love means never having to ask "How much is that going to cost?"
As Good as it Gets, from 1997, was exactly that for Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, who both took home Oscars for their work in the romcom. Can a mean, old, obsessive-compulsive misanthrope find happiness with a pretty waitress? You bet your dog-walking dollar he can, but it takes the intervention of the nice gay guy next door, and his puppy.
It's a great date movie, as long as the eccentricities contained in Nicholson's character don't remind your partner too much of you. There's no need to pull that string and see the whole sweater unravel.
The characters in As Good as it Gets show that people can grow together over common ground, no matter how far apart they may seem to be at first. Just don't forget to take care of the dog properly. And don't step on a crack.
A wine from Nicholson Vineyards is the perfect pairing for Jack, because they make wine and grow olives, you know, for martinis. Their Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay should please everyone on your floor of the apartment building, for $36.
Speaking of odd couples, 1971's Harold and Maude stars Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon in a May/December relationship. He's fascinated by death, and she's old enough to kick the bucket at any time. A match made in heaven. Today, when a 79-year-old dies, people of my generation say, "And so young!"
Bob Evans at Paramount must have heard "told ya so" a time or two, because the movie attracted neither critics nor paying customers. Both groups eventually came around when the film became a cult classic. H&M reportedly didn't turn a profit until about 12 years after its release, which is probably not something a studio would want to crow about. Gordon passed away just two years after that break-even moment.
There were no awards for Harold and Maude, but Cort and Gordon did grab a couple of Golden Globe nominations. The film's ending gets my vote if there is ever a category for Best Use of a Banjo Aside from Deliverance.
We may want to pair wines both young and old, to honor the stars. Perhaps a Beaujolais Nouveau and a Champagne pulled from a turn-of-the-century shipwreck. However, I would like to reference Cat Stevens from the movie's soundtrack. "Bring tea for the tillerman, steak for the sun, wine for the woman who made the rain come." Well, Pinot Noir has tea notes, it goes great with steak, and what better way to spend a rainy day? Maude Pinot Noir comes from the Mt. Maude Vineyard in Central Otago, New Zealand for around $25.
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