5 Underrated Valentine’s Day Movies
Did you forget to make that reservation to that fancy restaurant you wanted to take your special someone to on Valentine’s Day? Is sleeping on the sofa next to the dog the likely outcome of your gaffe? Rest assured, we are here to help! Hopefully, you are not mistaking this post as advice on how to get a last minute reservation on Valentine’s Day. Let’s face it, you are about three weeks too late but look at the bright side of things: Why spend most of your evening waiting for your table and food and standing in line at the box office to see Adam Sandler’s ridiculously bad Just Go With It?
All of this when you can simply cuddle up with your loved one in the comfort of your own home? Now, no one likes to find out that their special someone forgot about them so you need to put some effort and thought into your dinner and movie. Do you really want to watch the same romantic film for the 18th time? Fact is the same handful of movies get the vast majority of the attention but for every Casablanca, Titanic, The Notebook and When Harry Met Sally, there is plenty of unsung romantic films out there that won’t feel like you could recite every line by heart. Here are five underrated Valentine’s Day movies.
Enchanted
For a light-hearted yet romantic evening, Disney’s Enchanted is a delightful live-action romantic comedy that will satisfy your special someone. Strongly reverent yet making fun of the classic Disney fairytales such as Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, the film contains numerous analogy in the form of a King’s and Queen’s ball, small animals and rodents who clean house when called upon, the threat of poisoned apples, characters spontaneously breaking into songs for no reason, and the power of the kiss of true love. The mix of the fairytale world with stark contemporary reality makes for some hilarious misunderstandings.
City Lights
A silent romantic comedy as funny as it is romantic; City Lights is Charlie Chaplin at the peak of his career. Made in 1931 when talking pictures had already made their appearance, this film nonetheless became an instant success. The story revolves around the Little Tramp (Chaplin) who meets and falls in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill). She needs an operation to restore her sight, so he sets out to earn the money doing various jobs, making for some hilarious montages. After all the superb comic sequences, the film culminates with one of the most moving endings in the history of cinema, a luminous and heartbreaking fade-out that lifts the picture onto another plane. Chaplin’s message is unspoken, but universally understood: Love is blind.
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Another romantic drama worth watching on Valentine’s Day is the genuinely old-fashioned The Time Traveler’s Wife. Adapted from Audrey Niffenegger’s #1 best-selling novel, this movie should satisfy both guys and gals given the combination of sci-fi and romance. Eric Bana stars as Henry DeTamble, a Chicago librarian with a genetic disorder causing him to travel through time involuntarily. The haunting story goes to the essence of what it means to know and love someone at every phase of his or her life. The fact that Henry’s life, from Clare’s (Rachel McAdams) perspective, is hardly linear–he can disappear and turn back up again at different ages–means that she must cherish what is essential about him.
Love and Basketball
Is your loved one into sports? Writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood, a former college athlete, puts a spin on this one-on-one tale of Love and Basketball. Sanaa Lathan plays the fiercely driven, short-tempered Monica, a tomboy who gives her all for basketball. Omar Epps is Quincy, an NBA player’s son who has pro dreams of his own. Next-door neighbors since first grade, they start as rivals and age into best friends and lovers. The romantic complications follow a familiar formula, but this isn’t your typical sports movie with some overwrought romance tossed in. This movie is really about growing up and only uses basketball as the backdrop for its emotional drama.
Before Sunrise
This romantic, witty, and poignant look at two strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who share thoughts, affections, and past experiences during one 14-hour tryst in Vienna somehow remains writer/director Richard Linklater’s most overlooked gem. Delpy, a stunning, low-key Parisian, meets the stammering American Hawke, as the two share a Eurorail seat–she’s starting school in Paris, he’s finishing a vacation. Their mutual attraction leads to an awkward meeting (beautifully played by each performer), and Hawke suggests that Delpy spend his remaining 14 hours in Vienna with him. A simple, idealistic and touching boy-meets-girl story that is beautifully written and acted, Before Sunrise is a wonderful Valentine’s Day film.
Agree/Disagree? What romantic movies do you feel are underrated in the grand scheme of things? Let it be known in the comments! Happy Valentine’s Day!
