It’s not Valentine’s Day, but hey – who says you can’t have a romantic date night anytime you want? Forget fancy restaurants and going out. With our hectic lifestyles, one of the best ways to spark romance is to just binge watch rom-com movies right at home. Nothing beats donning sweats, drinking a glass of wine, and cuddling up on the sofa to watch a nice movie at the end of a long, stressful work week. This is especially true if you’re organising a laid-back, romantic date night.
But picking what to watch is a completely different matter. But you can’t go wrong with a romantic film if you’re unsure. Looking for love, passion, and high-stakes drama in the plot? Then you’re in the right place. We’ve compiled some of the best romantic comedy films for the perfect date night:
After
It’s the typical love story: girl meets guy, girl kisses boy, boy bets on winning girl’s virginity, girl finds out, girl breaks up with boy, boy starts to like girl, boy tries to win girl back, boy may be abusive, girl should just get the hell out of this relationship – but she can’t resist him. This trio of movies, which critics panned, has a teen Fifty Shades of Grey vibe to it, as a lady starting college becomes engaged with a “bad boy,” sparking a passionate and tumultuous romance. You can also watch it’s sequel: After We Collided and After We Fell.
Always Be My Maybe
In this endearing romantic comedy, Ali Wong plays superstar chef Sasha, who meets up with her old flame Marcus in adulthood in their native San Francisco. She is successful, he is, um, not, and a lot has changed in the 16 years since they last saw each other – but the spark is still there. Can their feelings for one another withstand all of their differences, though? This Netflix original film is renowned for both its humorous look at love and for Keanu Reeves’ amazing guest appearance and Marcus’ diss rap of Keanu.
Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between
A reversed cheesy teen romance.
“Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between” plays with a clichéd format by starting with a meet-cute, cutting to a frenzied senior year romance montage, and then focusing the most of its 84 minutes on a meticulously arranged final “break-up” date. Aidan and Clare begin to question their reasons for splitting up as they recall the best moments of their epic ten-month relationship (which feels like an eternity in high school). What’s fun about this movie is that it takes you back to your teens days. The moment when love seems inevitable. This might be a chance to spark up the romance you and your partner once hard and remind you of the good ole’ days.
Kandasamys: The Wedding and Trippin’ With The Kandasamys
Now, I don’t think date night should be all lovey dovey. Romance aside, humor is a plus point. This movie was a hit, probably because it sounds similar to the ‘Kardashians’.
Even though the Kandasamys and Naidoos have been neighbours for many years, they continue to harbour a bitter animosity. The two mothers unwillingly work together to separate their children when they learn that they are secretly in love. The story is similar to an Indian Romeo and Juliet, except there are no deaths. The clapbacks and disses are pure gold. Despite all the turbulence, Jodie and Prishen can still be seen standing up for their love.
The second part begins when best buddies become in-laws. Planning a romantic holiday would help Jennifer and Shanti rekindle their relationship. They have no idea, though, that their spouses have other plans for them. Wow, what a surprise! It is a family vacation rather than a couples’ retreat because the entire family is present. When Baby, Shanti’s younger sister-in-law, unexpectedly joins the vacation, things start to become even more crazy. She is not only young but also incredibly attractive. Watch this wild, entertaining family drama if you simply can’t resist.
Love In The Villa
A vacation in Italy sounds fantastic, especially if you’re going with your longtime partner. A breakup that occurs soon before a trip might, however, make things difficult. After her boyfriend Brandon breaks up with her just before their trip, Julie, a school teacher, resolves to travel alone. After a challenging trip and an exhilarating journey in an uberto, Julie arrives at the Airbnb she rented only to discover it was double booked. Little did Julie know, her fate was about to change.
Of course, Julie and her roommate Charlie start off rough. To force the other person to leave, they set traps. They even get into a food battle, which sends a sizable chunk of pecorino cheese flying out the window. But by the film’s conclusion, it appears that they will learn to put up with, and perhaps even love, each other. I’m not gonna spill more, you’ll just have to watch if Julie found ‘the one’.
The Wedding Season
Alas, more rom-com for desi families is here.
For all you single (or in a relationship) peeps, you know the pressure to get married. And if you’re Asian, you might wanna watch out for dating apps your parents might secretly create. Wedding Season showcases two Indian-Americans who are pressured by their immigrant parents to find partners, so they pretend to date in order to get through a summer full of weddings.
