Before Sunrise (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Box Office: 22.5 million USD
My Rating: 9/10
Description: Picture this: you're sitting on a train in Vienna, reading a book when this couple behind you starts loudly arguing. Of course, you eventually decide to move seats and end up sitting across the aisle from this cute American boy who is--wonder of wonders--also reading. You start talking and it just feels... right. He has a plane to catch tomorrow morning and no plans on how to spend his time until then. It isn't your stop, but he convinces you to kill twelve hours with him, and, well, you agree. In this case, you would be CĂ©line (Julie Delpy), a French 23-year-old; and the cute American would be Jesse (Ethan Hawke) from Texas, also in his 20s.
My Thoughts: I don't remember when or why, but I once heard someone describe a movie something like this: it doesn't try and hold your attention--it just trusts that you'll be there. Throughout Before Sunrise, that's all I could think. This movie is so beautiful because it really doesn't try to be anything flashy. Sure, it's pretentious and ridiculous and very, very idealistic, but it's also slow and hopeful and romantic. It's one big dream. Maybe don't try at home, but with a sweeping soundtrack and a charming setting, sweet characters and genuinely funny lines, it feels real onscreen. It really makes you feel. A touch heavy-handed and yes, I didn't want to see quite as much face-eating making out, but I loved it anyway. People gloss over how laugh-out-loud funny it is, too! The banter is absolutely impeccable. That phone scene melted me. If nothing else, watch this movie for the phone scene. If the worse accusation you can make about Before Sunrise is that it's too romantic, then I think that's not a bad thing at all.
Best Line: "You are both stars, don't forget. When the starts exploded billions of years ago, they formed everything in this world. The moon, the trees, everything we know is stardust. So don't forget. You are stardust."