3 romantic movies for those who prefer cute over dramatic
This valentine’s day indulge yourself in heartwarming romance
Like most, I’m a sucker for a good love story. Yet the passionate dramatic romance of The Notebook or Titanic doesn’t really appeal to me. Instead I choose to see the charming boy meets girl stories with the lovable characters. These films portray the butterflies of falling in love, rather than the torment and longing. The troubling adventures of the cute, relatable characters will make you weep at times, but will ultimately make your heart smile. For a lighthearted valentine’s day, these are the lighthearted love stories you will want to see.
What If (2013)
Wallace is a cynic who has given up on love after nothing but bad relationships. Chantry is an optimist and a romantic with a long time partner. They are perfect for each other, though they can only be friends.
With adorable characters, amazing chemistry, and clever dialogue this film redefines what if means to see your significant other as your best friend. Determined to have a healthy and platonic relationship, the two protagonists spend a big part of the film having fun together while slowly falling deeply in love.
500 Days of Summer (2009)
A hopeless romantic falls for a woman who doesn’t believe in true love. Yet without realizing it, she gets to experience the one thing she deems impossible.
Slightly confusing in its narrative, this film shows the ups and downs of an honest relationship through rose colored glasses. Even when it exclaims “this is not a love story” we know that it is one of the best love stories yet. As the irresistibly lovable Joseph Gordon-Levitt fills his stomach with butterflies, the audience can’t help but do the same.
Flipped (2010)
A young boy spends his childhood tormented by the annoying girl next door, until she suddenly doesn’t seem that annoying anymore.
Oh young and innocent love, how it warms our hearts, unlike the main character who starts of as kind of a jerk. The last thing that young Bryce is looking for is love, in fact he actively avoids it and so actively avoids Juli Baker, the girl who fell for him the moment he moved in. Told partly through Juli’s and partly through Bryce’s perspective, we see how both kids grow and develop a realistic image of what love is. Just when Juli starts to believe her fairytale ending might not come, Bryce begins to realize maybe he could be a little more (prince) charming.
Curious is that all films show a relationship between a cynic and a romantic. Maybe this is reason the focus lies on falling in love rather than being in love, and the reason why these films work so well, but at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter. The adorable characters and cute stories have but one goal, which is to entertain, and they reach that goal with ease. They make us feel fuzzy and warm, which is exactly how I want to feel on valentine’s day.
