Anyone in Hollywood will tell you that 90 percent of a movie’s success is almost always attributed to the casting.

Executives hand-pick handsome up and coming actors and actresses in hopes that their on-screen chemistry will lure audiences to the theaters. If it’s one thing Hollywood has picked up on, it’s our longing to believe in grand, majestic love stories. And for that to happen, you need the right actors.

Case in point: did lukewarm spy flick, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” gross almost 500 million dollars based on the stellar performances and insightful storyline? Hell no! The general public, including me were all bewitched by scintillating rumors of a home-wrecking Angelina Jolie seducing Brad Pitt during the film’s production, so come release date, I, like everyone else, paid $12 to get a glimpse into the silver screen portal to see for myself what was really going on between these two A-list actors. Movie or not, the chemistry between them was very palpable to say the least. It was well beyond believable.

One of the most common activities of our time is watching and enjoying movies. Whether we are aware of it or not, we identify with the lead characters in some subconscious way and through careful cinematic crafting and emotional manipulation, the director puts us under a 2-hour spell and compels us to root for the couple’s inevitably happy ending, which is all but guaranteed, save for a few plot detours where the guy or girl finally realizes true love and sprints to their telegenic soulmate in the pouring rain. You’ve seen this movie a million times, but can’t remember any of the titles. It’s because this sappy, exploitative film formula has been done to death, evidenced by Jennifer Aniston starring in a never-ending string of dead-on-arrival romantic comedies starring some hunky male actor of the month.

Patton Oswalt said it best in this following clip:



But date movies don’t have to be loaded with all those hokey histrionics and life-draining cliche moments. Lucky for you, I’m a very voracious film buff, consuming everything in my path from indie horror flicks, sci-fi mind benders, comic book fare, heavy hitting dramas and despite what you may think, I actually enjoy and appreciate a well-told love story. Here’s a list of some atypical, awesome first date movies.

While, I usually don’t recommend watching a movie on your first date since there’s really no opportunity to get to know one another, I understand that some of you guys are quiet types and want to start it off slow. So, here’s my surefire list of movies that potential and established couples can watch and mutually appreciate on both an entertainment level as well as cerebral. A movie just like anything else in life – an intimate experience you both can share and bond over.

1.) Romeo and Juliet

This movie is best intended for: English majors and the entire female population of planet Earth

Even Bill Shakespeare knew that to cap off a truly memorable love story, everyone has to die. Sorry about the spoiler alert, but if you don’t know how this age-old tale ends, you either were chipped out of a 2,000 year-old ice block or you’re a feral child, for which I apologize. Both of those scenarios suck. Anyway, using the same iambic pentameter delivery, this modern re-telling is pretty damn impressive with tons of visual flair from director, Baz Luhrman (Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby) and happens to star universally loved Leonardo DiCaprio. The results? Your date will swoon right onto your shoulder, so you can finally land that hover hand.

2.) Serendipity

This movie is best intended for: 80’s kids who loved John Cusack

Don’t let the cheesy movie poster font fool you, this is actually a pretty great movie. I was forced to admit that after my ex made me watch it. Serendipity, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, is “an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.” Grounded with a clever, witty script and two fine performances by the always vulnerable and confessional and likeable John Cusack and the otherworldly beauty of Kate Beckinsale, prepare to believe in happenstance and fated love once again.

3.) The Artist

This movie is best intended for: Everyone

“The Artist” was awarded best film of 2011, besting the likes of Brad Pitt’s “Moneyball”, Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo”, and Spielberg’s “War Horse.” This film is criminally overlooked, and that may have to do with the fact that nearly the entire movie is shot as a silent film. But the results are anything but subtle. This movie is disarmingly charming and playful, so much that you guys will forget about the lack of audio and fill in the silence with your own shared laughter.

4.) Amelie

This movie is best intended for: hipster film geeks

French films have long maintained a unique film dedication to aesthetic unlike any other country when it comes to film. The French have very strong stylistic and mood sensibilities and eschew anything too schmaltzy and cliche. If you’re ever going to watch a French film, make it “Amelie.” It stars beautiful Audrey Tautou as the titular character who lives to improve the lives of those around her by anonymously doing nice things. Through a clever, twisty turn of events, Amelie is rewarded for her kindness by meeting a scruffy handsome artist and finally finds the love in her own life starting to bud.

