Ashton's Ultimate Valentine's Movie Guide

by - February 10, 2016

This weekend is Valentine's Day, so chances are you'll be watching romance movies at some point this week. Or maybe your plan for V-Day is to cuddle up with your sweetheart and watch a movie. Whatever your plans, I've rounded up some of my favorite lovey-dovey movies, and I think you'll find there's a little something for everyone on this list.


Valentine's Day (2010)
Rated: PG-13
Let's start with an obvious one, although this movie doesn't seem to make any of the lists for best Valentine's movies I've seen. This movie has a litany of stars including Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Hillary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, Julia Roberts and Bradley Cooper, just to name a few. It's set in Los Angeles and follows several couples who break up and/or make up on, you guessed it, Valentine's Day. There's even an anti-Valentine's Day party thrown in.


Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Rated: PG
There are several different versions of this movie, including one from 1940 starring Sir Lawrence Olivier. Based on the novel by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice is the love story of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy.


Becoming Jane (2007)
Rated: PG
Starring Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy, Becoming Jane is the story of Jane Austen. Basically, it's the real-life version of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy.

Warm Bodies (2013)Rated: PG-13
You're probably thinking, "How did a zombie movie make a list about romantic movies?" This is how. Warm Bodies is about how love helps reverse the zombification of R, played by Nicholas Hoult. This movie falls into three genres - comedy, horror and romance. There's blood, zombies, and John Malkovich. So if ooey-gooey romance isn't your significant other's thing, pop this in the Blu-ray.


RED (2010) & RED 2 (2013)
Rated: PG-13
On their surface, RED 1 and 2 are about a team of ex-government agents reconnecting to save the world. But at the core of each movie is the relationship between Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) and Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker). Both of these movies have an all-star cast, most notably John Malkovich as Marvin and Hellen Mirren as Victoria, but you'll also have the pleasure of watching Morgan Freeman in the first movie and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the second. Ladies, if your man's into action flicks, you can't go wrong with the RED's.


Valley Girl (1983)
Rated: R
First, let me start by saying I have no idea why this movie is rated R. Second, let me tell you that this is my token bad '80s movie for this list. Valley Girl is about a girl from the valley named Julie (Deborah Foreman) and her forbidden relationship with Randy (Nicholas Cage) who literally lives on the wrong side of the railroad tracks. As far as the rating goes, maybe it's the ridiculous v-shaped chest hair Nick Cage is rockin' on the beach...


Titanic (1997)
Rated: PG-13
No Valentine's Day movie marathon would be complete without Titanic. It's another case of people from different classes falling in love - Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and Rose, played by Kate Winslet. This is one movie I'm seriously sad to have missed seeing in theaters, not once but twice. It's also one of the few movies I never get tired of watching. I'll never let go, Jack...


Original Sin (2001)
Rated: R
This is definitely not a movie to watch with the kids. It's rated R for a reason - one of the best, tastefully done sex scenes I've ever seen. Luis Antonio Vargas, played by Antonio Banderas, unknowingly marries a con-woman, played by Angelina Jolie. He falls so in love with her that even when he learns the truth, he follows her, leaving his life of wealth behind.

Casablanca (1942)
Rated: PG
Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine. This classic black-and-white film starring Humphrey Bogart as Rick and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa is the story of star-crossed lovers given a second chance. But like all good romantic dramas set during wartime, nothing goes the way they planned. Nobody does it quite like Mr. Bogart. Here's lookin' at you, kid.


10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Rated: PG-13
This one's for all you '90s kids. Here's the movie in a nutshell - boy meets girl; boy falls for girl, but girl can't date unless her sister does. So boy pays a guy to date girl's sister. Guy ends up falling for sister. Sister finds out the truth. How does everything work out? You'll just have to watch for yourself.


The Notebook (2004)
Rated: PG-13
Here's another movie no Valentine's Day marathon would be complete without. The story of Allie (Rachel McAdams/Gena Rowlands) and Noah (Ryan Gosling/James Garner) is based on the best-selling book by Nicholas Sparks. It follows their relationship from start to finish. Noah's unconditional, unending love for Allie is something I think everyone wants. This movie isn't just the lovey-dovey stuff; it shows the work that goes into a relationship. This is another movie I can watch over and over again. It wasn't over. It still isn't over.

Pretty Woman (1999)
Rated: R
This movie is rated R because, well, Julia Roberts plays a stripper. Vivian is hired by Edward (Richard Gere) for a week to, ahem, keep him company while he's on business in New York City. Spoiler alert - they end up falling for each other. This is the movie that put Julia Roberts on the map, and for good reason. She's phenomenal. Richard Gere's not bad, either.


You've Got Mail (1998)
Rated: PG
This is Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks at their prime. They play two rival bookstore owners, Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly. In real life, they can't stand each other, but online it's a different story. This is a classic rom-com. Plus it's filled with the classic AOL "You've got mail!"


Dirty Dancing (1987)
Rated: PG-13
Nobody puts Baby in the corner. That should be all I have to say about this movie. Baby (Jennifer Grey) goes to a family summer camp where she falls in love with Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), the camp's dance instructor. When Johnny's partner gets knocked up, Baby has to fill in.



Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Rated: Approved
Let's end with one for the kids. This is a classic Disney film about two dogs from different backgrounds who fall in love despite the odds. They wind up in the pound, share a romantic spaghetti dinner and save Lady's family's baby from a giant rat.

There were so many more movies I could have added to this list but decided to stop at 15. What's your favorite movie to watch on Valentine's Day?

You May Also Like

3 comments

  1. I enjoyed these trailers, Ashton. I have seen the following movies from this list: Valley Girl, Titanic, Casablanca, The Notebook, Pretty Woman, You've Got Mail, Dirty Dancing and Lady and the Tramp. Based on the trailers, the films I'd most like to see are Valentine's Day, Warm Bodies and RED 2. I don't know how the producers of V-Day could afford all those big name stars unless they got them to work pro bono. I love zombie movies and the gags in the Warm Bodies trailer made me laugh out loud. I love Mary-Louise Parker and it looks like she transplanted her Weeds character, Nancy Botwin, into RED 1 & 2.

    Thanks, Ashton!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually saw Warm Bodies in the theater. It was such a surprise because honestly I figured we were wasting our money. I highly recommend it. Valentine's Day is definitely a chick flick. And RED and RED 2 are so so so funny. I love John Malkovich's character the most.

      Delete
    2. It'll be interesting to see how well Zoolander No. 2 performs at the box office. Most reviews are negative.

      Delete