She unstuffs the stuffed shirt?

September 19, 2007 4:55 PM

What are some films, books, plays, TV shows, etc. that feature a free-spirited woman trying to get a strait-laced man to loosen up?

The Accidental Tourist, Something Wild, certain episodes of Frasier come to mind... There have to be more. The man and the woman don't have to have a sexual or romantic relationship. I'm gathering this list for an essay I'm writing, so the more mainstream/well-known the better, but more obscure examples are welcome.

posted by hyperfascinated to media & arts (47 answers total)

Pretty Woman
posted by Dr. Zira at 4:57 PM on September 19, 2007

Dharma & Greg.
posted by mewithoutyou at 4:57 PM on September 19, 2007

Pride and Prejudice?
posted by meta87 at 4:58 PM on September 19, 2007

Bringing Up Baby!
posted by roger ackroyd at 4:58 PM on September 19, 2007

Along Came Polly
posted by brain_drain at 5:00 PM on September 19, 2007

The Owl & The Pussycat (George Segal, Barbra Streisand, c. 1971
posted by charris5005 at 5:03 PM on September 19, 2007

Ugh, that horrid movie Sweet November.
posted by thehmsbeagle at 5:05 PM on September 19, 2007

About Schmidt
posted by turbodog at 5:06 PM on September 19, 2007

Cabaret
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:08 PM on September 19, 2007

The Sound of Music and As Good As It Gets
posted by B-squared at 5:09 PM on September 19, 2007

Harold and Maude!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:11 PM on September 19, 2007

A Fish Called Wanda.
posted by roger ackroyd at 5:15 PM on September 19, 2007

The Darwin Awards (You didn't specify good movies).
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:16 PM on September 19, 2007

Also in the "you didn't say it had to be good category: Forces of Nature and Something Wild.
posted by mewithoutyou at 5:23 PM on September 19, 2007

(Oops, you referenced Something Wild in your post. My bad!)
posted by mewithoutyou at 5:25 PM on September 19, 2007

Ball of Fire aka The Professor and the Burlesque Queen -- there are actually seven professors, based on the Seven Dwarves
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
ZZ Top - Sharp Dressed Man (video)
posted by hydrophonic at 5:25 PM on September 19, 2007

Almost Famous.
posted by typewriter at 5:34 PM on September 19, 2007

My Fair Lady
Sweet Charity
posted by iconomy at 5:47 PM on September 19, 2007

The Remains of the Day. Book and film.
posted by ga$money at 5:50 PM on September 19, 2007

Another one in the "you didn't have to say it had to be good" category: Along Came Polly.
posted by L'homme armé at 5:50 PM on September 19, 2007

Barefoot in the Park
posted by IndigoJones at 6:02 PM on September 19, 2007

Breakfast at Tiffany's. The movie more than the book. Though come to think of it. I suppose she wasn't really trying, and she didn't really succeed.

Lolita, in an odd way. Mrs. Haze tries and imagines she's succeeding in unloosening Humbert Humbert.

The Blue Angel? Again, not that Marlene was really trying. Again too, no guarantee that getting loose is a good thing.

Macbeth.

(You going to put the essay out on project? Could be interesting.)
posted by IndigoJones at 6:13 PM on September 19, 2007

Isle of Lu? ¡Sí!
posted by rob511 at 6:14 PM on September 19, 2007

It's been a while since last I saw it, but I remember Educating Rita having that dynamic.
posted by lekvar at 6:25 PM on September 19, 2007

Stranger Than Fiction
posted by Paragon at 6:45 PM on September 19, 2007

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - the girl is quirky, oh so quirky. So quirky, so spontaneous. They guy isn't exactly straight-laced, he's just supposed to be an everyman, I think.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:47 PM on September 19, 2007

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (in a strange way)
posted by Rumple at 6:47 PM on September 19, 2007

Topper: free spirits, indeed.
posted by SPrintF at 6:52 PM on September 19, 2007

Music: Belle and Sebastian, "White Collar Boy" (the lyrics, not so much the video)
posted by puddleglum at 7:04 PM on September 19, 2007

Good lord, I almost didn't bother with this thread, because I was sure fifteen people would have mentioned "Something Wild." It's the film you're looking for.

Unless the film you're looking for is "Bringing Up Baby."

It could also be "The Lady Eve."
posted by grumblebee at 7:13 PM on September 19, 2007

Monsters Inc?
posted by Eringatang at 7:13 PM on September 19, 2007

Good lord, I guess it helps to read the original post.
posted by grumblebee at 7:14 PM on September 19, 2007

One of my favorite films of all time is perfect for this: Impromptu

It's about the love affair between the author George Sands (played by the fabulous Judy Davis) and Chopin (Hugh Grant). The whole cast is fantastic, the movie is hilarious (Emma Thompson plays a country duchess who wants to have artsy friends), and there's all that great music by Chopin & Liszt running through it.
posted by witchstone at 7:59 PM on September 19, 2007

Me and You and Everyone We Know, to a certain extent: a story about the blossoming romance between a kooky artsy-type girl and a divorced shoe salesman.

It's probably not nearly as good of an example as the aforementioned Dharma & Greg.
posted by puritycontrol at 8:03 PM on September 19, 2007

The Owl and the Pussycat
posted by peace_love_hope at 8:38 PM on September 19, 2007

the girl next door.
posted by alex3005 at 8:48 PM on September 19, 2007

Seconds

Shall we dance? (Japanese version is much better!)
posted by Rykey at 8:49 PM on September 19, 2007

The Jane Austen movies and the spin offs (Bridget Jones's Diary, Clueless).
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 9:40 PM on September 19, 2007

I agree with the Something Wild suggestion above...
posted by DudeAsInCool at 10:06 PM on September 19, 2007

Dick Tracy
Who's That Girl
posted by troybob at 10:31 PM on September 19, 2007

not so well known, but worth seeing and fitting your description very well: swedish movie Miffo
posted by meijusa at 3:57 AM on September 20, 2007

What's Eating Gilbert Grape, perhaps?
posted by killuglyradio at 5:30 AM on September 20, 2007

Mad Men
posted by thelongcon at 5:34 AM on September 20, 2007

Weird Science?
posted by backseatpilot at 6:01 AM on September 20, 2007

What's Up, Doc?
Lady in a Jam
Forces of Nature
Who's That Girl? (warning: stars Madonna)
Maybe Working Girl?
posted by GrammarMoses at 7:40 AM on September 20, 2007

LA Story?
posted by SisterHavana at 8:23 PM on September 20, 2007

Wow, thanks so much everyone. These are many more answers than I expected! I wish I had time to explore them all!
posted by hyperfascinated at 10:47 PM on September 20, 2007