8 Non-Traditional Love Movies to Watch this Valentine’s Day
Shelby: It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for good rom-coms. I’ve only ever wanted to be Kathleen Kelly in You’ve Got Mail. And I’m a sucker for bad rom-coms. Those terrible ones at Christmas where a career woman falls for a ruggedly handsome carpenter with a dog who wants to help her rebuild an inn and teach her the meaning of Christmas? I eat those up.
Hamilton: It’s no secret that I pretend to roll my eyes at a good rom-com. But the truth is that I adore classics like You’ve Got Mail (My dog is Brinkley’s derpy chocolate cousin) and While You Were Sleeping (“John Wayne was tall.” “I never said he wasn’t!” will never not make me laugh), and I would legit die on the hill that Nora Ephron was one of the most important filmmakers of the 80s/90s. I don’t know that I’d go as far as Shelby does with the hyper-cheese, but even those have their quaint escapist charm every now and again.
Shelby: We get it; not everyone’s significant other enjoys romantic comedies — even brilliant ones like Crazy Rich Asians! (Sidebar: if you haven’t seen that movie, what have you been doing with your life?)
These 8 movies give both partners what they want: romance mixed with a dash of, well, something else. And if you wind up watching any of these tonight, please let us know your thoughts!
Shelby’s recommendations:
The Mummy
While the rest of the franchise might not have fared well, the original 1999 film still holds up! This movie has everything: archaeology, wit, humor, young Brendan Frasier (swoon), and one of my favorite female leads — Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) who proves herself as an Egyptologist AND manages to land Rick O’Connell.
Warm Bodies
The zombie genre is tired, I get it. But before you roll your eyes, give Warm Bodies a chance! A zombie falling in love with a human? But he still wants to eat her brains? Such tension! The practical effects ground the movie in a bit of realism, even if the ending leaves you feeling warmer and fuzzier than anything else in the z-horror genre.
Wonder Woman
Of course I put this on the list. Steve Trevor and Diana Prince FOREVER. Ladies, if your S/O has a problem with Diana Prince, let Valentine’s Day be your sign to dump them. (I have to confess I almost put Captain America: First Avenger here instead, so I’d say it’s safe to go with either movie. Peggy + Steve forever and always.)
A Quiet Place
Something about Emily Blunt and John Krazinski in a movie together — even if it is a horror movie — makes my heart happy. The peaceful moments of just them are so pure and tender, and the movie does a great job of capturing humanity and love despite the monsters prowling around outside.
Hamilton’s Recommendations:
The Village
OKAY LISTEN. THE VILLAGE IS GOOD. If you were like me and had this film’s poster as your desktop background for months leading up to its 2004 release, you might’ve been confused that the tone of the trailer didn’t match the tone of the film at all. Approach it with a blank slate, though, and what you’ll find is a love story about the power of commitment, community, repressed trauma, and bravery. And it’s sometimes spooky. But I’m telling you, if *that* porch scene doesn’t make you weepy, it’s time to get your pulse checked.
Django Unchained
Yes. Quentin is on the list. Because Django is a love story masquerading as a revisionist revenge tale and you cannot change my mind. Jamie Foxx’s Django is motivated the entire runtime by his love and yearning for Kerry Washington’s Hildi. A knight fighting dragons to rescue and avenge his queen? Give it to me.
What Dreams May Come
This might be a little bit cheating and it also might be a little bit unfair, just because it’s teeeechnically a romance, but hooooo boy is it more than that. It’s also borderline emotional terrorism. You will only be edified by watching one of Robin Williams’ most under-talked about films. And if you’re both not weeping like babies by the end, you know he/she just isn’t the one.
Drive
I’m putting this on the list because I love it. But I also know not everybody will (Shelby doesn’t). Just because it’s Nicolas Winding Refn’s most accessible film doesn’t mean that Ryan Gosling’s brooding stunt-driver-turned-getaway-man will appeal to everyone, nor will its scattered moments of shocking violence. But if you like artistic novel adaptations with gorgeous cinematography, a banger of an 80s throwback soundtrack, really cool driving gloves, and a genuinely sweet (and complex) relationship between Gosling and Carey Mulligan at the heart, you’ll be in for a treat.
We know we missed plenty of non-traditional romantic movies (like Baby Driver whoops), so let us know what we missed in the comments!