Asha, who is fun-loving and career-oriented, feels pressure from her mother to find a suitable “Indian prince” to get married to, especially in light of Asha’s past broken engagement. As for Ravi, the absence of a good career and wife is a major source of concern for his gruff father. It’s easy to imagine what happens next: the singles decide to go on one date after Asha and Ravi’s parents discreetly upload their children’s biodata to Dreamy Desi Partner. As the duo struggle to strike a balance between who they are and who their parents want them to be, they eventually find themselves falling in love even while faking it. This movie is kinda sweet and quirky, not to mention the guy is cute AF.
That’s Amor
I don’t know about you, but I think chefs make things a whole lot hotter! And that’s exactly what you can expect from this movie.
After a recurring scene in which she gets fired by her eccentric boss and a subsequent scene in which she discovers her partner is cheating on her and then promptly trips and hurts her ankle after falling down the stairs, Sofia moves in with the mother and attempts to rebuild her personal and professional lives by moving in with her mother for the summer.
Seeing that her daughter is stuck in a rut, Lainie, Sofia’s mother, enrolls her in a cooking class. It is here that Sofia meets the charming Spanish chef Matias. You probably already know where this is going….
Love and Gelato
For one, I love their accent.
The first novel in the bestselling Love & Gelato trilogy by Jenna Evans Welch served as the inspiration for the Netflix romantic comedy, Love & Gelato. It relates the tale of Lina Emerson, who promises her sick mother that she will spend the summer before college in Rome. While there, she falls in love with the city, the people, and, of course, the gelato!
The beauty of this story is that in Italy, Lina discovers so many surprises from the past and is forced to deal with her obsessions, anxieties, and fears. We’re in Italy, so there has to be a hot guy somewhere, right? The question is, will Lina find love in Italy? I’ll leave that for you to find out.
Irreplaceable You
Irreplaceable You has many genuine moments and heartbreaking reflections on true love if you’re searching for a unique, bittersweet love story. The plot centres on Sam and Abbie, who have been childhood sweethearts and have made the decision to propose. But what Abbie initially mistook for pregnancy symptoms is actually stage 4 cancer.
Their entire existence is placed on pause by the tragic discovery. In order to cope, Abbie decides to find Sam a new love. In the brief time they have left together, however, this simply serves to push Sam away. You’ll be lucky if you make it through the movie without crying because it contains some sobering lessons about making the most of the time you have.
The Lovebirds
If you want something a little lighter, check out The Lovebirds, which stars Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjani as a couple who are about to split up, but unknowingly become involved in a murder plot. The couple strive to clear their reputations by looking into the incident themselves while avoiding both the law and the murderer, and the movie is full of antics. However, as anticipated, nothing goes as planned.
The Last Letter From Your Lover
The Last Letter From Your Lover, a story set in two eras that are united by passionate letter writing, is based on the JoJo Moyes book of the same name. Ellie, a writer working in the present who has no interest in romance, is given the task of writing about an editor who has passed away. To access the editor’s archive, she must first get past Rory, a fairly cold and stiff archivist. There, she discovers a swooningly beautiful love letter from someone only known as “Boot” to someone only known as “J.” But while diving into the past, both Ellie and Rory bond over the letters’ hunt and the quest to learn what happened to J and Boot.
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society
I guess, not all history related stuff is boring after all. This movie, which was adapted from the book of the same title, will melt your heart if you enjoy historical fiction. As London emerges from the Second World War’s shadow, author Juliet Ashton searches for a topic for her upcoming book. Who would have thought she would discover it in a letter from a Guernsey resident who has never seen her but who has discovered her name included in a Charles Lamb book? This movie is a celebration of the written word in all its forms and of making connections in the most unexpected ways.
Meenakshi Sundareshwar
She reveres Rajinikanth, and whenever Thalaiva FDFS is being celebrated, she is in the front row without fail. Because they make him fall asleep, he avoids watching movies. She enjoys reading. He’s only ever played book cricket. She exudes optimism and assurance. He is a severely insecure introvert who is hooked on a career in coding, because he believes it to be on par with art. This pair is the complete antithesis of each other.
Fast forward – and the duo are happily married, but torn by long distance bonding. Although Meenakshi and Sundar are in love, it is challenging for them to coexist because of their individual goals. And there are always interruptions when they try to become physical. Meenakshi Sundareshwar provides us with a satisfying family drama and a nice love story overall. Couples must definitely watch this one. Who knows, it might resolve some of your own relationship issues.
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