She & Him: Romantic Movies for Both of You

bill bodkin and sue look at films of the romantic nature that you can both enjoy … as well as make an obscure reference to a Zooey Deschanel album …

Movies can be a troublesome things — especially for couples. If you have varying movie tastes, sometimes it’s hard to compromise on what to watch. Guys, you probably don’t want to see that new chick flick, and ladies, how many times can you really watch Point Break? Maybe your guy isn’t into horror movies, or maybe your girl isn’t into toilet-humor comedies. Yes, these are very broad generalizations that don’t take into account every couple out there. However, we feel that these films, no matter what kind of couple you are and no matter what your film tastes, are films you can both enjoy.

(500) Days of Summer
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend
Sort of an anti-romantic comedy romantic comedy. The film revolves around the relationship of Tom Hansen (Levitt) and Summer Finn (Deschanel). The film’s structure, interspersing the good times with the bad, makes the film extremely funny and lighthearted as well as sober and thought-provoking. Guys will definitely pop big time for a tremendous Star Wars reference.

Away We Go
Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal
A quirky indie/hipster romantic comedy about an unmarried couple (Krasinski and Rudolph) who unexpectedly get pregnant. This is a road trip movie that, with every stop, challenges the couples decisions and the foundation of their relationship — in completely absurd, hilarious and sometimes tragic ways. Krasinski’s “anti-Jim from The Office” role is worth the rent alone.

Big Fish
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Albert Finney
A sweet, whimsical and fantastical tale of Edward Bloom (McGregor/Finney), a man who’s tales seem just a little too outrageous for his cynical son (Crudup) to believe. Tim Burton’s film is filled to the brim with romance, adventure and comedy — an easy view for any couple. It does get a weepy at the end, and we have yet to meet a guy who has not cried at least once during this film.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo
While the subject matter — erasing the memory of your ex after a break-up — isn’t exactly the stuff Valentine’s Day is made of, the film is still an amazing look at relationships. Visually stunning, hilarious, heartbreaking and possibly hopeful, you’ll definitely look at your special someone hug them a little tighter.

How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson
This is one of those silly comedies that has definite re-watchable power. Pop some popcorn and enjoy Hudson and McConaughey try and outsmart each other in the game of love — only to actually fall in love. As predictable as Christmas on the 25th of December, but sometimes that isn’t a bad thing.

Legends Of The Fall
Starring: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond, Henry Thomas
Fans of epics and turn of the century romances will definitely love this film — it’s got a macho, western quality that any guy can respect and for the ladies — well there’s Brad Pitt, who’s often shirtless. The film’s got an epic scope, in terms of action and scenery and the love story is equally epic in intensity and complications.

Love Actually
Starring: Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley
This is more of a Christmas movie, and an excellent one at that. But you can really view this movie any time of year. This is a brilliant ensemble film all about love and how it effects eight different couples in merry old England. The storylines involving the Prime Minister (a charmingly beffudled Hugh Grant) and his “fat” (read: she’s not fat) assistant, an aging Mick Jagger-esque rocker (Bill Nighy), a recent widower (Liam Neeson) and his step-son and a writer (Colin Firth) and his non-English speaking maid, are warm, charming and funny. Basically, you might not have a soul if you aren’t the least bit happy after seeing this film.

Sex & The City
Starring: Sarah-Jessica Parker, Kim Cattral, Kristen Davis, Cynthia Nixon
Guys, relax. Sit down. It’s okay. Watching the strong willed, jet-setting fashionistas of SATC isn’t a bad thing. Catch the series on TBS and you’ll actually find strong and engaging male leads (Chris Noth, John Corbett), clever dialogue and lots of attractive women. Catch up with the series and if you can try and avoid the movie, it’s not as good. Ladies … do we even need to convince you to watch this?

Up
Voices of: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer
Pixar’s finest work by far. If you’re the type of couple who are best friends, then the opening sequences will be both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Break out the tissues for both of you. Afterwords, get ready for a cute, charmingly and fun-filled animated romp about a grumpy old man (Asner) who flies his house to South America — with a plucky boyscout in tow. Great themes about love, family and the spirit of adventure.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau, Paul Rudd
A perfect blend of macho action and starry-eyed romance. While some of the rave-inspired costumage and scenery might show its age, the stylized action sequences and the dynamite chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes still holds up. For those of us who were the film’s prime demographic back in post-grunge ’96, you can definitely watch the film for nostalgic reasons as well, for instance, seeing Paul Rudd in one of his first films ever.