Roman Holiday and the Brief Encounter Genre

Asking a film buff which film is their favorite can lead to a lot of hemming and hawing about how difficult it is to choose one, or even a top ten. But I've had my answer ready to go since about 1993, when I first saw Roman Holiday, the 1953 romantic comedy starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn and directed by William Wyler.

I can't write an essay claiming that this is the greatest film ever made (something I could do for the next three films on Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:34:25 +0000 https://film5000.com/2026/tuner/19596 https://film5000.com/2026/tuner/19596 https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19596/2026-Tuner-MAIN.jpg Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:34:25 +0000</p> <p>I guess we should be careful what we wish for. For years, I've wanted to get back to a time when we could see simple but effective little theatrically released genre movies that didn't have to wallow in "elevated" themes, overwritten, overly twisty screenplays, or meta concepts that weigh films down and exhaust me as a viewer. Just as I had been saying to myself, I wish I could just see a new but good old-fashioned lovers-on-the-run bank robber movie, or a simple buddy comedy about a wanna... </article> <article> <h1><description><p>Growing up on a sheep farm, I have to admit, I don't have a lot of love for the wooly creatures. Nor do I have any affection for talking CGI animals of any phylum, genus, or species. But <em>The Sheep Detectives</em> is a welcome return to the type of family/kids movie that isn't the cinematic equivalent of Pop Rocks and Coke. Venerable producer Lindsay Doran has assembled a terrific creative crew, including screenwriter Craig Mazin (the go-to scribe for lame <em>Scary Movie</em> and <em>H...</description> <pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:12:53 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/the-sheep-detectives/19904</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/the-sheep-detectives/19904</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19904/2026-The_Sheep_Detectives-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:12:53 +0000</p> <p>Growing up on a sheep farm, I have to admit, I don't have a lot of love for the wooly creatures. Nor do I have any affection for talking CGI animals of any phylum, genus, or species. But <em>The Sheep Detectives</em> is a welcome return to the type of family/kids movie that isn't the cinematic equivalent of Pop Rocks and Coke. Venerable producer Lindsay Doran has assembled a terrific creative crew, including screenwriter Craig Mazin (the go-to scribe for lame <em>Scary Movie</em> and <em>H... </article> <article> <h1><description/> <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 13:34:57 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/backrooms/19903</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/backrooms/19903</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19903/2026-Backrooms-MAIN(2).jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Sun, 31 May 2026 13:34:57 +0000</p> </article> <article> <h1><description><p>I love Boots, but I can't say I love Boots' movies. After the rapper, producer, and activist branched into filmmaking with his anarchically messy but unquestionably memorable debut, the gonzo takedown of American capitalism and culture <a href="../../2018/sorry-to-bother-you/5040"><em>Sorry to Bother You</em> </a>(2018), I was hopeful that Boots Riley's sophomore effort would be a little more focused, pointed, and transformative a social satire. Unfortunately, <em>I Love Boosters</em>...</description> <pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2026 15:45:58 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/i-love-boosters/19594</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/i-love-boosters/19594</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19594/2026-I_Love_Boosters-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Sun, 24 May 2026 15:45:58 +0000</p> <p>I love Boots, but I can't say I love Boots' movies. After the rapper, producer, and activist branched into filmmaking with his anarchically messy but unquestionably memorable debut, the gonzo takedown of American capitalism and culture <a href="../../2018/sorry-to-bother-you/5040"><em>Sorry to Bother You</em> </a>(2018), I was hopeful that Boots Riley's sophomore effort would be a little more focused, pointed, and transformative a social satire. Unfortunately, <em>I Love Boosters</em>... </article> <article> <h1><description/> <pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2026 03:04:19 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2025/goodbye-june/19897</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2025/goodbye-june/19897</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19897/2025-Goodbye_June-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Sun, 24 May 2026 03:04:19 +0000</p> </article> <article> <h1><description><p>Curry Barker's supernatural horror thriller is fascinating on a generational level, which kind of makes up for how dull and repetitive it is at times. The story of a twenty-something loser who, by way of a magical wish delivery device, is able to make the girl he has a crush on fall desperately in love with him, would have been sooooo different if made by and for Gen-X. Had this film come out when I was the age of these characters, the protagonist would have been instantly psyched that his...</description> <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 15:16:24 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/obsession/19401</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/obsession/19401</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19401/2026-Obsession-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Thu, 14 May 2026 15:16:24 +0000</p> <p>Curry Barker's supernatural horror thriller is fascinating on a generational level, which kind of makes up for how dull and repetitive it is at times. The story of a twenty-something loser who, by way of a magical wish delivery device, is able to make the girl he has a crush on fall desperately in love with him, would have been sooooo different if made by and for Gen-X. Had this film come out when I was the age of these characters, the protagonist would have been instantly psyched that his... </article> <article> <h1><description><p>Everyone's back for this enjoyable 20-years-later legacyquel including director David Frankel, producer Wendy Finerman, screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, and stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. Kenneth Branagh, Justin Theroux, B. J. Novak, and Lucy Liu are also along for this follow-up to the wildly successful 2006 high-end fashion workplace comedy, as well as more cameos than you can fit into an off-the-rack evening gown from Lane Bryant.