With Valentines Day coming up fast, plenty of people are making plans to dine and dance the night away…but for those of us who would much rather sit inside and watch movies while drinking a glass or two of wine, here’s a list of romantic films you possibly haven’t seen but definitely should.
1. The Spectacular Now starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley
I’ll admit that, going into this, I was skeptical. After all, Shailene Woodley? Wasn’t she that girl from that poorly acted TV show about the pregnant teenager? And then I actually started watching the movie and when I saw the popular, going no-where screw-up wake up from a drunken stupor on the porch of an unknown but beautiful nerd, I pretty much thought I knew where the story was headed. Thankfully, I saw the whole thing through and was beyond surprised. The acting was amazing and the movie manages a fresh, real take on an overused cliché that will leave you with a small, hopeful smile on your face.
2. The Illusionist starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel
The love triangle of a magician, a duchess, and a crown prince. It’s a film that will make you think and try and figure everything out…but no matter what, you’ll still be wrong. There’s not much more I can really say without giving it away; however, I promise that if you watch this movie, the last five minutes will actually blow your mind.
3. Gone With The Wind starring Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, and Olivia de Havilland
You know this story. I know you know this story -it’s one of the most famous love stories of all time; however, how many of you have actually seen it? It’s long, it’s an older movie, and it probably doesn’t seem like it’s worth your time. Well, it is. It’s the story that follows Scarlett O’Hara through the Civil War and afterwards as she pursues her friend’s husband and marries Rhett Butler. Scarlett is sassy, beautiful, fun, and grows from a spoiled Southern Belle into a real human being, so there’s no reason to go any longer without seeing it yourself.
4. Like Crazy starring Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, and Alex Kingston
This isn’t the happiest movie on the list, but Jennifer Lawrence being in it makes up for it. This is a film about how, no matter how crazy two people are about each other, there are other factors to consider. Other attractions, distance, time…basically, sometimes love just isn’t enough.
5. How To Steal A Million starring Audrey Hepburn, Peter O’Toole, Eli Wallach, and High Griffith
One of the older movies on the list and starring Audrey Hepburn, this is the romantic comedy to shame all other romantic comedies. Hepburn, who wears head-to-toe Givenchy throughout the whole movie, plays the daughter of an art forger and, in order to avoid people finding out about a stolen piece he sold, she has to work with a real art thief to steal back her father’s work. Cue comedy. Cue romance. Cue shaming of all other romantic comedies.