Since today is Valentine’s Day, now is the perfect time to dive into a great romance film. So the next time you’re taking a break from homework or are looking for something to watch during your meal, look no further because this list from yours truly has you covered!
5. “13 Going on 30” (2004)
Not many romantic comedies capture the nostalgia of youth and middle school awkwardness as well as Gary Winick’s “13 Going on 30.” When 13-year-old Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) makes a birthday wish to be "thirty, flirty, and thriving," she wakes up the next day to find that it has come true! As Jenna navigates life as her 30-year-old self and reconnects with her middle school best friend Matt (Mark Ruffalo), it dawns on her that this older Jenna has everything her middle-school self could ever dream of: She's popular, rich and successful, but it all comes out hollow. Given a second chance, Jenna must realize what actually matters in love and friendship. Embodying early 2000s charm with moments like an iconic “Thriller” dance scene and a best-friends-to-partners trope, this movie is an overall feel-good watch.
4. “Strange Magic” (2015)
This animated romance written by George Lucas is inspired by Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and is admittedly a guilty pleasure of mine. With a predictable yet charming plot, the Bog King (Jelle Amersfoort), ruler of the dark forest and a hater of love, orders the destruction of all primroses, the essential ingredient for love potions. However, his views begin to change after meeting the princess Marianne (Anne van Veen) who, with a broken heart, has sworn off love. Meanwhile, her younger sister has become the victim of a love potion gone wrong and has fallen in love with the Bog King (What?!😱). Despite its awkwardness, “Strange Magic” delivers a fun, musical adventure that proves love can blossom in the most unexpected places.
3. “The Princess Bride” (1987)
Rob Reiner's film combines all the makings of a classic fairy tale (pirates, sword fights and princesses) and creates a fairy tale parody that with its satire and humor can be enjoyable for all. As a grandfather reads a book to his sick grandson we listen in on the story of Princess Buttercup. Five years after the loss of her true love Westly, and still mourning, she is unwillingly engaged to Prince Humperdinck. Enter the small man (literally and figuratively) Vizzini, who employs the help of Inigo Montoya and Fezzik the Giant and kidnaps Buttercup in order to provoke war between Humperdinck and a neighboring country. On their journey, they are pursued by a mysterious masked figure in black who reveals secrets about Buttercup’s past and Humperdinck’s true nature. With romantic and iconic lines like “As you wish,” hilarious bumbling hijinks and a four-minute-long sword fight between Inigo Montoya and Count Ruge, “The Princess Bride” is captivating regardless of age.
2. “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004)
I could not in good conscience make a list of romance movies without including Hayao Miyazaki’s “Howl’s Moving Castle.” The charming line, “There you are, sweetheart, I was looking everywhere for you. Sorry I was late” is what first introduces us to the mysterious wizard Howl. Our female lead Sophie, however, has no clue she has just encountered the wizard that is rumoured to eat beautiful girls’ hearts. With a turn of events and a meeting with the Witch of the Waste, Sophie becomes cursed to live as an old lady. Realizing no one will recognize her, she sets out on an adventure and leaves her small town. She isn’t sure where she is going or what her plan is, but along the way she makes friends with a cursed scarecrow who shows her to a castle on legs. Assuming she is safe from Howl as an old lady she declares herself the wizard’s cleaning lady. This film is an enchanting romance that explores self-worth, love and destiny.
1. “Pride and Prejudice” (2005)
Joe Wright’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel might have been a film you watched in school for 12th grade English (like myself) but is good all the same. In this film, Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen bring the slow-burn romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy to life. When outspoken Elizabeth is introduced to handsome and upper-class Mr. Darcy the two get off on the wrong foot. Elizabeth thinks Darcy is cold and arrogant whereas Darcy sees Elizabeth as beneath him. Through gorgeous cinematography and scenes like an iconic hand flex, you can watch the two break down the barriers between them and realize that it was their own faults that were keeping them from happiness.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.