Lucy (Sandra Bullock) works at a toll booth collecting tokens for the Chicago Transit Authority. Everyday she watches people come and go, developing a crush on Peter (Peter Gallagher), who in my opinion is not attractive at all but whatever. Anyways, everyday seems to be the same, boring thing.
One day while she is working, Peter passes, as usual, but is mugged, knocked out, and left out on the train tracks. Lucy sees a train coming and manages to use all her strength and wit to roll him out of harm’s way. After she calls an ambulance she goes down to the hospital as well to see how he’s doing. When she gets there she talks to herself about how she would have liked to marry him and is subsequently mistaken to be Peter’s fiance. With Peter in a coma, the family reaches out to her to join them for Christmas.
At first she doesn’t tell the family as she is in embarrassed, and when she learns of the grandmother’s terrible heart condition it scares her into silence. As she spends more and more time with the family, she quickly grows to love them all and wants to be a part of their family.
She also meets Peter brother Jack, played by the very handsome Bill Pullman. At first he doesn’t believe that Peter would be dating Lucy as she seems too nice to be his type. Jack and Lucy start spending tons of time together and Jack finds himself falling for Lucy. Unbeknownst to Jack, Lucy finds herself falling for him as well…while engaged to his brother.
Peter wakes up from his coma and remembers everything…everything except having a fiancé named Lucy. Everyone thinks it is amnesia, with Lucy knowing the truth. This leaves Lucy in an even more tangled web.
********Most Romantic Moment********
So after Peter wakes up he decides to “move up” the wedding from never to immediately. Everyone rushes to prepare, but at the ceremony Lucy can’t go through it. She tells everyone the truth and how she fell in love with the family, not Peter. Peter’s ex-fiancé, who is still married (yikes), crashes the scene as well, airing all his dirty laundry. Lucy slips out and goes back to her old life.
Now the most romantic moment happens when Lucy is back to her old life. She’s at the toll booth, collecting tokens. Ho-hum, you know. When suddenly a diamond ring gets dropped through.
Jack went after Lucy to propose!
Perfect!
And he not only comes to propose, but brings the whole family with him. He knows how much she wants a family and decides to share this special moment of her life with them. This also shows her that the family holds no ill will for what happened before, but love her and want her to be a part of their family too.
That said, there is one other little thing I want to clear up. Anastasia is not a disney movie. I REPEAT! ANASTASIA IS NOT A DISNEY MOVIE! DISNEY DID NOT MAKE THIS MOVIE!!! It was 20th Century Fox! FOX MADE IT! FOX! FOX! FOX! FOX! It just urks me how people call it a Disneymovie because it IS NOT A DISNEY MOVIE!
So the film begins in 1916 Russia, where the Czar is giving a party. His mother, the Dowager Empress (Angela Lansbury) is visiting from France. She and his youngest daughter, have a close connection and the Dowager gives her a secret music box and a locket that is a key, that have the saying “Together in Paris”. The ball is interrupted by their “holy man” Rasputin (he was a real creepo) played by Christopher Lloyd. Rasputin is mad at the Romanovs for trying to banish him, and has sold his soul to brung destruction on all of them. The Dowager and Anastasia are saved by a kitchen boy, who sneaks them out through a secret passage. They run for a train, but Anastasia trips and is left behind.
Fast forward ten years, the Dowager Empress has put out notice of a heavy reward to anyone who can bring her, her granddaughter. Dimitri (John Cusack), the kitchen boy, is all grown up and has been having tryouts to find someone to play Anastasia so he can get the money and be gone from Russia forever. He and his partner, Vladimir, an ex member of the Royal Court, both have the knowhow to get it done. Dimitri also has the music box.
Meanwhile, Anya (Anastasia), played by Meg Ryan, has been living with amnesia in an orphanage. Now being of age, she is being sent out to work. Instead of following the directions given to her, she decides to follow a stray dog she found and head to St. Petersburg and ultimately, Paris.
The two meet up in the old Romanov palace as Dimitri and Vladmir have gone there to lick their wounds, no applicants worked out, and Anya wants to get papers from Dimitri to get out of Russia. They notice her similarities to Tsarina Alexandra and offers it as a potential way to find her family, not telling her about the money (you know that old cliché). They board the train and are on there way
Meanwhile, Rasputin is rotting in Purgatory, as he can’t go off to hell until all the Romonavs are dead, and can’t go topside because he lost his glass vial of evil I guess (I’m not sure what its real name is), is lost. Bartok, his pet bat has found the vial and goes down telling him about Anastasia’s “rebirth”. Rasputin goes up to kill her.
Back on the train, Anya and Dimitri feel a little something for each other but are mean to each other not wanting to admit it. They have to move to the baggage cart as things have changed under Stalin. While there, Rasputin attacks and they have to switch to a boat. Rasputin attacks them, and Dimitri saves her. They eventually reach Paris, and Anya passes all the tests, solidifying it when she answers that she was saved by a kitchen boy. Dimitri hears this and knows that she is the real deal. The only issue is, the Dowager has decreed to see no one again. They decide to surprise her at the opera, Dimitri deciding to let her go and to do everything he could to help her connect to her family. Dimitri’s scheme has reached the Dowager’s ears and she really lays into him, with Anya overhearing. Anya is pissed that Dimitri lied to her and runs off to her hotel room. Dimtri then drives the Dowager over there and the two talk and are united. They have a ball to welcome her back, with Vladmir being reinsteated and honored with medals. The Dowager offers Dimitri the money, but he refuses (sound like someone you know?) and takes off. That night, Rasputin attacks Anya, Dimitri returns, and they defeat Rasputin. The two elope and run off, Anya telling her grandmother that she will see her again soon.
Most Romantic Moment:
Just like 10 Things I Hate About You it was hard to choose the “most romantic moment” as it was chock full, but I can only pick one.
So Dmitri has left. He could have told Anya what he did for her when she was a kid. He could tell her that he was the one who saved her as a child. He could have told her that he figured out she was Anastasia and tried to help her at the Opera to get in to see the Dowager. He could have told her that he made sure that the two had a chance to talk because he wanted to reunite her with her family. He could have told her he didn’t take the money. Instead, he wanted to make her dreams come true. She made him want to reform his conman ways.
But Dmitri has no illusions. Even if he changed his ways, he knows nothing will happen between them.
So he leaves. He leaves because he knows that she needs more than he can give, she needs someone better. (Sound like someone else we know?)
Meanwhile, back at the ball Anastasia is being attacked by Rasputin. He has her down, and just when you think its over, Dimitri comes running in to save the day.
Yes! HE CAME BACK TO BE WITH HER! Even though it doesn’t make any sense. Even though coming back might not change anything, he DOES IT ANYWAY! Even though there is no guarantee that they will get together. Even though he knows she still might be angry with him and kick him to the curb. It doesn’t matter. He loves her so much he has to tell her how he feels. That’s so romantic!
So romantic!
And in the case of true love, coming back always works out.
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