Newton Davis builds his dream house and presents it to Becky with a proposal of marriage. She turns him down. He leaves the house, still with a ribbon around it and returns to the city, smitten with Becky. He meets Gwen, who has an interesting relationship with the truth. He spends the night with her, but leaves while she is sleeping. She takes his description of the house, searches it out, and moves in. The residents of Newton's hometown become curious and Gwen invents a marriage, a courtship, and and an entire history. Newton's parents meet Gwen and are immediately taken with her. By the time Newton finds out, the whole town thinks he's married, and Becky tells him that Gwen has made her see him in a whole new light. Gwen and Newton agree that she can pretend to be his wife and get free rent while Newton works on Becky until they can announce a divorce. The trouble is that nobody in the town wants them to separate and they keep trying to help them reconcile.

Michael Dorsey is an unemployed actor with an impossible reputation. In order to find work and fund his friend's play he dresses as a woman, Dorothy Michaels, and lands the part in a daytime drama. Dorsey loses himself in this woman role and essentially becomes Dorothy Michaels, captivating women all around the city and inspiring them to break free from the control of men and become more like Dorsey's initial identity. This newfound role, however, lands Dorsey in a hot spot between a female friend/'lover,' a female co-star he falls in love with, that co-star's father who falls in love with him, and a male co-star who yearns for his affection.

Nerdy, reserved bookworm Needy Lesnicki, and arrogant, conceited cheerleader Jennifer Check are best friends, though they share little in common. They share even less in common when Jennifer mysteriously gains an appetite for human blood after a disastrous fire at a local bar. As Needy's male classmates are steadily killed in gruesome attacks, the young girl must uncover the truth behind her friend's transformation and find a way to stop the bloodthirsty rampage before it reaches her own boyfriend Chip.

Sutter Keely lives in the now. It's a good place for him. A high school senior, charming and self-possessed, he's the life of the party, loves his job at a men's clothing store, and has no plans for the future. A budding alcoholic, he's never far from his supersized, whiskey-fortified thirst-master cup. But after being dumped by his girlfriend, Sutter gets drunk and wakes up on a lawn with Aimee Finecky hovering over him. She's different: the "nice girl" who reads science fiction and doesn't have a boyfriend. While Aimee has dreams of a future, Sutter lives in the impressive delusion of a spectacular now, yet somehow, they're drawn together.

In a small Minnesota town, the annual beauty pageant is being covered by a TV crew. Former winner Gladys Leeman wants to make sure her daughter follows in her footsteps. Explosions, falling lights, and trailer fires prove that. As the Leemans are the richest family in town the police are pretty relaxed about it all. Despite everything, main rival (but nice) Amber Atkins won't be stopped. There could well be more death and disappointment to come.

1999 American beauty pageant mockumentary film directed by Michael Patrick Jann

Rachel comes to stay with her Grandmother Georgia for the summer leaving some obvious problems behind at home. Her alcoholic mother doesn't even stay the night before rushing back out to California to be with her husband. Rachel shakes up the town, a beautiful girl in the boring Mormon country. Then she reveals her deepest secret to one of her new friends, and her mother comes rushing back to find out if its true. In the midst of this crisis the three woman become closer than ever and start to understand each other more.

Henry is a Los Angeles veterinarian whose fiancée Kate dies in an accident on the day they're to marry. Worried that Henry has closed off his social life, his sister suggests he use a psychic to contact Kate, lay to rest unresolved feelings, and live more fully. He tries it, though he doesn't believe in it. Nothing happens, so his sister gives Ashley, the psychic, Kate's diary. Now she's able to convince Henry she's in contact with Kate and start the therapy. Two things happen: they find themselves attracted to each other, and Kate's ghost, who also has some unresolved issues, returns to stop this budding romance.

The silver spoon daughters of the late cosmetics empire founder Victor Marchetta, Avan and Tanzie, never even took an interest in the business, happy to let it be run by their and the firm's administrator, Tommy Katzenbach, while they lead socialite lives, aiming at a marriage with soap star Mic Rionn. Suddenly a scandal wrecks the firm's stock and their family reputation. Their credit cards are canceled, one of them torches the mansion, the other hands their sports-car to a thief mistaken for a parking valet. So they end up living with their Latina former cleaning lady. Help to investigate whether the firm is really best sold to competitor Fabiella, as Tommy claims, comes from hunky lab technician Rick, whom the previously mistook for the inexistent firm parking lot attendant, and Henry Baines, whose free law for the poor charity they didn't even consider for sponsoring.

In New York City, Molly Gunn is a spoiled, wealthy, immature young woman who lives as if she were a fairytale princess. Her father, a popular rock guitarist, died in a plane crash with her mother when she was little. In a nightclub on her birthday she meets Lorraine "Ray" Schleine, a nasty young girl with an adult attitude, who lives with her careless mother and a terminally-ill father in a fancy uptown apartment. When Molly's accountant vanishes with her US$ 100,000,000.00 inheritance, she is left with nothing but debts and must work to survive--with no previous experience or marketable skills. She is hired to be Ray's babysitter, and their close contact makes Molly reach maturity and Ray act like the 8-year-old she is.

