FOLIO
By: Jillian Lombardo
I do not know your plans for this Valentine’s season, but I plan on being in bed with my cat and a tall glass of red wine. Accompanying me is a stack of DVDs I plan to watch to get me through this wretched season. I am kidding – I do not own DVDs. Luckily, most of these movies are free on either Hulu, Prime Video or Netflix. Whether you’re looking for a good break-up movie, a realistic depiction of the darker sides of love, or a reminder to hang out with your girlfriends, these movies are great dates for Valentine’s Day.
Someone Great, 2019
This is the first movie I thought of when I began my search. Not only does this film show the stages of a break-up, but it also shows the friendships that help you get through it and their personal relationship challenges. It is raw; it is real. This is my go-to break-up movie; I find it a cinematographic triumph of getting through a breakup. It shows the sorrow, the “what ifs,” and the remembrance of memories trapped in photographs. The soundtrack is a masterpiece that I recommend blasting in your car on a random night – windows down.
The Wife, 2017
As my research continued, I stumbled across The Wife, a 2017 thriller starring Glen Close and Jonathan Pryce. The movie follows the couple to Stockholm to watch the husband receive the Nobel Prize for literature. As the wife looks back on their life together, she realizes she, like many women, made herself smaller to watch her husband succeed. This movie brought in many twists and turns that I will not spoil, but can assure you this is the opposite of a feel-good movie about love.
Begin Again, 2013
“And you have broken every single f*cking rule, and I have loved you like a fool.”
Recently single, a woman finds herself “at the subway” with a divorced music producer. Starring Kira Knightly and Mark Ruffalo, they become a fresh start for each other as they “begin again.” We dive into the world of a musical mind while we watch him visualize the music in real time. They inevitably record an album around New York City, working with the natural sound instead of against the elements. They find each other in platonic love when they need it the most. Please excuse me while I buy a headphone splitter (in the age of Bluetooth).
First Wives Club, 1996
While this movie doesn’t follow the same path as the book, it still represents women’s support. Following the death of their college best friend, Cynthia, the rest of the girls, Brenda, Elise, and Annie, rekindle their relationship. Life since college hasn’t been kind, each being left by their husband for a younger woman; they use this rage to create something beautiful. Following a path of revenge, memories, and womanhood, reminding you that your girls will always have your back.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 2008
Drinks, sex, sobs, Hawaii, repeat. In this film, they found this the best way to get over someone. Someone who always slips her way into your mind as her face is mirrored in everything you see. Breakups are hard, but when you run away to another state, the last thing you’d expect is for her to be at the same resort as you- with her new boyfriend. Fighting himself, Peter overcomes his fears and finds a new sense of purpose while in Hawaii. The ending, sweet and silly, reminds us not to hold back if we feel that something special for someone. Anywho, Dracula Musical- enough said.
The Marriage Story, 2019
Starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, this movie walks you through their character’s divorce. It shows the turmoil of the divorce process and the brutality it can turn into. Starting and ending with the same reading, you can see that they still hold so much love for each other. While the middle is messy, they end it by showing their love being utilized to be two imperfect parents to their child, Henry. The repeated theme amongst these movies is that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone and that people go underappreciated far too often.
La La Land, 2016
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone star in this 2016 musical following what you believe to be a perfect relationship. The ending shows what could’ve been if they had achieved their goals together instead of separately. It is gutwrenching to see had they played their card a little differently, they would had the outcome they both wanted so desperately.
Together Together, 2021
This ending made me upset, but that is the point. Ed Helms stars as a want-to-be single dad searching for a surrogate, Patti Harrison. It is an inside account of life as a surrogate and shines on a unique perspective with a want-to-be dad who falls for his surrogate. They have a true connection, but you’re hit with the reality.
Honorable mentions:
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (“Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.”), Legally Blonde (“What? Like it’s hard?”), 10 Things I Hate About You (“Who needs affection when I have blind hatred?”), Love Actually (“No one’s ever going to shag you if you cry all the time.”), and 27 Dresses (“Love is patient, love is kind, love means slowly losing your mind.”).
In these movies, I found that love is unique. It is not always a picture-perfect family but rather a ripped, put-back-together piece of abstract art. Love is hard, a struggle worth maintaining for the right person, but love does not always mean you will end up on top. Taking notes from La La Land, cherishing what you have is important because your dreams can still be a reality if you play your cards right. It won’t always end up like the Notebook; sometimes, you must accept when something is over. But love is in the trees, it is in the city’s traffic, and it is in your girlfriends who forever have your back.
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