The Best Romantic Comedies To Watch This Valentine’s Day While You Cry Into Your Chocolate2/14/2020 One of my favorite movie genres is the romantic comedy, because who doesn't love elaborate storylines about love that aren't at all realistic yet totally enjoyable to watch? The last time I actually cared about Valentine's Day was probably in elementary school when I got to buy a box of themed cards and hand them out to all my classmates (aka the last time I felt alive), but I still appreciate the effort of the holiday (aka the half-priced chocolate I get to buy when it's over.) Since Valentine's Day is here, I decided to compile a list of my favorite rom-coms because I like to share my favorite things and also because I had nothing better to do, so here they are in descending order: 10. Hitch Hitch is a classic and falls into the I-will-watch-it-on-cable-with-commercials-when-I-randomly-find-it-even-though-I-own-it-on-DVD category. This movie follows a dating coach named Alex aka Hitch (Will Smith), as he helps a client (Kevin James) find love while also navigating his own romantic life with a tabloid reporter named Sara (Eva Mendes.) When Sara discovers Alex's true profession, it threatens to destroy all relationships involved. Really any movie with Will Smith is a good movie because he's an American treasure, but this is one of my favorites - and the scene with his allergic reaction never fails to make me laugh. 9. Sweet Home Alabama I feel like a lot of people haven't seen this movie and I don't know why. Sweet Home Alabama follows a fashion designer named Melanie (Reese Witherspoon), who gets engaged to a gorgeous man (Patrick Dempsey) and must return to her hometown in Alabama to convince another gorgeous man (Josh Lucas) to finally sign the divorce papers for their marriage that ended years ago. However, things aren't as simple as Melanie hopes, and she must decide which life she truly wants. This movie is so sweet that it's actually kind of rude that I wasn't cast in it, but other than that I have no complaints. 8. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days This movie has peak Matthew McConaughey and that's enough to secure a spot on this list. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days follows advice columnist (Kate Hudson) - who decides to write a piece on how to lose a guy in ten days - and sports executive (McConaughey) - who bets his friends that he can get a woman to fall in love with him in ten days - as they test their boundaries and capacity for love. I love a rom-com set in New York City about people with unattainable jobs and unattainable good looks, so this one meets all of my criteria. 7. Crazy, Stupid, Love The stacked cast in this movie is enough to secure a spot on this list. Crazy, Stupid, Love follows a man named Cal (Steve Carell) who finds his normal life shattered when his wife reveals she's been unfaithful and wants a divorce. When a charming guy named Jacob (obviously played by Ryan Gosling because who else would they cast for this role?) notices Cal striking out with women at a bar, he decides to take him under his wing. As their friendship develops, Jacob also finds himself drawn to Hannah (Emma Stone), the one girl who doesn't act like he's the best thing since sliced bread (even though he is.) If you're looking for a movie that will make you laugh and also probably cry, this is the one. 6. The DUFF This is probably the most underrated movie on this list, so I'm here to enlighten all of you. The DUFF follows a high school girl named Bianca (Mae Whitman), who decides to reinvent herself with the help of a childhood friend and popular jock (Robbie Amell) after finding out her classmates refer to her as the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) in comparison to her "prettier" friends. Mae Whitman is super funny and Robbie Amell is super hot so, again, all of the boxes are checked for me on this one. 5. To All The Boys I've Loved Before I'm pretty sure that this movie, specifically the character of Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), was created to ruin my life - so, here we are. To All The Boys I've Loved Before follows a girl named Lara Jean (Lana Condor), whose life is turned upside down when the secret letters she wrote to every boy she's ever "loved" - including her childhood friend, Peter, and her sister's boyfriend, Josh - are suddenly mailed. When Peter suggests to Lara Jean that they fake date to make his ex-girlfriend jealous and to convince Josh that she's over him, Lara Jeans accepts - and a sweet storyline that never actually happens in real high school but I'm glad it did in this movie unfolds. (Seriously, show me a real-life Peter Kavinsky... I'll wait.) 4. She's All That I'm a sucker for cliché high school rom-coms, ok - leave me alone! She's All That follows a high school jock named Zach ('90s Freddie Prinze Jr., thank you very much!), who bets his friends that he can gain the trust of the nerdiest girl in school (Rachael Leigh Cook) and transform her into a popular prom queen. Not only does this movie follow the classic formula of boy meets girl, girl takes off her glasses, boy second guesses his entire life BUT it also features "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer, aka one of the most romantic and classic rom-com songs ever, so, enough said. 3. Easy A Emma Stone is in two of the movies on this list and for good reason. Easy A follows a girl named Olive (Emma Stone), who finds herself the talk of the town when a lie she tells her friend about losing her virginity is spread all over school. When she decides to embrace her newfound slut-shaming after reading The Scarlet Letter for class, she finds herself caught up in the act and must figure out how to restore her reputation with help from her childhood crush, Todd (played by Penn Badgley in his prime.) Not only is this movie a classic in its own right, but the funny female lead and boy-next-door combination is always a yes from me. 2. 13 Going On 30 If there's a quintessential romantic comedy to watch on Valentine's Day, it's this one. 13 Going On 30 follows a girl in junior high named Jenna (Jennifer Garner), who, tired of being unpopular with no boyfriend, makes a birthday wish to be an adult and finds herself magically transformed overnight. Lost in her new world, she seeks out her childhood best friend, Matt (played by the dreamy Mark Ruffalo), and finds out the love she was seeking might have been in front of her the whole time. This is one of the few rom-coms that actually makes me cry every time I watch it even though I've seen it a million times, and I would like to go on the record and say that if anyone who's reading this resembles Mark Ruffalo in this movie please contact me immediately. 1. 10 Things I Hate About You Ugh, Heath. I love this movie for so many reasons, but there's something so magical about Heath Ledger's performance that makes it that much better. 10 Things I Hate About You follows a tough high school girl named Kat (Julia Stiles), whose lack of interest in dating prevents her younger sister, Bianca, from having a boyfriend due to house rules that she can't date until Kat does. When another student, Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), asks out Bianca, she tells him her situation and convinces him to get someone to ask out her sister. Enter charming bad boy Patrick (Ledger), who Cameron pays to pursue Kat, but things get complicated as Patrick develops real feelings for Kat (and vice versa.) This is a classic '90s rom-com and also one of my favorite movies ever, and I think everyone should love it as much as I do. After reading my correct and non-negotiable ranking of the best romantic comedies, I encourage you all to watch them this Valentine's Day; and if you don't, well, then I'll be watching them enough for the both of us.