Peter Colt, an English tennis player in his thirties whose ranking slipped from 11th to 119th in the world, considers he never really had to fight for anything as his wealthy but all but close family easily put him through studies and allowed him to pursue his tennis ambitions, bravely exchanges jokes with his German sparring partner Dieter Prohl, in a similar position, but feels it's about time to admit he's getting too old to compete with fitter coming men (or boys) and intends, after a last Wimbledon, to take a job with the prestigious tennis club instead. Just then, by accident, he bumps into Lizzie Bradbury, the American rising star of female tennis, falls in love with her and finds her interest in him changes his entire perception, even gives him the strength to win again. But where will it lead them, especially when her overprotective father-manager Dennis Bradbury proves determined to nip their relationship in the bud, believing it detrimental to her career?

Katherine Ann Watson has accepted a position teaching art history at the prestigious Wellesley College. Watson is a very modern woman, particularly for the 1950s, and has a passion not only for art but for her students. For the most part, the students all seem to be biding their time, waiting to find the right man to marry. The students are all very bright and Watson feels they are not reaching their potential. Altough a strong bond is formed between teacher and student, Watson's views are incompatible with the dominant culture of the college.

A kaleidoscope of color and culture clash humorously as an Indian family in London tries to raise their soccer-playing daughter in a traditional way. Unlike tarty elder sister Pinky, who is preparing for an Indian wedding and a lifetime of cooking the perfect chapatti, Jess' dream is to play soccer professionally like her hero David Beckham. Wholeheartedly against Jess' unorthodox ambition, her parents eventually reveal that their reservations have more to do with protecting her than with holding her back. When Jess is forced to make a choice between tradition and her beloved sport, her family must decide whether to let her chase her dream...and a soccer ball.

Mary Fiore is the wedding planner. She's ambitious, hard-working, extremely organized, and she knows exactly what to do and say to make any wedding a spectacular event. Bt when Mary falls (literally) for a handsome doctor her busy yet uncomplicated life is turned upside down - he's the groom in the biggest wedding of her career! Will she help him walk down the aisle with his internet tycoon girlfriend, or will Mary finally get to be the bride herself? When it comes to love, you can never plan what's going to happen.

She's All That is your typical high school prom king and queen story and the run in defending the star status in the upcoming election. High school hottie, Zack Siler is dumped by his prom-queen girlfriend, the equally attractive and extremely popular, Taylor Vaughan who fell for a second-hand world reject TV soap star who she met over the spring break. Having been publicly dumped, Zack defends his discomposure by stating that Taylor is all make-up and wonder-bra and he can make any ordinary girl a prom queen with a similar package. His high-school buddy, Dean Sampson, engages him in a bet following this statement and picks the geeky looking Laney Boggs out of the crowd as the girl Zack must transform into the new prom queen. Zack agrees since he has no option, but as time passes and Laney begins to transform, Zack begins to find her attractive. While all that falls beautifully in place, it's not your typical fairy-tale. Throw in Dean Sampson to complicate the situation, as when he first made the bet he never thought that Zack could rise to the challenge but looking at how Laney has transformed, it looks like Zack could be on a winning streak.

Sadie and Ben are in love, and although Ben suggests getting married in the Caribbean, Sadie has her heart set on a wedding at the family church, St. Augustine's. Ben says sure, and they meet with the pastor, Rev. Frank. The only date open for two years is three weeks away, and Frank insists the kids go through his marriage prep course. They're to write their own vows; he also demands chastity, bugs their apartment, initiates arguments, has them care for robot twins, creates friction between Ben and her family, and raises doubts in Sadie. Desperate, Ben looks for dirt on Frank. Can he undermine Frank's authority and keep Sadie's heart?

Ryden Malby has planned her academic life since she was in high school to get a college scholarship; now she has just graduated in English and in her master plan she expects to get a job as assistant editor in the publishing house Happerman & Browning, in Los Angeles. Her platonic best friend is Adam Davis, who has a crush on her and is frequently close to her. However, her arrogant classmate Jessica Bard gets the position and Ryden is forced to return home in the suburb to live with her family: her optimistic father Walter, who wants to do everything by himself; her careful mother Carmella who administrates the short resources of her family; her eccentric grandmother Maureen; and her weird little brother Hunter, who wants to race in a boxcar derby. Ryden unsuccessfully seeks a job and feels frustrated, but is emotionally supported by Adam. When Walter accidentally runs over the cat of his next-door neighbor David Santiago with Ryden's car, they visit him to give their sympathies. Ryden feels attracted by the handsome Brazilian and has a brief affair with him, forgetting Adam, who decides to move to New York to study at Columbia Law School. Meanwhile Ryden is invited to join Happerman & Browning and discovers that feelings cannot be planned.

Rom Coms to watch

More lists by Gabrielle Gardner

Animated films

Action movies to watch

quirky/indie films

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