Movies for a rainy day

Model: Manoshi

As cliched as it may sound, rainy-days have a special place in our hearts. For some, it's the pitter patter of the rainfall, perhaps the picturesque cityscape visible through the open glass windows, or that earthy smell accompanying the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. For gastronomes, the perfect rainy-day combination lies in the gooey khichuri, the egg omelette and a dollop of ghee; often replaced by take away four seasons pizza, cheese and French fires.

While most 'rain soaked' romantics prefer to sit on the couch with a book in their hands, others prefer to watch that perfect movie or binge watch television shows on streaming platforms.

Not all movies are fit for a rainy day. A nice rainy-day movie should have you wrapped in warmth like a warm cup of tea enjoyed under a cosy blanket. Some of the movies listed below have rain scenes that has the characters look as beautiful on a drenched day as a summer evening on the beach; while others are just great movies that are good for any day of any season for that matter.

Which do you choose to watch first? This is a perennial dilemma, if there was ever one. Trying to navigate through a seemingly endless scroll of options to find the perfect movie worth watching is never easy, but we leave that difficult choice to you as all the films below are our favourites and we do not want to discriminate.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

The Notebook (2004)

Kissing in the rain is hardly a new movie concept, but this alone makes this romantic drama a classic. The eye-candy cast of Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams does not hurt a bit, either.

Rain Man (1988)

Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country and Charlie, for once, discovers emotions he never felt before.

The Shape of Water (2017)

At a top-secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity. An Oscar winner for all the right reasons.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

A film about friendship among inmates and how they attain salvation for their actions. Wait till the last scenes for the rain connection — as it washes the sins of men catapulted to freedom.            

Purple Rain (1984)

A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.

Blade Runner (1982)

A Ridley Scott classic, hailed as one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made. The rain monologue makes it a cult classic for an overcast day.

Magnolia (1999)

An all-star ensemble that hinges this long drama into one cohesive plot. Wait till the end, for the eventful rain.

Jurassic Park (1993)

Scary dinosaurs; screaming humans — that's what Jurassic Park may now seem to you. Rain falls throughout, adding to the sense of gloom and doom. A film worth a re-watch.

The Truman Show (1998)

Undoubtedly one of Jim Carrey's best performances sees him play Truman Burbank, an insurance salesman who begins to notice something off-kilter about his world. The rain starts suddenly and contributes to his ultimate revelation that...

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

The western that brought us the evergreen, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. 

ROMANCING IN THE RAIN

…And life with it. If you are in for having yourself swept off your feet, these are the movies for you.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight. What can we say, we love Rachel Adams, not to mention Woody Allen.

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a seventeen-year-old student and an older man hired as his father's research assistant. A beautifully woven story for the open minds.

Her (2013)

An unsettling love story that follows a recluse romantic who falls for his intelligent computational device. A film taking an unconventional route in expressing the beauty of love.

Wings of Desire (1987)

There are angels on the streets of Berlin. One tires of overseeing human activity and wishes to become human when he falls in love with a mortal.

Lost in Translation (2003)

A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo and comes to realise that everyone wants to be found.

The Lunchbox (2013)

All she wanted was her husband's love. All he wanted was to be left alone. A lunchbox delivered to the wrong man changes everything. One of Irrfan Khan's best.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Love is in the air, run for cover… Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.

Shakespeare in Love (1998)

The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays — Romeo and Juliet.

Say Anything... (1989)

This is a quintessential 'boy meets girl' story. A noble underachiever and a beautiful valedictorian fall in love the summer before she goes off to college.

P.S. I Love You (2007)

As you weep over these letters-from-beyond-the-grave, your tears will match the raindrops gently sliding down the window. What could be more poetic?

CLASSICS RECAP

You probably have watched these a hundred times over, already. But isn't that what classics are for? 

Shutter Island (2010)

Set in a desolate island, DiCaprio is caught in a terrible rain storm outside and inner anguish within. One of Scorsese's finest.

The Prestige (2006)

After a tragic accident, two stage magicians engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other. A Christopher Nolan masterpiece.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

When a simple jewellery heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant. The directorial debut of Quentin Tarantino, and there has been no looking back ever since!

Almost Famous (2000)

Experience it. Enjoy it. Just don't fall for it… A high-school boy is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour. Kate Hudson in one of her best performances.

Amélie (2001)

This is the story of an innocent and naive girl in Paris with her own sense of justice. She decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love. A French favourite.

Under the Skin (2013)

As critics put it, "Under the Skin" is a dark beautiful testament to the human condition, using an alien in disguise as the beautiful Scarlett Johansson to identify what makes us human and what drives the human soul.

Don't Look Now (1973)

A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond. A chilling story by Daphne Du Maurier.

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

A psychologically troubled novelty supplier is nudged towards a romance with an English woman, all the while being extorted by a phone-sex line run by a crooked mattress salesman, and purchasing stunning quantities of pudding. Proof once again, Adam Sandler can actually act!

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

This fantasy epic is about finding the light amongst darkness. Its positive message will comfort you even on a gloomy day. A classic of the decade.

MIND-BOGGLERS

There are thrillers, complex dramas, and then there are mind-bogglers that keep your jaw dropped in awe as the credits are played.

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep. Director Darren Aronofsky at his bizarre best.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories. But is it so easy to say, I am fine without you?

Doubt (2008)

A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student. There is no evidence. There are no witnesses. But for one, there is no doubt.

Oldboy (2003)

After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in five days.

Arrival (2016)

A brilliant film that questions the basic notion of time — Is it linear?

Mother! (2017)

Shocking, twisted and a confusing masterpiece which was universally hated by critics and audience alike. But it's an intoxicating film that refuses to let go. Not for the fainthearted.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

One of the greatest movies of all time; if you have the stomach for it. Baffling and bizarre…

Memento (2000)

A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer. Some memories are best forgotten, but this movie is worth seeing over and again.

The Others (2001)

Sometimes the world of the living gets mixed up with the world of the dead.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

A wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale. Amy Adams proves once again what an underrated actress she truly is.

Compiled by Mannan Mashhur Zarif

Model: Manoshi