Valentine’s Day is upon us and Cupid and his arrows are out in force. So to get you into the Valentine’s mood, here are the ten best romantic movies for you to watch with your Valentine.
10) The Proposal:
Let me set the scene, Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock have to pretend to be a couple so she won’t get deported to…Canada. The little flaw is that they hate each other. How anyone could hate Ryan Reynolds is beyond me, but look it’s a movie. And a great and cheesy one at that. There’s a cute dog, Ryan Reynolds’ naked body and Betty White. It’s a cringey, cheesy classic!
9) 10 Things I Hate About You:
A late nineties classic about teen romance, kind of. With nineties heart throb Heath Ledger as the male lead, it’s an ultimate classic. Ledger’s character even sings on the bleachers to win the heart of the white feminist icon, Kat. It’s also loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare, so it’s also intelligent, I guess!
8) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
A lot of rom-coms focus on the number 10, just in case you didn’t notice. Anyway, this stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in his rom-com heyday. (Look the magic has slipped since he tried to be a serious actor, please chase love interests on motorbikes again. Thanks.) Honestly, if you don’t know what a love fern is please watch this stunning tale of unethical journalism and fuckboys. Thanks.
“Oh Matthew, why did you have to go and decide to become an ‘actor'”.
7) A Walk to Remember
If you want to bawl your eyes out, A Walk to Remember is the way to go. Trust me. Mandy Moore also in her rom-com heyday (but she’s back with a bang in This Is Us. Slay!) stars as the shy, religious girl who falls for the bad boy. Yes, it’s cheesy and you’ll hate yourself for crying but you will. Trust me.
6) Me Before You
A new comer to a list of oldies and goldies, this film was released in 2016 and swept the nation. It made everyone cry, just like its source material. Another tear jerker, but it is also so uplifting and happy in places. It’s a beautiful tale and Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin star as star-crossed lovers to say the least. I’ve never wanted striped tights so much!
5) Casablanca
Who would I be without throwing in a black and white classic! And I apologise if you’re getting war flashbacks of your Leaving Cert, but Casablanca is a classic. I mean how many movies have ripped off “Here’s looking at you kid”. Not to mention, “We’ll always have Paris” and Oof all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine”. Look it’s a classic and you’ll cry what more do you need?
4) Romeo + Juliet
Hurray! Another Junior Cert throwback! Look, it’s nineties Leonardo DiCaprio, LEO’S HEYDAY. (The nineties was the decade where most of these films thrived. I make no apologies for it!) This insane, fast paced, modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet is… well insane. It’s flashy, brash and belligerent but it still portrays the message of star crossed lovers better than any other adaption. Also Paul Rudd is in it! So an extra bonus.
Congrats Leo, your beautiful face has literally made the screen melt.
3) Beauty and the Beast
Come for me! Disney makes some of the best romances, and Beauty and the Beast is definitely, hands down their best romance. You’ll sing, you’ll laugh and you’ll cry. It’s a lot to take in as a child and a college student. Trust me. So be our guest and watch this timeless classic. You’ll definitely be filled with nostalgia at the least.
2) The Notebook
It’s been memed, loved, cried over and made into a modern day classic. If you haven’t seen The Notebook where have you been. Put it on right now! Way before Ryan Gosling was with Eva Mendes and a father of two, or he was dancing in the stars and attempting to sing alongside Emma Stone, he was Noah in The Notebook. And he, alongside Rachel McAdams, ripped our hearts out. So if he’s a bird, you’re a bird, okay?
1) Moulin Rouge
Another in your face, over the top, musical by Baz Luhrmann (you either love him or hate him!) comes Ewan McGregor singing about love and being a struggling writer in 1900 in Paris. Literally, the city of love. How can you not love the cheese, drama and sadness of Moulin Rouge? It’s one of my favourite movies, and because this is my list, it’s the number one romantic film you must watch on Valentine’s Day.
Bronwyn O’Neill