What should you watch on a date night?
For two on the sofa. Every title here says who it's good for, and who it isn't.
Not sure yet? Start with these.
La La Land 2016
Film
Mia, an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian, a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.
The sides of La La Land
- An actress and a jazz pianist
- Dancing above Los Angeles
- Dreams that cost something
Good for you if
- you like songs and dances in the middle of real life.
- you like a love story told through the seasons.
- you like colourful dresses and purple skies.
Bad for you if
- you need a classic happy ending.
- you need a story that stays grounded. Here a traffic jam on the freeway turns into a dance number.
About: ambition · love · sacrifice
Pretty Woman 1990
Film
Vivian is a carefree, streetwise diamond in the rough when she meets sophisticated billionaire Edward in a chance encounter that turns into a week-long business arrangement. But Vivian's energetic spirit challenges Edward's no-nonsense approach to life, and soon they are teaching each other – and falling in love!
The sides of Pretty Woman
- A rich businessman and a woman he hires
- A week in Beverly Hills
- Shopping on Rodeo Drive
Good for you if
- you like a modern fairy tale.
- you want a classic romcom.
- you like a snobby shop getting what it deserves.
Bad for you if
- you need a love story that could really happen. A billionaire and a sex worker fall in love in a week.
- you roll your eyes at grand romantic gestures. Edward flies Vivian to the opera in a private jet.
About: love · class · self-worth
50 First Dates 2004
Film
Henry is a player skilled at seducing women. But when this veterinarian meets Lucy, a girl with a quirky problem when it comes to total recall, he realizes it's possible to fall in love all over again…and again, and again. That's because the delightful Lucy has no short-term memory, so Henry must woo her day after day until he finally sweeps her off her feet.
The sides of 50 First Dates
- A woman who forgets every day
- A man who wins her again each morning
- Hawaii
Good for you if
- you like a love story told every morning anew.
- you want a sunny, easy evening on the beaches and in the cafés of Hawaii.
- you like 80s love songs redone as island reggae, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow on ukulele.
Bad for you if
- you need it to hold up. Lucy forgets each day overnight, and her family stages the same Sunday for her for a year.
- you roll your eyes at big romantic gestures. Henry records a videotape for Lucy to watch every morning.
About: love · memory · commitment
The Notebook 2004
Film
An epic love story centered around an older man who reads aloud to a woman with Alzheimer's. From a faded notebook, the old man's words bring to life the story about a couple who is separated by World War II, and is then passionately reunited, seven years later, after they have taken different paths.
The sides of The Notebook
- A summer romance across classes
- Letters never received
- An old man reading to his wife
Good for you if
- you're ready to cry from beginning to end.
- you like a big love story that lasts a lifetime.
- you like a kiss in the rain, played completely straight.
Bad for you if
- you can't watch a woman losing her memory to dementia.
- you want a love story that leaves you wondering. This one answers every question.
About: love · memory · class
Crazy, Stupid, Love. 2011
Film
Cal Weaver is living the American dream. He has a good job, a beautiful house, great children and a beautiful wife, named Emily. Cal's seemingly perfect life unravels, however, when he learns that Emily has been unfaithful and wants a divorce. Over 40 and suddenly single, Cal is adrift in the fickle world of dating. Enter, Jacob Palmer, a self-styled player who takes Cal under his wing and teaches him how to be a hit with the ladies.
The sides of Crazy, Stupid, Love.
- A newly single dad coached by a ladies' man
- A babysitter's crush
- A backyard brawl
Good for you if
- you like a warm, witty romantic comedy.
- you like several love stories at once.
- you like a reveal that ties everything together.
Bad for you if
- you roll your eyes at a big speech about soulmates at a school graduation.
- you're watching with young kids. Cal learns to pick up women in bars, and sex comes up a lot.
About: love · marriage · second chances
About Time 2013
Film
The night after another unsatisfactory New Year's party, Tim's father reveals to him that the men in their family have the ability to travel through time. They can't change history, but they can change what happens and has happened in their own lives. Thus begins the start of a lesson in learning to appreciate life itself as it is, as it comes, and most importantly, the people living alongside us.
The sides of About Time
- A shy man who can relive moments
- Falling in love again and again
- A father and a son on a beach
Good for you if
- you like a gentle film that makes you cry about ordinary life.
- you like a sweet, clumsy love story.
- you want something warm and kind.
Bad for you if
- time travel rules that bend bother you.
- a gentle lesson about savouring every ordinary day feels too sweet to you.
