Guys and chick flicks don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand, and chances are you won’t find a “Die Hard” fan sobbing with his girlfriend while watching “Beaches.” However, that doesn’t mean the ladies have to do all of the compromising and watch a yawn-inducing action flick. Women who are looking for the romance of a movie night but don’t want a pair of bored, rolling eyes from across the couch need look no further than these old and new DVD releases.
“Mr & Mrs Smith”
More than simply the movie during the making of which Brad Pitt fell in love with Angelina Jolie, “Mr & Mrs Smith” is an action-heavy movie filled with one-on-one gun fights, explosions and all kinds of mayhem and destruction. But at the core of the film is the chemistry between the titular Mr and Mrs Smith, rival assassins who once loved each other but kept their other lives a secret — before being ordered by their bosses to kill one another.
The film has plenty of action, but it’s also about passionate love turning into a ho-hum romance that’s eventually at last re-ignited by a couple willing to look at the reasons why they fell in love in the first place. Hopefully you aren’t a pair of secret assassins yourself, but chances are you and your sweetheart could get behind the film’s romantic message.
“This Means War”
Lauren Scott may have found it flattering when two handsome guys, FDR Roster and Tuck Hansen, started vying for her affections, but little did she realize that both are CIA agents — and both are aware that she’s dating the other guy. Love for Lauren pits two friends against one another as they engage in espionage-like situations in order to try to get the drop on one another without letting Lauren know.
Guys will love the harebrained spy spoof situations and the crazy lengths to which these two CIA agents will go to become Lauren’s favourite man. Ladies will love the chemistry between Lauren and her boyfriends and find the ending truly sweet.
“Jerry Maguire”
The “action” in “Jerry Maguire” is relegated to the American football field, but chances are, if your guy’s an action-movie lover, he’s a fan of American football, too. The core of the story is sports agent Jerry Maguire, recently fired, trying to secure his sports star clients for his new enterprise. As he exits the successful firm from which he was recently employed, only one woman, single mother Dorothy Boyd, offers to leave the firm with him and help him establish his new enterprise.
As Jerry and Dorothy struggle to succeed in business, Jerry’s personal life falls apart, too, leading him to break up with his fiancée. Jerry finds comfort with Dorothy, and the two marry, but largely for financial reasons. While Jerry’s a doting father figure to Dorothy’s son, he’s stiff and distant with Dorothy, and the two break up. By the end of the film, as Jerry works tirelessly to make his business succeed, he learns what’s really important to him, leading to one of the most quoted lines in romantic film history: “You had me at hello.”
“The Princess Bride”
One of the most romantic films of all time is also one of the most humorous. Filled with swashbuckling pirates, vengeance-seeking swordsmen, and kind-hearted giants, “The Princess Bride” has sword fights, torturing villains and epic quests in spades. It also has quotable lines that are sure to make you laugh.
At the very heart of the story is a romance between Princess Buttercup and farmhand Westley, who sailed away to make money in order to return home and marry her, but who died at the hands of the Dread Pirate Roberts. Years pass, Buttercup mourns, and at last she agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck instead. When the Dread Pirate Roberts lands in Prince Humperdinck’s kingdom, Buttercup is whisked away by this awful pirate who killed her love, and so starts a war between Roberts, his allies and the prince’s men — and not all is as it seems.
The next time you want to spend a night with your sweetheart watching a movie you’ll both enjoy, consider a date movie that even an action-loving guy would love. Appeal to the funny bone in both of you, or look for action stories with compelling romances woven throughout the film. Just because your guy doesn’t love romance movies, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love romance. Find the perfect date movie, and your guy’s action-loving heart will melt.
About the Author: Odessa Wagaman is a contributing writer and movie critic. She’s blogged for numerous publications, both online and off, and recommends movies on a regular basis.