10 Valentine's films that won't make you want to vomit
High Fidelity, Silver Linings Playbook and Forgetting Sarah Marshall won't put a strain on your relationship...
Finding a decent film to watch is a battle at the best of times but Valentine's Day can be especially fraught.
Navigating the never-ending stream of saccharine big screen offerings is an unromantic pain in the rear-end. Even the most understanding partner (male and female – many of us ladies have an aversion to chick flicks too) can find it tough to sit through that much fluff.
Never fear, RadioTimes.com is here, with some rom-coms that will allow you to keep that expensive dinner down...
What If
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) works his magic in this alternative rom-com about a guy called Wallace who falls head over heels for Chantry (Zoe Kazan). Only problem is she's already got a boyfriend (Rafe Spall), so Wallace has a hard time working his way out of the friend zone.
It's quirky, it's witty and Adam Driver (he of Girls and Star Wars Episode VII fame) keeps the witticisms coming thick and fast. You won't even have time to feel nauseous.
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(500) Days of Summer
What better way to spend Valentine's than watching a movie that's all about a break-up, eh? Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt star in this beloved tale of greeting card writer and hopeless romantic Tom, who's caught totally off-guard when his girlfriend suddenly dumps him.
He spends a little over an hour figuring out why their relationship went sour, while wondering if there's more to life than romance.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Play List
Based on the novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, this quirky little film follows teenagers Nick (Michael Cera) and Norah (Kat Dennings) who cross paths when she asks if he'll pretend to be her boyfriend for five minutes. Nick obliges, naturally, and the pair bond as they attempt to find their favourite band's secret show and search for Norah's drunken best friend.
There's moonlight, music and a little bit of magic, but not enough to make you bring your dinner back up.
Easy A
Emma Stone takes the lead in this clever little comedy that's got an ever-so-subtle romance running through it. The feisty redhead (for this film anyway) stars as Olive, a run-of-the-mill high school teenager who decides to spice up her life by telling a lie about losing her virginity. Little does she know it'll spread like wildfire.
It's not too soppy, never floppy, and jam-packed with references to your favourite 80s teen movies.
10 Things I Hate about You
The brilliant ensemble teen comedy (starring Heath Ledger, Julia Styles, Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Larisa Oleynik) is a modern twist on Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew. It sees Patrick Verona (Ledger) chase after Kat Stratford (Styles) who ain't at all easy to woo.
"I know you can be overwhelmed and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever be just whelmed?" We're still not sure but this film will definitely leave you over rather than underwhelmed.
High Fidelity
You can always rely on John Cusack to balance romance with marvellous misery. High Fidelity follows his reclusive record shop owner Rob as he recounts the tales of his last five break-ups – including the one he's in the middle of.
Funny and refreshing, Stephen Frears' little gem will make the down-and-out man in your life feel like he's a hunk after all.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Yet another brutal break-ups that proved surprisingly heart-warning. Forgetting Sarah Marshall sees Jason Segel's Peter getting the push from long-term TV star girlfriend Sarah, before jetting off to Hawaii to try and get over it. He meets a rather nice receptionist (Mila Kunis) on the island but the arrival of his ex and her new squeeze (Russell Brand) makes things a little more complicated.
It's rude, it's crude, it's laugh out loud funny, and it's not even close to dripping in sickly sweet vom-com honey.
When Harry Met Sally
Can men and women ever just be friends? That's the question rom-com queen Meg Ryan and the brilliant Billy Crystal try to answer in this chick flick classic. Nora Ephron's marvellous movie follows the pair as they attempt to keep things platonic across the decades.
Recently Keira Knightley paid homage by faking it like Meg Ryan for a Vanity Fair shoot.
The Princess Bride
If you haven't watched this 80s cult classic already you've missed out. Adapted from the book of the same name, The Princess Bride is the superbly satirical tale of farm boy Westley and his err, Princess Bride Buttercup, as they wind up in all sorts of ridiculous situations.
Mandy Patinkin's brilliant Inigo Montoya makes every single soppy kiss worth it.
Silver Linings Playbook
OK, so it's technically a "dromedy" – dramatic romantic comedy – but it nabbed enough Oscars to warrant a watch. Strictly meets decent drama as Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (in the role that made her hot property in Hollywood) play two troubled souls thrown together by their personal dilemmas and a dance competition.
Not so much dirty as flirty dancing, it's a slick little flick that any girl or boy can enjoy.
