Sure, you can cozy up to The Princess Bride or Love, Actually this Valentine’s Day – nothing wrong with that. But if you’re looking for something a little less run-of-the-mill, maybe even something everyone in the room can enjoy, try one of our five favorite love stories.
5. Wall-E (2008)
Pixar’s Oscar winning interstellar adventure offers an underdog journey with the fate of mankind in the balance, but at its heart is the story of one little trash collector’s love for a girl who’s out of his league. The animation is astonishing, and the voice work stellar, but it’s the long, sweet-hearted scenes without a word that communicate so much.
4. Say Anything
Who doesn’t love Lloyd Dobbler? Is anyone immune? No, and that’s why Say Anything is the perfect Valentines’s Day date movie. Funny, clever, endlessly quotable and unabashedly romantic – not to mention being oh-so-1989 (nice boombox, Lloyd!) – it’s a romantic comedy to please every lover in the crowd.
Quote: I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.
3. Harold and Maude (1971)
If you’re looking for something a bit more uncomfortable, how about the sexy exploits of a septuagenerian and her morbidly obsessed young beau? One of director Hal Ashby’s best efforts, this provocative dark comedy challenges expectations and breaks hearts.
Quote: It’s best not to be too moral. You cheat yourself out of too much life. Aim above morality.
2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Writer/director Edgar Wright teams with writer/star Simon Pegg to lovingly mock the slacker generation, 80s pop, and George Romero with this riotous flesh eating romance. But what is easy to overlook is the genuine craftsmanship that went into making this zom-rom-com. It’s a fresh, vivid explosion of entertainment.
Quote: How’s that for a slice of fried gold?
1. Bull Durham (1988)
When the very best romantic comedy also happens to be one of the very best sports movies ever filmed, well, you’ve got yourself a Valentine date to please everyone in the audience. Susan Sarandon and Kevin Costner at the apex of their sexiness banter back and forth about baseball and metaphysics while we learn what minor league ball is really about. It’s brilliantly written, hilarious and perfectly performed. It’s the world’s most perfect date movie.
Quote: Despite my rejection of most Judeo-Christian ethics, I am, within the framework of the baseball season, monogamous.
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