Untamed Heart

Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny) and Christian Slater (Murder in the First) deliver brilliant performances in this touchingly honest and beautifully crafted modern-day romance. Co-starring Rosie Perez (White Men Can't Jump), who lends her own unique brand of energy and talent, Untamed Heart's heart is in the right place (Roger Ebert, 'siskel & Ebert ).Tomei portrays Caroline, a diner waitress who is consistently (and miserably) unlucky in love. Slater is Adam, the diner's reclusive busboy who harbors a secret crush on Caroline, yet is too shy to speak to her. But all that changes one cold night when Caroline finds herself in a life-threatening situation on her walk home and Adam appears out of the shadows to rescue her. Intrigued by her unlikely knight in shining armor, Caroline tenderly breaks through to his lonely world. Together, the two forge a bond of trust and understanding that ultimately blossoms into one of cinema's most unforgettable love stories.

If you're a die-hard romantic with a soft spot for three-hanky weepers, this well-acted love story from 1993 will be just what the doctor ordered. It's about a waitress named Caroline (Marisa Tomei) who works the graveyard shift in a Minneapolis diner, where the silent, introverted Adam (Christian Slater) works as a dishwasher and janitor. Only Caroline manages to bring the solitary Adam out of his shell, and when he rescues her from an assault, their tentative friendship slowly blossoms into mutual trust and love. Adam has a weak heart and desperately needs a heart transplant, but a story told to him by orphanage nuns--that he was raised in the jungle with the powerful heart of a baboon--makes him feel invincible. This sets the stage for a tender and tragic love story that director Tony Bill handles as a delicate balance of blue-collar reality and misty-eyed fairy tale, and the quiet chemistry between Tomei and Slater makes it work. If you don't get a little choked up by the movie's heartfelt conclusion, you just might need a heart transplant yourself. --Jeff Shannon