10 rom-coms for Valentine’s Day haters
For some people, February 14 is the worst day of the year. Whether it’s the commercialism surrounding it, an overdose of romance in the air, or simply because you’re down on love, Valentine’s Day can be an endurance test.
However, there are movies that can not only provide an antidote to Hollywood saccharine and schmaltz, but also restore your mood.
Before Sunset (2004)
Providing a real litmus test for whether you are a romantic or a cynic, Richard Linklater’s sequel reunites Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) nine years after their one-evening encounter in Before Sunrise.
This time, they have only 80 minutes in which to discuss politics, religion, relationships and memories along Paris’ Seine. This owes much to the charm and chemistry of its leads.
The Big Sick (2017)
Inspired by Kumail Nanjiani and co-writer Emily Gordon’s own heartwarming and wrenching story, this provided a welcome shot of innovation and intelligence into the ailing romcom genre on its release.
Sure it’s arguably While You Were Sleeping-meets-East is East
(with a side order of Judd
Apatow’s Funny People), but director Michael Showalter does a fine job of balancing the laughs with the pathos and the puerile with the laudable sentiments.
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Yes, they used to make rom-coms when your granny was a teenager, but in those days they called them screwball comedies and the female characters gave as good as they got.
Starring the great Katharine Hepburn (who the script was specifically written for) and Cary Grant, this 1938 story of a paleontologist, an heiress and a leopard named Baby is one of the best.
Broken Flowers (2005)
Bill Murray is at his whimsical best in this Jim Jarmusch road movie about an ageing bachelor on a journey through his past.
Written especially for the Chicago funnyman, it sees Murray hone his hang-dog expressions, world weary, weather-beaten looks and laconic delivery. Then there’s the supporting cast. From Jessica Lange’s animal communicator to Tilda Swinton’s biker chick and Sharon Stone’s professional closet organiser, Flowers is littered with memorable moments and personalities.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Although the premise now sounds like Total Recall-meets
(500) Days of Summer, Michel Gondry’s bizarre non-linear and fractured romance is a haunting and heartbreaking account of love gone awry.
Jim Carrey was never more restrained, and yet is an engrossing presence as a man who wants to erase his past, while Kate Winslet is at her charismatic best as the unforgettable, multicoloured Clementine.
I Give It A Year (2012)
Beginning where most romantic-comedies end, this is at once a deliciously dark anti-rom-com and a celebration of the genre’s cliches.
Writer-director and frequent Sacha Baron-Cohen collaborator Dan Mazer offers up a healthy dose of cynicism and pithy humour, while there are
memorable moments (holiday snapshots that shouldn’t be viewed by the in-laws) and scenestealing cameos (Olivia Colman’s inappropriate marriage counsellor, Stephen Merchant’s outrageous best man, Tim Key’s gauche lawyer).
Pleasantville (1998)
Reese Witherspoon stars alongside Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels and Joan Allen in this delightful fantasy about two teenage siblings who are transported into a 1950s sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change that complacent world.
Witherspoon is particularly charming, as her rebellious and adventurous character discovers that sometimes it’s okay to be a little careful and conservative. It also features some of the best use of colour in a black-and-white movie.
10 Things I Hate About You
(1999)
The slick and sassy movie that won Heath Ledger an army of admirers and cemented Julia
Styles’ stardom, Gil Junger’s tale was also one of the best high school comedies of the 1990s.
Like Clueless, it’s a brilliant adaptation of a classic story, in this case Shakespeare’s The
Taming of the Shrew . It brilliantly mixes pithy lines with big set-pieces that you can’t help but smile at.
Truly Madly Deeply (1990)
Forget Ghost, this British film is a far superior – and pottery and Righteous Brothers-free – take on love beyond the grave.
Alan Rickman plays a cellist who returns to assist his former lover (Juliet Stevenson) deal with her grief, only to drive her nuts by adjusting the heating and inviting all his new, dead mates around. Sensitive, subtle and simply superb.
What If? (2014)
Also known as The F Word,
Michael Dowse’s Toronto-set tale is a kind of When Harry Met
Sally for Millennials.
It sees Zoe Kazan and Daniel Radcliffe ponder the meaning of life, love, friendship and Elvis’ eating habits. Infused with plenty of charm, memorable dialogue (‘‘I just had sex and I’m about to eat nachos! It’s the greatest moment of my life!’’) and an early scene-stealing performance from Adam Driver.