Love is in the air! Film Editors Oisin McElhinney and Lee Jones investigate some alternative movies to watch this Valentine’s Day. Whether you plan to spend the night cosying up next to your other half, or with a group of single friends, this list of recommended flicks is sure to offer substitutes to the usual fluffy rom-com.
Blue Valentine (2010) – pictured
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of ‘I Love You’ teddy bears and bouquets of flowers that have an unfortunate life-span of three days. It is a day in which the world is split into two definitive groups, the singletons and the couples – the former with stereotypical tubs of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and the latter with a decorative box of chocolates. My alternative to the saccharine holiday’s traditional movie choices (think anything starring Kate Hudson or Katherine Heigl in more recent years) is Blue Valentine (2010).
As the title may suggest, this film is a poignant story of love, from its frenzied beginning to its tragic demise. Told through a non-linear narrative of flashbacks and flashforwards, the film’s director Derek Cianfrance successfully creates a feature that focuses on the entire lifespan of a love affair rather than a romanticised snapshot. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams embody their characters incredibly well and arguably give the best performances of their careers.
Blue Valentine is a unique film in more ways than one. Beyond its beautiful cinematography and moving soundtrack, the main strength of the film is undoubtedly the powerful script written by Cianfrance himself. The resulting picture is fragile and soft. There are no frivolous wedding dresses or dramatic monologues here. Instead, Cianfrance focuses on an individual couple who struggle against adversity, both outside and within their relationship. It’s an impassioned project from the entire cast and a film that quietly hits all the right notes with the audience. Watching Blue Valentine on the 14th of February is a dose of reality on a day that is otherwise dripping with gooey cheese.
Lee Jones – Film Editor, Tn2
The Bodyguard (1992)
It’s less than twenty four hours until Valentine’s Day, and despite my best efforts swiping on Tinder, I’m still undeniably single. I’ll be spending Tuesday night by myself, ordering some Domino’s pizza and soothing my singleton woes by watching classic 1992 romantic thriller, The Bodyguard. Starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the film tells the story of Academy Award-nominated singer and global superstar Rachel Marron (Houston), who is being relentlessly stalked by an unknown assailant. She hires a former Secret Service bodyguard, Frank Farmer (Costner), to keep her from harm. As Frank foils numerous attempts on Rachel’s life, they find themselves coming closer together, and romance inevitably blossoms. The Bodyguard has to be one of the most entertaining films you can watch on Valentine’s Day. It perfectly balances the romantic developments of Rachel and Frank with the tense and high-octane action scenes, and never slows down or becomes a chore to watch. However, the best aspect of The Bodyguard is the outstanding musical numbers from Houston. In fact, the soundtrack of The Bodyguard is one of the best-selling film soundtracks of all time. With classic songs such as “I Will Always Love You” and “I Have Nothing”, this is the perfect Valentine’s Day movie to sing along to as you try to forget your tragically single status, and look ahead to your future of love and romance.
Rory Codd – Junior Freshman, English Studies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPlk_MKhh0
Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012)
Are you a former rom-com fan who has had their heart broken, looking for a realistic take on love this Valentine’s Day? Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012) is the film for you. It avoids clichés and the gooeyness of conventional rom-coms. Instead, it deals with best friends and former couple, Celeste and Jesse. Six months after their divorce, they are unwilling to admit they need to leave each other behind in order to move on. Despite how much they care about each other, the process of letting go becomes complicated. It’s heart-breaking, but it’s real life. Love can be conveyed in many forms and it’s not all about the grand gestures. It can be found in the inside jokes that punctuate the sombre moments or the “insignificant” details you know about someone. Celeste and Jesse Forever emphasises these little things, making it a refreshing take on the usual rom-com. Rashida Jones, who also stars as Celeste, has written a very honest take on love that encompasses both the positive and negatives of the emotion. So much so, that this film is as heart-breaking as it is hopeful. While some scenes may have you in tears as the struggles intensify, others will remind you that whatever happens, “you’re going to be just fine”. Celeste and Jesse Forever is not an obvious choice for a Valentine’s movie but is definitely worth a watch for a nuanced take on love.
