San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
What to watch on Valentine’s Day.
Associating staying in and watching a movie at home as a component of lovin’ is so obvious that it birthed a euphemism: Netflix and chill (which is BBC America and cry in my house, but let’s not shame people). This Valentine’s Day, how will you, your romantic interest and your internet connection celebrate affection? We’ve rounded up three bits of media, all available on streaming.
For the newly in love: ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’
When you’re in that glowy part of the relationship where even the way your significant other wrongly folds towels is the peak of cute, a good new TV show is one of the best ways to get some together time. It’s less of a date and more of a chance to realtime learn about each other by their reactions to what is happening on the screen as the arching story progresses. You want a new one by the way, not one where one partner constantly stops and explains the story to you.
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” is perfect for that. The story of a San Francisco coder at notAppleforlegalreasons named Zoey Clarke (Jane Levy) who learns to see and experience the soundtrack of people’s lives as musical numbers thanks to a botched MRI is a quirky but compelling drama/comedy that expertly mixes highs and lows.
There’s a great love triangle, fantastic representation and exploration of realworld issues like workplace sexism and caring for a sick parent that are sure to spark plenty of pauseandtalk sessions where you can get to know each other. In other words, it’s good to find out how someone feels about these things before you move your stuff in.
The show starts its proper run two days after Valentine’s Day, but the pilot is streaming on Hulu.
For the longterm relationship:
‘The Crown’
Staying in a relationship is hard and requires constant work to stay happy. What that often means in practice is learning which hills to die on as well as knowing when it’s best to support your partner’s dream or tell them, “No, sweetie, no one is going to come if you open a piratethemed souvenir shop.”
That successful relationship dynamic is ramped up to 11 in
“The Crown,” which tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II over the course of her long and extraordinary reign. The first two seasons with Claire Foy as Elizabeth and Matt Smith as Prince Philip are breathtaking, but the most recent season where Olivia Colman replaces Foy for an older Elizabeth also exposes how one of the world’s most public marriages operates.
It may be hard to sympathize with literal royalty, but “The Crown” is also about how every little thing that happens in a relationship matters. The powerlessness of Elizabeth and Philip over much of their own lives is something that many couples should be able to identify with. There is less daylight than you might think between how to deal with terse diplomatic dinners and how to manage dealing with drunken inlaws who simply will not stop being racist at Thanksgiving.
Plus, there is something to be said about watching a couple under constant public pressure endure each other with fondness and affection while never shying away from the fact that these are two people who occasionally get very mad at each other over both important and ridiculous things.
We should definitely find better role models than the British royal family, but as a template for a successful relationship that has lasted longer than the average life expectancy in many countries, it is something to see.
“The Crown” is streaming on Netflix.
For the brokenup: ‘Legally Blonde’ and ‘Brittany Runs a Marathon’
Are you going to be alone on Valentine’s Day? Well, you could spend that time like a lot of people who are alone in their 30s and try to relive your childhood through the magic of Disney Plus and its roster of old cartoons. No judgment if you are. “Gargoyles” is still great once you get about 20 episodes in.
However, you might want to check out some more lifeaffirming fare on Valentine’s Day. Two films stand out as possibilities.
The first is “Legally Blonde,” which is one of the best breakup movies of all time. When the bubbly, blonde Elle Woods gets dumped by her ambitious boyfriend on his way to Harvard Law because she isn’t serious enough, she initially stalks him there to prove him wrong. Eventually, she realizes he was a jerk all along and pursues law purely for herself. Oh, and she finds true love in an unexpected place, of course. There’s a lesson of independence in the pinkhued film.
Less bubbly and triumphant but more emotional is “Brittany Runs a Marathon.” This one stars Jillian Bell as an overweight woman who dreams of getting her life together with running, but whose pride and emotional scars throw up obstacles at every turn. It’s sad to watch her fall, but it makes watching her get back up again all the more moving.
If you’re stuck in a rut, both of these movies are great reminders that we are in control of our destinies, rather than some soul mate who may or may not exist.
“Legally Blonde” and “Brittany Runs a Marathon” can be streamed on Amazon Prime. Happy Valentine’s Day!