About: time · family · everyday life
The Proposal 2009
Film
When she learns she's in danger of losing her visa status and being deported, overbearing book editor Margaret Tate forces her put-upon assistant, Andrew Paxton, to marry her.
The sides of The Proposal
- A boss who forces her assistant to marry her
- A weekend with his family in Alaska
- A chant in the woods
Good for you if
- you like a boss and assistant trading barbs.
- you like enemies falling in love.
- you want an easy, feel-good romcom.
Bad for you if
- you roll your eyes when the jokes stop for heart-to-hearts. Margaret and Andrew open up in his childhood bedroom.
- you need a premise you can believe. A boss blackmails her assistant into marrying her to keep her visa.
About: love · family · pretending
Me Before You 2016
Film
Lou Clark, a directionless 26-year-old from the English countryside, takes a job at the local castle as a caregiver and companion to a wealthy young banker, Will Traynor. Wheelchair-bound from an accident two years prior, the once adventurous Will has all but given up — that is until Lou determines to show him that life is worth living.
The sides of Me Before You
- A chatty carer and a man who's given up
- Colourful tights and bumblebee stockings
- A trip that might change his mind
Good for you if
- you're ready to cry, a lot.
- you like a love story between two very different people.
- you like a heroine who's funny without trying.
Bad for you if
- a story about a man in a wheelchair who has lost the will to live is too heavy for you tonight.
- you roll your eyes at big romantic gestures. Lou plans outing after outing to show Will that life is worth living.
About: love · choice · living fully
Amélie 2001
Film
At a tiny Parisian café, the adorable yet painfully shy Amélie accidentally discovers a gift for helping others. Soon Amelie is spending her days as a matchmaker, guardian angel, and all-around do-gooder. But when she bumps into a handsome stranger, will she find the courage to become the star of her very own love story?
The sides of Amélie
- A shy young woman fixing strangers' lives
- Montmartre in warm greens and reds
- A photo album of strangers
Good for you if
- you want a film that makes you feel lighter.
- you like a Paris painted in saturated colours.
- you like quirky little details and odd characters.
Bad for you if
- you won't read subtitles. It's in French, though a dubbed version exists.
- you want fights and chases. The big adventure here is a lost photo album.
About: shyness · kindness · love
Mr. & Mrs. Smith 2005
Film
A husband and wife struggle to keep their marriage alive until they realize they are both secretly working as assassins. Now, their respective assignments require them to kill each other.
The sides of Mr. & Mrs. Smith
- A bored married couple
- Both secretly assassins
- A gunfight in the kitchen
Good for you if
- you like a marriage comedy where the arguments use guns.
- you like a shootout in a suburban house.
- you like a couple falling in love again under fire.
Bad for you if
- you want a close study of a marriage. Here the couple's therapy sessions frame a film of gunfights.
- you need it to make sense. Two married assassins never guessed each other's job in years.
About: marriage · secrets · trust
Groundhog Day 1993
Film
A cynical TV weatherman, along with his idealistic producer and his sardonic cameraman, is sent to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, where he finds himself repeating the same day over and over.
The sides of Groundhog Day
- A weatherman stuck in the same day
- An alarm clock at 6 a.m.
- Learning to be a better man
Good for you if
- you like Bill Murray's dry, bitter humour.
- you want a classic you'll rewatch every year.
- you like a love story earned the long way.
Bad for you if
- you need the logic to hold up. Nobody ever explains why Phil's day repeats.
- you can't laugh at suicide. Phil's attempts to escape the loop are played for comedy.
About: change · time · kindness
10 Things I Hate About You 1999
Film
On the first day at his new school, Cameron instantly falls for Bianca, the gorgeous girl of his dreams. The only problem is that Bianca is forbidden to date until her ill-tempered, completely un-dateable older sister Kat goes out, too. In an attempt to solve his problem, Cameron singles out the only guy who could possibly be a match for Kat: a mysterious bad boy with a nasty reputation of his own.
The sides of 10 Things I Hate About You
- A boy paid to date the meanest girl in school
- A song on the bleachers
- A poem read in class
Good for you if
- you like a witty teen romcom.
- you like opposites falling for each other.
- you like Kat's sharp, sarcastic comebacks.
Bad for you if
- you roll your eyes at grand romantic gestures. Patrick serenades Kat across the school bleachers.
- you've outgrown high school crushes and prom night drama.
About: love · honesty · independence
Pride & Prejudice 2005
Film
A story of love and life among the landed English gentry during the Georgian era. Mr. Bennet is a gentleman living in Hertfordshire with his overbearing wife and five daughters, but if he dies their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family's future happiness and security is dependent on the daughters making good marriages.
