Three great romantic comedy movies to honor the holiday

Ah, the romantic comedy movie: A squishy love-fest of a flick, perfect for date nights and of course, romantic holidays like Valentine's Day. I'll be honest, I really am not a huge fan of the so-called "rom-coms." Most of the time, I find them shallow and silly. Rarely do I feel like a romantic comedy lives up to the billing. Occasionally, a gem emerges, and that's what I'm thinking about today. Which romantic comedy movies actually work?

I've spent a bit too long on this Valentine's Day eve trying to list my top romantic comedy film favorites, and I tend to put way too much pressure on myself with lists. I'm fickle, so sue me. However, after a great deal of thought, I've come up with three rom-coms that I think are among the best ever made. So, in the spirit of true love conquering all, here we go.

No list of outstanding romantic comedies would be complete without the wonderful quirkiness of Woody Allen. It's hard to limit myself to just one Woody movie, but if I had to, it would be - you guessed it - Annie Hall. I've seen this movie probably 100 times, and it never gets old. The dysfunction and neurosis of Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) is unforgettable.

In the spirit of my formative years, I've chosen Cameron Crowe's 1989 romantic comedy Say Anything... as one of my favorites ever. Yes, it's The Scene: Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) with his boombox blasting Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" in an effort to woo Diane Court (Ione Skye) is iconic. I am still in love with Lloyd Dobler, and I always will be.

Finally, and remember I limited myself to just three favorite rom-coms (tough to do), I'd say that The Princess Bride makes the grade. It combines everything that I love about a great film: Action, comedy and a happily-ever-after ending. I will never forget seeing this movie for the first time in the theater. I saw it three times, by the way, and that almost never happens. It's still one of my favorite films of all-time, rom-com or not. I used to have two fish named Buttercup and Westley. Sadly, their story did not have a fairy tale ending (long story short, Buttercup actually ate Westley..."Inconceivable!!!"), but The Princess Bride certainly does.

So that's my top three, what are yours? What? You thought I was going to pick The Notebook, didn't you? Pffffttt!

Photo courtesy of SFGate.com