The air is still crisp, but hearts are warm during the week before Valentine’s Day—tis the season for movies about love that couples will enjoy and with which singles will comfort themselves.
The classic romantic comedy movie is an overdone trope we’ve seen time and time again with small variations differentiating them from one another. Though they’re predominantly what fills the front pages of streaming sites, my quirky friends don’t need to fret, as The Journal is here with the best movies about love for the indie admirer.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
We’re starting off strong with a cult classic.
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star in this experimental film that follows the two after a breakup in a world where a service can erase all memories of an ex-lover after heartbreak.
Michael Gondry’s movie unravels in the process of Carrey’s character erasing all trace of Winslet from his mind while his subconscious begins to regret his decision. This story will pull on your heartstrings and have you re-evaluating how you view love, wondering whether the process of falling for someone or the outcome of it not working out is more worthwhile.
Her
Joaquin Phoenix stars in this science-fiction romantic drama where a man falls for robot.
Her is Spike Jonzo’s solo screenwriting debut and manages to touch hearts in this unique reappraisal of star-crossed lovers. Phoenix’s character is an introverted man who works for a service composing thoughtful letters on behalf of those who lack the vernacular to do themselves. When he purchases a virtual assistant ported by artificial intelligence, he finds himself connected in more ways than just digitally with the feminine voice named Samantha.
The rosy colour palette of the film compliments the utopian love story and the soundtrack accompanying it has viewers rooting for Phoenix. It’s a comfort film with enough weirdness to keep viewers entertained.
Sleeping With Other People
This aptly titled rom-com is not what the genre’s audience expects from their normal choices. Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis co-star to tell a love story coded in hilarity and based in friendship.
The two are in university where one thing leads to another, and they lose their virginity to one another. After Brie’s character ghosts Sudeikis’ and 13 years go by, they somehow find themselves attending the same Love and Sex Addiction meeting. The reunion sparks quite the coincidental friendship as they commit to keeping things platonic—then things get interesting.
500 Days of Summer
This may be cheating because 500 Days of Summer may not be romantic per se; however, it does touch on love and the complications of idealizing someone you’re seeing. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a hopeless romantic who finds himself infatuated with Zooey Deschanel’s character Summer.
The film follows Levitt’s reflection on his relationship post-breakup and how he internalized the romance that may not have been as all-encompassing and perfect as he thought in his mind. The ‘manic pixie dream girl’ trope is aptly dissected and criticized in this film that humanizes relationships and the realities of loving when you want it so bad.
Shrek
Hear me out: the ogre filled hilarity that comes from Shrek is so much more than meets the eye. It’s a timeless movie about love that can’t be bound by physical differences. There’s no film out there that proves beauty is in the eye of the beholder quite like this one. From romantic love to self appreciation, Shrek is a must-watch this Valentine’s Day season.
***
When choosing your next movie night watch, consider taking a gander at the tearjerking Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the belly laughs and heart-warming pleasures provided by Shrek, or anything mentioned in between.
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.
