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10 Romantic Movies For Valentines Day

This Valentine’s Day, why not curl up on the sofa with a glass of something fizzy, a chocolate or three and a romantic movie. There follows a list of ten movies designed to make you feel all warm inside, to have you crying into your deluxe chocolates and to leave you with a sense of ‘all’s fair in love and war’. Alone or with company, enjoy your own night at the movies with some classic tales of love, romance and there’s even something to watch as an antidote to all the saccharine sentiment.

1 – Love Story – Probably the perfect film for Valentine’s Day. Starring Ali MacCraw as Jennifer and Ryan O’Neal as Oliver, this 1970 film is a romantic classic. A Romeo and Juliet for the seventies, the film tells the tale of a couple who strive to make a life together despite their wildly different social backgrounds. Tragedy is almost obligatory in such movies and Love Story does not fail on that front, complete with epic theme song.. Have plenty of hankies at the ready for the tear-jerking ending. Remember, ‘Love means never having to say you’re sorry’.

2 – Beaches – Some friendships last forever. Not perhaps a traditional choice, but Valentine’s Day is about love and this film is filled with it. Bette Midler stars as CC a struggling entertainer, and Barbara Hershey plays opposite her as Hilary, the successful lawyer and mother. This 1988 story tells the tale of two friends who share their lives from childhood onward. Their history is turbulent, but ultimately, as tragedy once more looms, they discover exactly how much they mean to each other. You’ll never again be able to listen to Bette singing ‘Wind Beneath my Wings’ without shedding a tear or two. Come prepared with many hankies.

3 – When Harry Met Sally – Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning? The tagline to this 1989 movie tells all. Harry, played by Billy Crystal, and Sally, Meg Ryan, have been friends for forever. The tale takes our heroes through their lives as they search for love, always bringing the pair back together – including one memorable encounter in a diner! The comedy only adds to the poignancy of the film as the pair try to decide if a man and a woman can ever be lovers as well as friends. ‘It had to be you’ by Harry Connick Jr. was one of the best tracks from the film.

4 – Meet Joe Black – Starring Brad Pitt as Joe and Anthony Hopkins as William Parrish, this movie is funny, life-affirming and ultimately a tear-jerker. With a tagline of ‘Meet Joe Black – Sooner or later everyone does’, it is clear from the start that Pitt’s character is Death. Pitt is distracted from his original task of ‘collecting’ Parrish, by William’s daughter, Susan, his developing interest in and understanding of Earth and especially by peanut butter. The end of the movie is moving (hankies at the ready) on several levels. An under-rated film with a real heart. The soundtrack was also outstanding thanks to the efforts of Thomas Newman.

5 – Now Voyager – ‘Don’t ask for the moon when we have the stars’. This 1942 black/white classic stars Bette Davis as Charlotte Vale and Paul Henreid as Jerry. Mousey Charlotte is transformed into a glamorous beauty and finds love on a cruise. Of course it can’t be that simple and the love of her life is married to another. Through the trials that follow, Charlotte stands tall and, although the ending is not what she, or the viewer, would wish, her strength and new-found love for life are ultimately the more realistic ending. Life isn’t all chocolate boxes and roses and this film tells us so, quietly but powerfully.

6 – Romeo and Juliet – The absolute end in tragic romance? Perhaps, and it is difficult to choose the ‘best’ version of the story after so many have been filmed across the years. The best modern day choices are likely to be two-fold. Firstly the 1996 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. This brings the Shakespearean tragedy firmly into the present, complete with gangs, guns and obligatory love theme, Kissing You by Des’ree. The second and more unusual choice, restricted by language perhaps, is the musical theatre version of Romeo et Juliette, originally in French but now translated and performed across the world in many languages. Starring Damien Sargue as Romeo and Joy Esther as Juliette, the show is lively, full of colour, song, dance and the towering tragedy that is the tale of star-crossed lovers. Aimer, the love song of the piece, can be heard here.

7 – Gone with the Wind – A truly epic tale of love, death and despair set against the backdrop of the American civil war, this classic offering from 1939 starred Vivian Lee as Scarlet and Clark Gable as Rhett. If ever there was a pair of lovers who were destined to destroy each other, this pair have to take the gold medal. Manipulative and devilish, Scarlet and Rhett spend the entire film outdoing each other in every possible way. Their love is never in doubt, but sometimes it is never going to be right. Perhaps Scarlet should have stuck to loving her home at Tara and given Rhett a miss.

8 – Edward Scissorhands – With Tim Burton at the helm, this 1990 film was never going to be a run-of-the-mill romance. Johnny Depp plays the title character and Winona Rider plays Kim, his eventual love interest. Edward was never finished by his creator (a poignant cameo from Vincent Price) and his sometimes comical, often touching adventures. As he tries to become integrated into American Suburbia leave the viewer rooting for him, especially when it becomes clear he is falling for Kim. As the inevitable tragedy unfolds, there will be a run on the tissue box. Danny Elfman’s soundtrack adds greatly to the atmosphere.

9 – Beauty and the Beast – A Disney classic from 1991 and suitable for watching with all the ones you love, from 9 to 90. Paige O’Hara voices Belle with Robby Benson as her Beast. A story of unexpected love and pushing beyond physical barriers and first impressions, the growing love between Belle and Beast is such that it is almost a disappointment when the standard handsome prince appears. However, with a great supporting cast including Angela Lansbury and memorable songs, this is one love story the whole family can enjoy.

10 – So we come to our antidote, the cure for all that romantic slush and soaked tissues. Technically still a love story, Sweeney Todd, released in 2007, was transformed into a musical tale of love, betrayal, revenge and pies. Starring Johnny Depp as Todd and Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs Lovett, this was love in the raw; fleshy, gory and delightfully dark. As Sweeney carves his way through London, it’s impossible not to feel for Mrs Lovett. Although she’s no angel, eagerly aiding Todd in the disposal of his victims and making herself rich in the process, her protective instinct towards the boy she takes in and her desperate love for Todd, make her seem an almost sympathetic character. Todd himself, despite the anger and bloody revenge also has moments of pain and love, especially when involving his daughter. Although the tale leads only to bloody death and loss of love, there is still a black romance to the film which suits it perfectly for the most loved-up day of the year.