It's Thank A Mailman Day! We Show Gratitude With A Top 10 List Of Mail-Related Movies

According to people who know about these things, February 4th is National Thank a Mailman Day: an entire day dedicated to recognizing the industrious men and women who not only brave the elements and deliver pounds of mail to our waiting boxes, but often do it while sporting a pair of seriously unflattering shorts. Kudos, mailmen (and mail-ladies)! You're an inspiration to us all!

Of course, you should feel free to use this opportunity to thank your mailman in whatever way you like (perhaps by offering to buy him some better shorts?) but at Hollywood Crush, we're ringing in this very significant holiday with a top ten of great, mail-related movies to get you in the proper mailman-thanking spirit. So read on to find out what's on our "special delivery" list...

"Dear John"

Hey, it's The Notebook! But... Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling look sort of weird, and...oh, wait, silly us: It's Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum in Dear John, another Nicholas Sparks story about long-distance lovers whose cinematic yearning will set our hearts (and pants) on fire.Yes! After The Notebook dealt us the miserable news that Noah had written to Allie for years only to have his letters intercepted by her mother, we'll be only too happy to watch a movie where the mail actually gets delivered, thankyouverymuch.

"P.S. I Love You"

Dead men tell no tales, but apparently, they can still buy stamps. Amazingly, this movie featuring Hilary Swank getting a series of letters from her deceased husband is adorable and uplifting (rather than creepy and... creepy.) The sexy Irish accents and sweet premise help, as does the fact helps that Gerard Butler is the dead guy. Meow.

"The Love Letter"

The real fun of watching "The Love Letter" has less to do with the letter itself, and more to do with getting to shout, "Hey, isn't that [insert actor's name]?!" at the screen every five seconds. Look, there's Ellen Degeneres, pre-Ellen show! And there's that lady from Law & Order: Criminal Intent! And there's Tom Everett Scott, who's so damn cute when he's not playing a sleazy governor on primetime TV. Plus, Kate Capshaw getting her cougar on.

"You've Got Mail"

Yeah, we love a Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan romantic comedy. We loved it in 1993, and we love it now, and we're not sorry, okay?! You've Got Mail is a remake of the vintage charmer The Shop Around the Corner, updated for the twentieth century with an email-based premise. It might not be the greatest movie ever, but for the chance to see Dave Chappelle looking distinctly uncomfortable in his "buddy" role AND Steve Zahn playing a relatively normal, even charming, bookstore employee, it's worth a watch.

"The Notebook"

Well, duh. Not only does The Notebook include the aforementioned plot point featuring Misdirected Letters of Heartbreak, it's also got actual letters written in an actual notebook that help Rachel McAdams to actually remember who she is! Plus, Ryan Gosling. We repeat: RYAN GOSLING. (Look, just go load it up — we know you've been looking for a reason to watch it again.)

"The Lake House"

Oh, so you're getting tired of hearing about mail? Well, what if the mail was also time-traveling, huh?! What do you think about THAT? Because in "The Lake House," Sandra Bullock totally has time-traveling mail. And, if that doesn't shock you to bits, the movie also has Keanu Reeves doing a damned fine impression of an actual human being. Seriously, you may never see anything this incredible on film again.

"The Postman"

All that 'Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” stuff comes in handy in the future, where mailmen don't just deliver the mail, but are also warriors fighting against a nomadic army of neo-fascist crazypants. In "The Postman," Kevin Costner indulges his gigantic ego as a Shakespeare-spewing, lady-impregnating, mule-befriending Rogue Postman of the Apocalypse. And that's all you need to know, really.

"Road Trip"

Because a mix-up involving a video package, a snake, and an Amy Smart sex tape is the basis for this harebrained movie, it gets to make the list. Because we love Sean William Scott, Breckin Myer, Tom Green, and a surprise cameo by Horatio Sans with french toast in his pants, we recommend that you watch it. Watch carefully about halfway through, or you'll miss Jimmy Kimmel's brief cameo as a talking dog.

"Bright Star"

Put this movie right after "The entire Jane Austen library" on your list of Things Proving That Love Was Better in Early 19th-Century England. "Bright Star" depicts the torrid epistolary romance between John Keats, tortured poet, and original girl-next-door Fanny Brawne. Despite a sad ending (tuberculosis, why do you have to ruin everything!), the pretty language and passionate prose is gratifying, as is seeing Abbie Cornish in a role other than "that girl who slept with Ryan Phillippe."

"Reindeer Games"

It's debatable who this movie should make you feel more sorry for: Ben Affleck's character for being such an easily-led dolt, or Ben Affleck for... well, making this movie at all. The plot is too twisted to summarize, but it involves letters, and also Charlize Theron, who may or may not be having sex with a guy who may or may not be her brother. Yeah. To her credit, Charlize has freely admitted that this is the worst movie she ever made.

What are your favorite movies about mail?

Tags Bright Star, Dear John, P.S. I Love You, Photo, Reindeer Games, Road Trip, The Lake House, The Love Letter, The Notebook, The Postman, You've Got Mail