![Watch: Creepy Trailer for Slasher Pic ‘Maniac’ [NSFW]](http://www.anomalousmaterial.com/movies/wp-content/themes/yamidoo_pro/scripts/timthumb.php?src=http://www.anomalousmaterial.com/movies/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/elijah-wood-maniac-tb.jpg&w=50&h=50&zc=1)
42 Comments
Agree, agree, disagree, haven’t seen it, haven’t seen it. Enchanted is sadly under-appreciated.
Yaj! Enchanted is truly the valentines day movie no 1. I am sure it doesn’t comes as a surprise that I like it!
What? I’m totally surprised that you would even give Enchanted a viewing. No one on the cast seem to be of your liking at all.
“Before Sunrise” and its sequel “Before Sunset” I think are classics of the romantic film genre. “Enchanted” is the perfect date movie. It leaves you smiling throughout. Who could not love Amy Adams as a princess?
I’m with you guys. I loved Enchanted. Disney doesn’t often laugh at itself, but this was worth the wait. I also thought The Time Traveler’s Wife was underrated, too. I’ve had the book for ages and still haven’t read. Need to get round to that.
Great list, Castor. Happy Valentine’s Day. In a manly way, of course.
Thanks Richard. Well if you liked The Time Traveler’s Wife (the movie) then you are going to love the book.
The beginning of the book takes a little bit to get accustomed to but once you get past that, it’s really quite a lot more involved than the movie. Instead of just one quick scene of old Henry meeting young Henry, there is whole pages about him teaching his “younger” self all kind of survival skills. Also, the whole failed pregnancies are a lot darker in the book (they fail like a dozen times instead of like once in the movie). And who can forgot the time traveling fetus muahaha, you must read the book just for that bit.
Oh and the ending is different, as you probably know. The reason the movie was stuck in post-production hell was that they decided to change the ending one year later after test-screening it.
For the couples that have been together a few years, what about a melancholic wake-up call in the form of ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS mind?
Or what about a full-blown “let’s split tomorrow” with BLUE VALENTINE!
I’m fully in favour of that experiment.
Actually, I think we missed an opportunity – we as bloggers should have banded together and hyped B-V as the date movie for tonight and seen how many suckers we could have duped!
Oh well, maybe next year when it’s on DVD.
Ah, Before Sunrise. Essentially a perfect film, if you ask me. I’ve gotta write about it one of these days.
Ah hah… never would’ve guessed Enchanted, but good one. My favorite bit in that film, which I think elevates the film to modern fairytale status, is the scene in which Giselle realizes she’s into Robert. Amy Adams gets all serious in that scene, and it’s like sparks fly.
And I wouldn’t have ever thought you’d be a Time Traveler’s Wife type of guy. A little bit of a happy crying ending for valentine’s though.
You know my list.
Well I read the novel because of the time travel and ended up really liking it. So I was pumped to hear they were making the movie. While it isn’t nearly as good and has some pretty big flaws, the movie is still a pretty decent flick with a fairly unique take on time traveling.
Enchanted is great, but Amelie is my pick! But it’s a great film any time of the year…
Agree, Andrew. Amelie is on my list of fave rom-coms, it’s just lovely all around. I’d put Enchanted in my honorable mention but just can’t get past McDreamy casting… if only Matthew Goode had been in that one instead of in Leap Year.
You know, I actually didn’t think Garry Marshall’s “Valentine’s Day” was that bad. It’s not great by any means, but if your significant other is going to force you into watching a romantic comedy anyway, you could do a lot worse in my opinion.
I’m glad you put Love & Basketball up on here because it’s one of the more underrated romantic drama films ever. The performances are great, and the script really does work when it comes to filling out all the right holes in its plot. Good List!
Thanks Dan! Indeed a really underrated romantic movie.
Oh, here’s a film that I think is a great Valentine’s Day film. Unconventional and strange yet it’s my second favorite film of all-time. “Secretary”.
A shy, awkward young lady becomes the secretary for a perfectionist yet repressed lawyer as they bonded through S&M. It’s for those that have a lot for S&M tendencies.