The sides of Pride & Prejudice
- A clever daughter and a proud man
- Five sisters and one mother desperate to marry them off
- A proposal in the rain
Good for you if
- you like a slow-burning romance between two stubborn people.
- you like sharp, witty exchanges.
- you like misty English fields at dawn.
Bad for you if
- you want something to happen. It's dances and conversations.
- you roll your eyes at grand declarations. Darcy says he's bewitched, body and soul.
About: pride · prejudice · love
Friends with Benefits 2011
Film
Dylan is done with relationships. Jamie decides to stop buying into the Hollywood clichés of true love. When the two become friends they decide to try something new and take advantage of their mutual attraction - but without any emotional attachment.
The sides of Friends with Benefits
- Two friends who agree to sleep together without feelings
- New York and Los Angeles
- Feelings anyway
Good for you if
- you like quick, sarcastic romcom banter.
- you like friends turning into lovers.
Bad for you if
- sex scenes and crude jokes aren't for you.
- you roll your eyes at heartfelt romcom moments, even in a film that mocks romcoms.
About: love · fear of commitment · friendship
Focus 2015
Film
Nicky, an accomplished con artist, gets romantically involved with his disciple Jess but later ends their relationship. Years later, she returns as a femme fatale to spoil his plans.
The sides of Focus
- A master con man and his apprentice
- Pickpockets at a football game
- A long con in Buenos Aires
Good for you if
- you like being conned along with the characters.
- you like a love story with trust issues.
- you like watching a crew of pickpockets work a crowd in New Orleans.
Bad for you if
- you can't root for thieves. Nicky and Jess make their living picking pockets and fleecing rich marks.
- you want heists with action. Here the cons are pulled with quick hands and smooth talk.
About: trust · deception · love
Midnight in Paris 2011
Film
While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.
The sides of Midnight in Paris
- A writer in Paris who time-travels at midnight
- Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Dalí
- The golden age you'd rather live in
Good for you if
- you want a light, charming film.
- you like meeting famous artists of the 1920s.
- you like witty conversations.
Bad for you if
- you need the time travel explained. A car simply shows up at midnight.
- you need suspense. Nothing worse than an awkward dinner is at stake.
About: nostalgia · art · love
Titanic 1997
Film
101-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story of her life aboard the Titanic, 84 years later. A young Rose boards the ship with her mother and fiancé. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson and Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets aboard the ship. Rose tells the whole story from Titanic's departure through to its death—on its first and last voyage—on April 15, 1912.
The sides of Titanic
- A love story across classes
- A ship going down in real time
- An old woman remembering
Good for you if
- you like a love story that ends with you in pieces.
- you like 1912 rebuilt in detail, from first-class dining rooms to dances in steerage.
- you like big, sincere romance with no irony.
Bad for you if
- over three hours is too much for one evening.
- you need a happy ending.
About: love · class · memory · loss
Your Name. 2016
Anime
High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other.
The sides of Your Name.
- A boy and a girl who swap bodies in their sleep
- Tokyo and a mountain town
- A comet in the sky
Good for you if
- you like a film carried by RADWIMPS songs.
- you like two people searching for someone they've never met.
- you like skies and light painted with breathtaking detail.
Bad for you if
- you don't watch animated films.
- you won't read subtitles. It's in Japanese (a dub exists).
About: connection · memory · fate
Ocean's Eleven 2001
Film
Less than 24 hours into his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean is already rolling out his next plan: In one night, Danny's hand-picked crew of specialists will attempt to steal more than $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos. But to score the cash, Danny risks his chances of reconciling with ex-wife, Tess.
The sides of Ocean's Eleven
- Eleven thieves and three casinos
- A plan you only understand at the end
- Cool suits and cool actors
Good for you if
- you like easy, witty banter between stars.
- you want a stylish heist with nothing heavy.
- you like a crew where everyone has a talent.
Bad for you if
- you want a character study. Here you get to know the crew by their skills, not their pasts.
- you need a heist that could really work. Here eleven thieves take on the vault under three casinos in one night.
About: teamwork · love · charm
The Fault in Our Stars 2014
Film
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a patient named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.
The sides of The Fault in Our Stars
- Two teens who meet at a cancer support group
- A trip to Amsterdam
- Okay. Okay.
Good for you if
- you're ready to cry, a lot.
- you like a first love with clever, funny dialogue.
- you like humour in the hardest situations.
Bad for you if
- illness and dying teenagers are too heavy for you tonight.
- you roll your eyes at big romantic speeches. Augustus talks in metaphors.
About: first love · mortality · living