Samantha Mooney – Senior Freshman, Film Studies and Irish.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
All modern love stories owe their origins to the great work of art that is Rob Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally (1989). It is a beacon of hope for the middle aged, and an indication that life goes on even without having found the love of your life. It teaches us that those we love may hurt us, deceive us or dump us without so much as a by-the-way-I-don’t-love-you-anymore. However, there is no question that this is a quintessentially romantic movie: Harry and Sally, after 10 long, tumultuous years of friendship, finally confess their mutual love for each other just after the ringing in of the new year.
However, it also shows the difficulties that arise with any passionate romance. Harry’s first wife walks out on him with a brutal “I don’t think I’ve ever loved you.” Meanwhile, Sally and her boyfriend break up due to his aversion to marriage, only for him to call her years later to tell her he is now getting married. The protagonists cycle through a number of documented and undocumented partners before they eventually fall, not only into bed together but also in love. It is a journey through middle adulthood that is rarely showcased in romantic comedies. You will suffer and it will be terrible, and people will break your heart and let you down, but if you’re lucky, you’ll find your love at a New Year’s Eve party.
Kelly Meehan Brown – Senior Sophister, English Studies.
A Single Man (2009)
If there was a prize for the film title that best embodied the anti-Valentine’s Day sentiment, it would surely go to A Single Man. Fashion designer Tom Ford’s acclaimed 2009 debut is at once one of the most beautiful and painful movies of the last decade. Set against the backdrop of the decidedly unromantic Cuban Missile Crisis, it revolves around the quietly depressed George Falconer (Colin Firth), an English professor in South Carolina, grieving for his longtime partner Jim (Matthew Goode).
Set over the course of a single (there we go again) day, the film tracks in slow and almost excruciating detail the hollow life of George, from his tedious morning routine (“It takes time in the morning for me to become George”) as he tries to preserve a facade of normality, to the drabness of college work and the loneliness of his domestic life. Interspersed with flashbacks to his life with Jim, the film drifts somnolently by as he interacts with an acerbic and equally miserable friend, played by Julianne Moore, and the flickering eroticism of his exchanges with a student, Kenny (Nicholas Hoult).
As is to be expected from Ford, the cinematography and costumes are as elegant as a fashion photoshoot. The acting is understated and moving and the story is compelling. It is also downright nihilistic. Repressed homosexuality, failed love, grief and suicide all dominate the characters in this picturesque yet gloomy drama. A great movie, especially if you’re having none of this Valentine’s Day cheer.
Oisin McElhinney, Film Editor, Tn2
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
One of the most overlooked Disney movies, and a Valentine’s Day must-see, is the retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ classic tale, “Frog Prince”. Told from the point of view of Tiana, a black waitress living in early-1900s New Orleans, it follows her journey from a young child cooking with her father, to a young lady working day and night to scrape together enough money for a restaurant of her own. Throughout the whole film Tiana believes that what she needs in life is to work harder and harder to get her dream. She overlooks the handsome prince Naveen slowly falling in love with her, not because of her wealth or beauty, but precisely because of her lack of wealth – he falls in love with her drive and her ambition.
The Princess and the Frog is beautiful story about a strong independent woman who knows what she wants, who works hard, and tries her best not to let love get in the way. Ultimately Tiana does fall for the prince (it’s got to be romantic after all!) not because of his status, but because of his caring nature, and the beauty hidden beneath the wit and the charisma. What makes this movie even more special is that in the end, there’s none of the usual Disney princess-giving-up-her-life trope. Tiana doesn’t need the prince’s money; she just needs the friendships she created to help her realise the dream she always had. Packed with sweltering New Orleans jazz music, memorable song numbers and lush colours, The Princess and the Frog brims with Valentine’s Day vibes.
Billie Donohoe – Junior Freshman Commerce
