Sunday Best: Top 10 Movies for Valentine's Day

photo by Johntex

Happy Valentine's Day, dear reader.

I have always been a sucker for really good romantic films.  The problem is that there are so many bad romantic films out there.

So what are the best films to watch with that special someone or to watch by yourself if you believe in love but have not yet found the one?

Here are my humble suggestions


10.  Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

This film is soaking with cinematic romance.  Filmed with such soft, poetic camera work, this film really brings out the funny side of Shakespeare while building to such a joyous finale that you cannot help but smile.

9.  Titanic

On the opposite end of the spectrum, sometimes the tragic love stories can put us in the most romantic moods.  There is a reason this became the most successful film of all time and I am convinced it is because of the way James Cameron filmed the love story so that it casts a spell on you.

8.  The Wedding Singer

This movie would be all schtick, except that Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler make you really invest in their relationship. You root for Robbie and Julia as two nice people who would be so nice together.  And there are few movie songs as sugary sweet as the one played on the plane to Vegas.

7.  When Harry Met Sally...

A movie that seems on the outside to be cynical about relationships, but it is really about how love can blossom on a solid foundation of friendship.  This movie is probably a bit more vulgar than you remember, so be prepared for that.  And how can you not love Billy Crystal's big speech at the finale.

6.  (500) Days of Summer 

I know a lot of guys for whom this movie is semi-autobiographical.  It perfectly captures the feelings of being young and disappointed in love.  This is a movie to watch if your love life hasn't panned out the way you expected, but it reminds us that new possibilities are just around the corner.

5.  The Princess Bride

Do you want to see a movie full of child-like storytelling with a warm glowing heart at its core and some fantastically funny scenes and one of the greatest cinematic sword fights of all time? As you wish.

4.  An Affair to Remember

Beautiful from start to finish.  There are few movies that so wonderfully capture the classic romantic style of the golden age of Hollywood and are still able to hold on to its cathartic power.  And that score is fantastic.

3.  Sleepless in Seattle

A riff on the standard Rom-Com without being above the material.  Witty, silly, and heart-felt, this movie fill you with a sense that love and destiny are two sides of the same coin.

2.  While You Were Sleeping

One of the best reviews for this film I read: “Like Cool Whip: as artificial as it is irresistible."  This is one of my favorite romantic stories.  There is nothing heavy about this film.  It is a feel-good, silly romp with incredibly lovable leads.

1.  Somewhere in Time 

Before I started dating I showed this movie to a friend of mine to get her opinion if Somewhere in Time would be a good movie to show on a date.

That friend of mine and I are married now.

The best romantic film ever made. Pascal once said “The heart has reasons that reason cannot know.” There is so much unexplained in this movie, but those mysteries fall away because of the powerful beating heart at its center. When Christopher Reeve's Richard Collier falls in love with an old photograph, it may not make much logical sense, but it feels right. And when he travels through time to find the object of his affection, we don't question it because we want him to find her. The Song of Songs 8:6 says “Set me as a seal upon your heart... for love is stronger than death.” This film reminds us that it is not life we want, but love. What good is life without love? And what kind of possible happy existence could there be beyond this world if not love itself.

Thoughts?

Titanic

2. Love Actually (2003)

An exploration of so many different types of love and how it fills our world.

Teddy Bear

Casablanca

40-Year-Old Virgin

Once

West Side Story

Moulin Rouge

The Sound of Music