By Annie Kuzmanovic
If you’re like me and you enjoy spending your holidays watching films that fit the seasonal vibes, you might be searching for the perfect flick to watch for Valentine’s Day 2020. Lucky for you, I have put together a top-ten list of all the must-sees of the romance genre. Some of these are movies I can happily watch everyday; others are ones I have to be in the mood for. Regardless, there is something here for everyone. So whether you’re snuggling in front of the TV with your significant other, chilling with friends or enjoying some solo R&R this Valentine’s Day, feel free to peruse my recommendations.
10. The Danish Girl (2015)
This film is based on the lives of two painters living in Copenhagen in the mid-1920s. A married couple’s love gets put to the test as the husband pursues gender reassignment. This movie tells the story of loving and standing by someone through the variability of life.
9. The Lake House (2006)
This film plays with time in an intriguing way as two lovers and owners of a lake house during different time continuums fall in love. Just as the allusion made in the film to Jane Austen’s “Persuasion”, this love story is about waiting and not giving up on a once-in-a-lifetime romance, whether or not time is on your side.
8. Moulin Rouge (2001)
In this quirky, glittery musical, you will find the exciting theme of forbidden love. Two star-crossed lovers’ journey from lust to love get the best of them days before the prima donna’s wedding. They must choose between their dreams come true or true love, “Come What May”.
7. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
In this action-packed motion picture, a married couple finds it difficult to grow their relationship while each of them are hiding their professional lives from the other; both are assassins. When the secrets surface, the consequences of love become life or death.
6. Stardust (2007)
Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, this star-studded fantastical feature is packed with sub-plots and colorful characters from heart-gobbling witches to throne-swiping princes. It tells the tale of a man who seeks out a fallen star to dedicate to his love interest only to find that the star is a woman. Filled with magic and adventure, not to mention a fantastic soundtrack, this movie will take two on an adventure of a lifetime with the destination being more than they expected.
5. 50 First Dates (2004)
The classic “ladykiller-in-love” trope takes a turn in this romantic comedy when the main character falls for a woman who has short-term memory loss and cannot only remember one day of her life. How far would you go for a love that resets each night?
4. 13 Going On 30 (2004)
This flick takes a teenager into her thirties overnight and grants her every wish. When she finally has everything she’s ever wanted, she finds herself missing what she’s lost. What if the people you took for granted are the ones you love the most?
3. The Painted Veil (2006)
In this brilliant historical drama taking viewers back to the 1920s, a couple in a broken marriage journey to cholera-ridden China where the husband conducts bacteriological studies on the natives’ landscapes. Having only each other abroad, they must learn to trust one another. This drama proves that patience and effort can heal all broken relationships.
2. About Time (2013)
Despite the time travel elements, this movie is one that I feel encompasses life. From finding and working for true love to fighting for your family, these themes will definitely tug on your heartstrings. And here’s a bonus: just before the end credits start rolling, you will learn the key to happiness amidst the mundaneness of life.
1. Love, Rosie (2014)
This movie spans decades, telling the fond tale of two best friends who are meant to be but who just keep missing each other. It will have you laughing and crying and crying laughing. You will learn that sometimes the one you want is just right under your nose.
