The film that set the bar for romantic comedies

Claudette Colbert proves the leg is mightier than the thumb when hitchhiking in the 1934 romantic comedy It Happened One Night (1934, Columbia). The film set the bar for romantic comedies to come. It’s a road-trip movie that offers non-stop laughs as a spoiled heiress (Colbert) chases after the man she loves, with a wise-cracking newspaper man (Clark Gable) in tow. It won the top five Academy Awards for 1934, a feat unrivaled until 1975. Directed by Frank Capra. Available on Amazon and Google Play.

The Force is strong with Fanboys (USA, 2009, Third Rail Releasing). It’s a classic comedic road-trip movie but it also has a lot of heart. Five friends who are passionate about Star Wars discover that one of them has cancer and may not make it to see the new Star Wars film. The friends plan a cross-country road trip to steal a print of the film to screen for Linus. It’s a love-letter to Star Wars fans. Available on Amazon and iTunes.

— Linda Crispien, nurse, grandma, Stormtrooper