4. The Notebook - 2004
How's that for a curveball? Yep, a movie that has truly kicked me in my emotional plums was The Notebook. More than anything though, what a surprise it was. I'm not an emotional guy; I can say I've never aspired to declare my love for a female in a decadent way. A few pints of lager and a packet of crisps usually sufficed. I thought the idea of 'true' love was simply the preserve of people who cut out pictures of celebrities and cried after sex. My girlfriend begged and pleaded me to watch this, only to be met with a stony and stoical 'Of course we can' (Just because I was manly, didn't mean I didn't understand the rules of relationships). The simple premise of a love story is given a shot of ethereal magic simply by the way the film presents itself. It is just elegantly told. The cinematography is sublime, and it adds to the idea that you are simply observing a love poem in motion. However, what wins out is the simple idealism of it all. The film simply reminds you that the world as presented through the eye of a kaleidoscope can be a beautiful and wonderful place, as well as horrendous and terrifying. Sure, it has its problems. The lead character rebuilt a house all by himself, and Rachel McAdams makes my pants hurt, but it gives something to you that keeps smiling as it eludes you, it gives you optimism. I now actually want to believe in 'true' love, rather than scoff at ones who try to make it happen. I even let my girlfriend hold me. Plus, I cried at the end. It was totally cool though, it was a manly cry, and I then challenged a builder to an arm wrestle. Just to give myself some Man Points back.