I have a confession - I have a rapidly increasing soft spot for Romantic films, RomComs especially. There’s something about that warm fuzzy feeling when the protagonist and their love interest finally get together and a hope for love in reinforced. Even when they don’t end up together and I’m reminded of the reality of life, not everything lasts but it doesn’t take away from the necessity and wonder of the experience. There’s something inherently beauty in these kinds of stories, and I can’t get enough of them.
Whether you’ve been in or out (safely I’d hope) this weekend, there are few better ways to cap off a Sunday than to settle in for some cinema. And on this particular Sunday, Romantic films are the obvious go to. So, here are 5 Romantic-ish films that you could cap your Valentine’s weekend off with.
1. Invisible Man (2020) | Thrilling, Dark
NOT romantic, I repeat NOT romantic. I had to start with the most left field suggestion because why not. This is not a RomCom by any measure. This is a thrilling and horrifying story of what happens when a woman is able to leave an abusive relationship with ‘brilliant’ man.
The film starts off with our protagonist performing a routine with heist-like precision in order to run away from her abusive partner. The film starts with complexity, rush and panic which sets precedent for what it takes to get away from this man. The physical manifestation of gaslighting in this film is a wild ride from start to finish. Masterfully executed and brilliantly performed, this was one of my favourite films of 2020 and a sinister and gripping entry into this list of ‘romantic’ films.
2. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) | Fun, Sexy
An hour and forty minutes of Brad and Angelina being sexy together. In this film we have a couple of assassins who fall into passionate love when they meet in a hotel while on assignment. A few years down the line they are a normal married couple in suburbia. Neither knows what the other really does for a living, until they get the same assignment, and all hell breaks loose.
This film is packed with trademark 2000s witty writing, physical comedy and dramatic irony. It’s a lowkey hilarious film about mending and reinvigorating a marriage – but with assassins.
Perhaps the greatest argument for this film is that it is an allegory of how you have to fight for your relationship at times, but ultimately it’s easy and worth it if you’re both hot.
3. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) | Dramatic, Gorgeous
Barry Jenkins pulls together another tragically gorgeous film, this time based on a masterwork created by the great James Baldwin.
Based in 1970s Harlem this is a story of love and perseverance. In the film a young black man is convicted of a crime it was impossible for him to have committed. But this is more than a story about conviction, it is a young black couple’s journey of love through an incredibly unjust situation.
I have beef with this film because there are aspects of it that explore the love between these two in a way I have never seen before. It is such a flawless execution of cinema and it felt like for the first time I could really see myself in the story being told. But then tragedy hits and ruins the vibes, as it does with so many black stories. I guess my beef is less so with the film itself and more so with the fact that black, happy & beautiful cinema is virtually non-existent. We’ll get deeper into this at a later stage but for now, we can marvel at the brilliance that is this film.
4. Think Like a Man (2012)| Funny, Charming
A modern classic. This film feels like a compilation of 4 cookie cutter RomComs.
By looking at a number of couples with different sensibilities in different stages of their relationship we get a wider range of relatability in the film. The film definitely benefits from the ensemble cast and the even split across all of the stories.
There really isn’t much to be said here, this one is fun. It’s a film about men and woman trying to understand each other and make things work. Again, it’s criminal how few Black RomComs we get nowadays, more on this next week but for now you can cozy up and get ready to laugh at this easy watch.
5. About Time (2013) | Beautiful, Brilliant
This is very possibly my all time favourite Romantic film, second only to the version of If Beale Street Could Talk without tragedy. High concept films are what started my unending love of cinema. It’s films like these that introduce some little unrealistic element or reality and use that examine the human condition and our navigation of relationships in new and exciting ways.
In this film our main character learns that at 21 the men in his family get a power that allows them to travel back and forth in time (in their lives) and ‘redo’ things.
There is no big plot, he never gets chased by enemy time travelers.
There is no time traveler revolution or secret conspiracy either.
Our main character does not have a tragic background and resort to prancing around in spandex to stop crime.
Instead, this film explores how such a power influences a young man’s love life. It is the most subtle sci-fi/fantasy I’ve ever seen, and one of the best. This film has a 100% chance of touching you and would be worth your time on any weekend.
As always, enjoy the films & stay blessed.
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