Movies to get you in the mood for Valentine's Day
Continuing the theme of our previous post we’re going to keep the focus on romance – and the importance of keeping it alive during the sometimes stressful process of planning your wedding. Given that it’s Valentine’s Day in a few days we thought this was appropriate!
While you’ll probably want to go out for a candlelit dinner on the 14th there’s nothing to say you can’t have a few other romantic evenings over the course of the month (and for as long, and as often, as you’d like). One option is to curl up together on the sofa, with a bottle of wine, and watch a passionate, tender and warm-hearted movie all about love. So, with that in mind, here’s a list of films that tick the right boxes for romance (we’ve tried to avoid the most obvious recent releases like A Star is Born or La la Land and gone for a few titles that are a little more off-beat).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The wallflower of the title is socially awkward teen Charlie (Logan Lerman) who suddenly finds himself plucked from the sidelines and dragged into the hurly burly of high school by free-spirited Sam (Emma Watson) and her stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller). It’s a bitter-sweet coming of age story where hopes and fears, friendship and betrayal, attraction and rejection become painfully entwined. Love blossoms but its course does not run smooth.
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36017398
One Day
After a brief romance at college Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) go their separate ways. However, each year they meet up on the same day to compare their progress in life and love. In many ways they’re thoroughly unsuited – she’s a working class idealist who wants to make the world a better place while he’s a wealthy charmer who treats the world as his playground. The “will they, won’t they?” drama keeps you hooked and is good for a fair few tears and laughs. It all turns out for the best in the end…or does it?
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30879323
The Graduate
A classic film from 1968 that captured the younger generation’s sense of disillusionment with the world of their parents. Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman in his breakthrough role) is a star student who returns home from college bored, confused and alienated. He awkwardly drifts from moment to moment, in constant turmoil over his lack of direction and the uncertain, impending future. Seduced by Mrs Robinson, the wife of his father’s business partner, his state of mind takes a turn for the worse. When he then falls in love with her daughter things get even more complicated. Don’t miss the wedding scene at the end!
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24649680
Doctor Zhivago
Not quite as epic as War & Peace, but close. Set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution and the sweeping expanse of the steppes, it’s the story of Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif), a young doctor who has been raised by his aunt and uncle following his father's suicide. Yuri falls in love with beautiful Lara Guishar (Julie Christie), who has been having an affair with her mother's lover, Victor Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), an unscrupulous businessman. Yuri, however, ends up marrying his cousin. But when he and Lara meet again years later, the spark of love reignites. The eighth-highest-grossing film of all time in Canada and the US…for good reason - they don’t come much more romantic than this. A weepie if ever there was one.
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6628725
Amelie
Amelie Poulain (played by Audrey Tatou), an innocent and naive girl, may live in Paris but she has retreated into a fantasy world of her own. Working as a waitress in a café her life is pretty uneventful until a chain of extraordinary events leads her to find a tin box containing a schoolboy’s long forgotten mementos. Amelie discovers her true vocation in life is helping others find love and happiness which she sets about in her own unique and magical way. A movie that is very quirky, french and adorable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4752876
The Princess Bride
A delightful fairy tale that has everything you could wish for in a feel-good rom-com. While home sick in bed, a young boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love. Bags of swashbuckling, romance, and comedy that takes an age-old damsel-in-distress story and gives it a fresh twist.
By 20th Century Fox - Impawards, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22290625
So, six acclaimed movies guaranteed to get you in the mood for romance. Perfect for those long cold February nights when you just want to curl up with your fiance and lose yourself in love. If you have a particular favourite then just let us know and we’ll share it with our other readers. And if you want some more practical and down to earth advice about planning your big day just get in touch - we’ll be happy to help. In the meantime enjoy the movies and have a great Valentine’s Day.