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10 alternative romantic movies
Romance blossoms in the most unlikely of places
As Shakespeare famously wrote in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, the course of true love never did run smooth… and that’s when both participants are relatively straightforward 16th Century teens. When one of you is a car, a computer or a country, another layer of complexity is added to the courtship process. Time Out’s film writers round up their favourite oddball romances, a list which brings an entirely new definition to the term ’alternative lifestyle’.
Got a complaint? Want to point out something we’ve missed? Please let us know in the comments box. By Tom Huddleston and Anna Smith
Woman and fly ('The Fly')
Star-crossed lover No. 1: Seth ‘Brundlefly’ Brundle (Jeff Goldblum).
Star-crossed lover No. 2: Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis)
The Meet Cute: Brilliant but unhinged science geek Seth picks journo Veronica up at a swanky science-mag do: she’s looking for a scoop, he’s looking to do some scooping, so he offers to show her his teleportation device (hey, we’ve all tried it). It’s not long before they’re eating steak, discussing metaphysics and getting genetically entangled – and not just with each other.
Happily ever after? Sadly, no. Once Seth becomes part housefly, the writing is pretty much on the wall. When he attempts to fuse with (and thereby destroy) Veronica and their unborn child, there’s nothing left for poor Veronica to do but pop a couple of sawn-off shells in his confused, insect noggin. And we were really rooting for those two crazy kids…
Words of love: ‘Is this a romance we’re having? Is that what this is?’
Browse through our alternative romances
The Fly (1986)
The Man With Two Brains (1983)
Christine (1983)
Shrek (2001)
The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Crash (1996)
Electric Dreams (1984)
King Kong (1933)
Harold and Maude (1971)
A Canterbury Tale (1944)
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