Plus, how can you not love Maggie Gyllenhaal walking around in a hallway w/ her arms handcuffed to some staff or her crawling on the hallway with a piece of paper in her mouth?
Before Sunrise sounds appealing. I might have to check that one out.
Nice list, Castor, cool that we both have a V-day-themed list post today.
I really should watch Time Traveler’s Wife, not sure what took me so long since I love Eric Bana! I was going to put Before Sunset on my list but I realized it’s technically not a rom-com.
Definitely, Maybe and a foreign rom-com called Adrenaline Driveis one of the few rom-coms i’ve enjoyed.
*Adrenaline Drive is
Love and Basketball definitely belongs on this list! Great choice.
I am such a not romantic person as i haven’t seen any of those movies
I’m surprised Novroz! Definitely give some of those a chance some day
Enchanted is a very good way to open this post! I have always loved that film as found it to be like the classic cartoon Disney films, but with real people. Guilty pleasure for me!
No reason for it to be a guilty pleasure, it’s a really good movie!
Is “Enchanted” really underrated? I remember it doing well at the box office. Of course, after seeing it I promptly forgot it existed so maybe it is after all!
Of course, I totally agree with “Before Sunset” (and the sequel “Before Sunrise”). What a pair of romantic yet not cheesy movies that both girls and guys will love!
Well, maybe not really an underrated movie but I doubt there were too many people who thought of it as Valentine’s Day movie
That’s true, I see your point
Wow, Castor we found an area where we strongly disagree. I wrote a review about how I totally wasted my dough on Time/Wife. I’m still up to read the book though because I hear they really messed with it. I also didn’t care too much for Before Sunset. I guess it’s good that there’s a variety of films out there to cover all our taste! You did peak my interest in Enchanted though. I never saw it because it looked awful, maybe I’ll check it out.
Give Enchanted a chance, Colleen. You’d find yourself be pleasantly surprised by it. I had trepidation about at first, it just looked so syrupy (plus McDreamy, ugh) but Amy Adams was wonderful, so I’m glad I saw it.
I don’t know… Colleen you’re probably better skipping “Enchanted”. I found it to be pretty generic and would have rather watched the original Disney “Cinderella” than sit through it a second time.
Well of course the original Disney princess flicks are classics, can’t argue w/ you on that. But as far as rom-coms go, you can do a lot worse than this one (i.e. Leap Year, also starring Amy). Plus James Marsden is quite amusing as the Prince. I’d rather take him than McDreamy any day!
“Leap Year” definitely made me sad. I remember sighing at the TV, “Why are you doing this to me Matthew Goode? You’re better than this!”
@ Colleen: Oh TTTW is definitely a love it or hate it kind of movie. Although it has a pretty good score on IMDb (7.1/10), I know there were also a lot of people who found it lacking. The movie followed the fragmented structure of the book but I still recommend reading the novel than seeing it on screen.
As for Enchanted, I will just let Joel hunt you down with his 7 copies of the movie
I actually saw it twice in the theaters with my girlfriend and it has become our “Romantic” movie in a sense.
Well all this hub back and forth I guess I do have to check it out for myself. Enchanted here I come! I plan to read Time Travelers Wife at some point. It seems to me it’s one of those great books that should have never been made into a film.
Wait, since when has Before Sunrise and City Lights been underrated? I need to know! I even thought City Lights is almost breaking into the IMDB top 50.
But yes, Enchanted is fantastic. It hits a lot of the right notes and is a blast to watch. The ending is a bit much, but overall it’s a fun, cute film
You are going to tell me you ever thought of watching City Lights for Valentine’s Day?
Plus, for a movie in the top 50 IMDb, 30,000 votes is indeed underrated. Compare that to Inception which has 10 times as many votes.
City Lights isn’t necessarily underrated, I think AFI lists it on its Top 100 list, however at this point in time it’s really only movie geeks and Chaplin fanatics that seek it out/watch it. Same for Sunrise. Indie lovers the world over go gaga for it, but my “mainstream” movie friends can’t stand it. There’s no accounting for taste!
Trackbacks