</p> <p>Streep's An...</description> <pubDate>Mon, 11 May 2026 14:13:51 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/the-devil-wears-prada-2/19891</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/the-devil-wears-prada-2/19891</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19891/2026-The_Devil_Wears_Prada_2-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Mon, 11 May 2026 14:13:51 +0000</p> <p>Everyone's back for this enjoyable 20-years-later legacyquel including director David Frankel, producer Wendy Finerman, screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, and stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. Kenneth Branagh, Justin Theroux, B. J. Novak, and Lucy Liu are also along for this follow-up to the wildly successful 2006 high-end fashion workplace comedy, as well as more cameos than you can fit into an off-the-rack evening gown from Lane Bryant.</p> <p>Streep's An... </article> <article> <h1><description><p>Murray Lerner's documentary <a href="https://letterboxd.com/film5000/film/festival-1967/"><em>Festival</em></a> is an incredible snapshot of the folk music scene and burgeoning counterculture movement of the mid-1960s. It drops viewers into the middle of the Newport Folk Festival, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival, which started five years earlier. Over the most significant and storied years of the festival's history, 1963 to 1966, Lerner's cameras captured ...</description> <pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2026 14:19:48 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/newport-and-the-great-folk-dream/19858</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/newport-and-the-great-folk-dream/19858</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19858/2026-Newport_and_the_Great_Folk_Dream-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Thu, 07 May 2026 14:19:48 +0000</p> <p>Murray Lerner's documentary <a href="https://letterboxd.com/film5000/film/festival-1967/"><em>Festival</em></a> is an incredible snapshot of the folk music scene and burgeoning counterculture movement of the mid-1960s. It drops viewers into the middle of the Newport Folk Festival, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival, which started five years earlier. Over the most significant and storied years of the festival's history, 1963 to 1966, Lerner's cameras captured ... </article> <article> <h1><description/> <pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 13:34:54 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/i'm-chevy-chase-and-you're-not/19462</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/i'm-chevy-chase-and-you're-not/19462</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19462/2026-I_m_Chevy_Chase_and_You_re_Not-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Wed, 06 May 2026 13:34:54 +0000</p> </article> <article> <h1><description><p>Carl Deal and Tia Lessin's film about the independent investigative journalist Amy Goodman and her show <em>Democracy Now!</em> chronicles the rise of the distinctly non-coorperate TV and radio news program and why it has become such an outlier in a media landscape that has gotten more and more driven by the need to make money for shareholders and less and less concerned with informing the public. It paints an entirely loving and positive picture of the fearless and tireless Goodman, with ...</description> <pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2026 03:03:26 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/steal-this-story,-please!/19726</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/steal-this-story,-please!/19726</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19726/2026-Steal_This_Story_Please-MIAN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Sat, 02 May 2026 03:03:26 +0000</p> <p>Carl Deal and Tia Lessin's film about the independent investigative journalist Amy Goodman and her show <em>Democracy Now!</em> chronicles the rise of the distinctly non-coorperate TV and radio news program and why it has become such an outlier in a media landscape that has gotten more and more driven by the need to make money for shareholders and less and less concerned with informing the public. It paints an entirely loving and positive picture of the fearless and tireless Goodman, with ... </article> <article> <h1><description><p>While I've never been a huge fan of first-person documentaries, in which the filmmakers tackle an issue by telling their own life story, the ways in which our tax system is designed to favor wealthy people is a topic politicians and the media love to tell us is too dull for people to care about. So, if that's true (I've never bought into the belief myself), why not take the personal approach? With <em>Death & Taxes</em>, documentarian Justin Schein explores the American tax system with...</description> <pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2026 00:56:42 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2025/death-&-taxes/19759</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2025/death-&-taxes/19759</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19759/2025-Death___Taxes-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Sat, 02 May 2026 00:56:42 +0000</p> <p>While I've never been a huge fan of first-person documentaries, in which the filmmakers tackle an issue by telling their own life story, the ways in which our tax system is designed to favor wealthy people is a topic politicians and the media love to tell us is too dull for people to care about. So, if that's true (I've never bought into the belief myself), why not take the personal approach? With <em>Death & Taxes</em>, documentarian Justin Schein explores the American tax system with... </article> <article> <h1><description><p>The latest political/historical documentary from Eugene Jarecki (<em>The Trials of Henry Kissinger, Why We Fight, Freakonomics, The House I Live In</em>) is a magnificently comprehensive study of Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks, who battled several administrations of the US, UK, and other nations over his work leaking sensitive documents and whistleblower accounts to the world's most reputable journalists. Fleeing dubious charges of rape in Switzerland, Assange holed...