5.) Cloud Atlas

This movie is best intended for: People who like “Magnolia” and “Tree of Life”

After my first viewing, I found myself crying a little bit and I had no idea why. This colossally ambitious movie spans thousands of years and plays up themes of redemption, love and sacrifice. Plus, you get to see Tom Hanks wear funny outfits and talk in weird accents. To say anymore about this movie will not help you understand it any deeper – directed by the Wachowskis of “Matrix” fame – you’ll just have to see it for yourself.

6.) Drive

This movie is best intended for: Mature adults who like a bit of ultra-violence with their cake



Now we’re getting into my territory here. “Drive” is about a Hollywood stuntman (Ryan Gosling) who gets tangled up in his cute neighbor’s (Carey Mulligan) affairs and has to make terrible decisions in order to make the situation turn out the for the best. This 2011 indie darling received wide acclaim across the board. While not “romantic” in the obvious sense, “Drive” is still about a lonely, unnamed drifter who must do what he can to protect those he loves. It’s on my top ten list of best movies I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

7.) 500 Days of Summer

This movie is best intended for: Scenesters, hipsters, hopeless romantics – you get the idea

Every decade or so, a movie comes along that defines the youth’s perception of romance and hard-to-express sentiment. In 2000, that movie was “Garden State” and in these modern times, that movie is “500 Days of Summer.” It’s exciting to see how romance and love are constantly reinvented and it’s even more gratifying to see writers actively avoiding the same predicable pitfalls and tired audience expectations. In my opinion, the audience be damned. They don’t want to pay money to witness the same color-by-the-numbers drivel and neither should you. This indie gem is the cherry on top, my friends. Enjoy it while it lasts.

8.) Ghost

This movie is best intended for: Everybody

This movie got me laid. A lot. I remember being in my teens and instantly recognizing this movie as the perfect blend of comedy, drama, suspense and a tear-jerking ending that will floor anyone emotionally. When I was coming up as a little rapscallion punk and sometimes had the house to myself while my parents were away, I’d invite a date over and put on “Ghost.” Right around the clay molding scene was where things started getting frisky. Thank you, Mr. Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore for setting the mood every #$%^ time!

9.) 50 First Dates

This movie is best intended for: People who enjoy Adam Sandler movies

I do not enjoy Adam Sandler movies as much as I did before my balls dropped. As an adult man, I find them humorless, contrived and as deep as top soil. BUT! I was pleasantly surprised by “50 First Dates.” Sander’s character is dating an amnesiac played by Drew Barrymore. Every day he has to earn and keep her love because every morning when Barrymore wakes up, she forgets who she is and who she’s in love with. It’s “Groundhog’s Day” meets “The Notebook” in a weird, sadistic way. It’s heartbreaking and inspiring to see a Sandler’s scrubby character try his damndest every day to make a daily impression on his forgetful soulmate. That’s commitment, baby, however exaggerated. What Sander’s character does day-in and day-out to prove his love should resonate with you on the matters of how you feel committed to your partner and how far you’re willing to go to remind her or him of that undying devotion.

10.) True Romance

This movie is best intended for: People who HATE romantic comedies

This is the anti-romance movie. Written by a young Quentin Tarantino, “True Romance” is also in my top ten list. There’s so much to like about this film, for example, Christian Slater’s borderline psychopathic lead role to a who’s who of young Hollywood with cameos from a then unknown Brad Pitt, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Tom Sizemore, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport, James Gandolfini and of course, Bronson Pinchot. Oh yeah, let’s not forget about that infamous Gary Oldman pimp scene. Pure electric.

Behind the mask of blood, bullets and botched drug deals, “True Romance” at its core is about two lost, young lovers who will do anything to ensure they never stay apart, even if that means eluding mobsters and ripping off rich Hollywood svengalis. “True Romance” is about the fierce irrationality of love and the combustible consequences of a love that burns too bright, too hot for those around them. It’s that “us against the world” mentality – that Bonny and Clyde mystique that truly sets this movie apart as a highly fun exercise in kinetic, spontaneous chaos all wrapped with a pink, bloody bow on it.

Bonus Recommendation!

Silver Linings Playbook

Watch it. Love it.