</description> <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:47:19 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2025/the-six-billion-dollar-man/19660</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2025/the-six-billion-dollar-man/19660</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19660/2025-The_Six_Billion_Dollar_Man-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:47:19 +0000</p> <p>The latest political/historical documentary from Eugene Jarecki (<em>The Trials of Henry Kissinger, Why We Fight, Freakonomics, The House I Live In</em>) is a magnificently comprehensive study of Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks, who battled several administrations of the US, UK, and other nations over his work leaking sensitive documents and whistleblower accounts to the world's most reputable journalists. Fleeing dubious charges of rape in Switzerland, Assange holed... </article> <article> <h1><description/> <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:30:10 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/normal/19398</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/normal/19398</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19398/2026-Normal-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:30:10 +0000</p> </article> <article> <h1><description><p>On a recent episode of <a href="https://brattlefilm.org/2026/04/01/podcast-episode-90-give-thanks-for-chicago/">The Brattle Film Podcast</a>, I was lamenting that we don't get adult romantic comedy-dramas anymore—or "coming of adulthood movies" as my co-host Ned called them. Then the next film I I happened to see was this romantic dark-comedy-drama from the Norwegian provocateur Kristoffer Borgli. <em>The Drama, </em>the latest from the writer/director of <a href="../../2022/sick-of-...</description> <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:29:11 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/the-drama/19397</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/the-drama/19397</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19397/2026-The_Drama-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:29:11 +0000</p> <p>On a recent episode of <a href="https://brattlefilm.org/2026/04/01/podcast-episode-90-give-thanks-for-chicago/">The Brattle Film Podcast</a>, I was lamenting that we don't get adult romantic comedy-dramas anymore—or "coming of adulthood movies" as my co-host Ned called them. Then the next film I I happened to see was this romantic dark-comedy-drama from the Norwegian provocateur Kristoffer Borgli. <em>The Drama, </em>the latest from the writer/director of <a href="../../2022/sick-of-... </article> <article> <h1><description><p>I was late to this, so I missed it in IMAX, but was able to catch it in 70mm. I guess I'm glad that non-franchise sci-fi blockbusters are still getting made and are doing well at the box office, but the fact that this hurried-yet-overlong, fecklessly optimistic, pre-adolescent feel-good hugfest has been so embraced and acclaimed only goes to show us how low Marvel and its ilk have set the bar for movies of this kind. Based on a novel by Andy Weir, it boasts a screenplay by Drew Goddard (<e...</description> <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:28:56 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/project-hail-mary/19496</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/project-hail-mary/19496</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19496/2026-Project_Hail_Mary-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:28:56 +0000</p> <p>I was late to this, so I missed it in IMAX, but was able to catch it in 70mm. I guess I'm glad that non-franchise sci-fi blockbusters are still getting made and are doing well at the box office, but the fact that this hurried-yet-overlong, fecklessly optimistic, pre-adolescent feel-good hugfest has been so embraced and acclaimed only goes to show us how low Marvel and its ilk have set the bar for movies of this kind. Based on a novel by Andy Weir, it boasts a screenplay by Drew Goddard (<e... </article> <article> <h1><description><p>Matthew Shear, known for playing supporting roles in <a href="com"><em>Between the Temples</em></a> and <a href="../../2015/mistress-america/4274"><em>Mistress America</em></a>, makes his debut as writer/director/star in this tale of a mildly depressive paralegal who, after being laid off, starts babysitting the granddaughters of his psychiatrist. Over the course of a year, he gradually becomes like a member of the family and falls in love with the mother. Amanda Peet plays the mom, an act...</description> <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:28:38 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://film5000.com/2026/fantasy-life/19429</link> <guid>https://film5000.com/2026/fantasy-life/19429</guid> <image> <url>https://film5000.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/review/image/19429/2026-Fantasy_Life-MAIN.jpg</url> <title>Film5000: Latest Reviews</h1> <p>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:28:38 +0000</p> <p>Matthew Shear, known for playing supporting roles in <a href="com"><em>Between the Temples</em></a> and <a href="../../2015/mistress-america/4274"><em>Mistress America</em></a>, makes his debut as writer/director/star in this tale of a mildly depressive paralegal who, after being laid off, starts babysitting the granddaughters of his psychiatrist. Over the course of a year, he gradually becomes like a member of the family and falls in love with the mother. Amanda Peet plays the mom, an act... </article> </main></body></html>