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Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Little Women has been in theaters since Christmas Day, and if you haven't seen it yet then I'd recommend going immediately. Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, Little Women follows the lives of the March sisters (Jo, Amy, Meg and Beth) as they navigate life, love and family as young women in 19th century America. Led by Jo (Saoirse Ronan), the story jumps between her childhood with her sisters and her adult life as a writer in New York. This novel made the daily lives of women a topic to be read about and discussed, which was highly unheard of at the time it was published. When I saw Little Women in the theater, there were so many moments when I caught myself holding my breath or not blinking because the story resonated with me so strongly and I was hanging on to every word. This is a coming-of-age story from over 100 years ago, yet Greta Gerwig was able to capture it in a way that felt completely contemporary and still relatable for women today. Creating authentic stories about women in their daily lives made Louisa May Alcott a trailblazer for her time, and the fact that Greta Gerwig (among other women in film, television and literature) are still fighting to create space for such stories proves that there's still progress to be made. When the Oscar nominations were announced, I was disappointed but not surprised that there weren't any women honored in the Best Director category. With so many amazing films made by women in the last year (including Little Women), it still sent a clear message that there wasn't room for them at the table. Please don't try the, "Maybe these five men just did the best work as directors last year" argument with me because I'll tell you that you're lost. While this film clearly stuck with me, it's upsetting to see how people (like this male member of the Academy who couldn't think of a better criticism than "I hated it") can wave it off for something as simple as not wanting to follow a non-linear narrative (which sounds like a personal problem) or not being able to relate to it (tell me how you can relate to space robots turning into cars and superheroes fighting crime and get back to me.) Even if you're not a woman, stories about women are still important (what a concept), and it's not fair for anyone to dismiss that. The themes intertwined in the story of Little Women, from family and marriage to work and women's rights, are all still being discussed in the lives of young women today - and that's why films like this one are so important. Little Women is a representation of so many young women who still must fight for themselves to be taken seriously, who must balance family responsibility with personal independence, who must work twice as hard to get half the credit given to their male counterparts, who must deal with double standards every day of their life. The fact that people are so quick to dismiss this film is enough to show how women and stories about their daily lives are still often belittled or ignored altogether. Some of the most pivotal scenes in Little Women include impassioned speeches from the March sisters about such issues, and how helpless it can feel at times to be a woman. In one emotional scene, Jo tells her mother how women are so much more than just someone to love - that women have minds, ambitions, and talents that they deserve to be recognized for. It's so common for films to portray women as the love interest, or as someone whose life isn't complete until they find someone to love; but in Little Women, Greta Gerwig wanted Jo's main romance to be with her writing. For any young woman today whose priority is to build a successful career and an independent life, seeing Jo's commitment and refusal to settle for what everyone else wanted for her is a big deal (and if you can't relate to it personally, that doesn't make it any less so - just a reminder.) In another powerful scene, Amy (Florence Pugh) tells Laurie (Timothée Chalamet) that he has no right to judge her for pursuing marriage as an economic proposition. Despite the fact that Amy wants to be a painter, she knows that she if she can't be a great artist then she must rely on a husband to take care of her. It would be impossible for her to make a living and support a family on her own, and Amy represents many women at that time who had no choice but to abandon their dreams in order to survive in a society set against them. Yet, even when Amy pursued what was expected of her, she was still criticized for it. Today, whether a woman decides to pursue a career ("don't you want a family?") or she decides to raise a family ("why don't you work?") or she decides to do both ("how do you do both?), standards like this still exist and it's important for women to see stories like theirs portrayed on-screen. Above all, films like Little Women that show young women finding their place in the world and refusing to accept societal norms are valid and important. These stories should be uplifted and respected, instead of being minimized and pushed aside. Women matter, and our stories matter - and we all deserve to have our moment of crying in a dark movie theater while films like Little Women prove to us exactly that.
Today is Super Bowl LIV (aka the 54th if you're a normal person and don't categorize things by roman numerals), and if you're like me then you don't really care much about football. While big events like the Super Bowl are meant to celebrate the end of a season and name one team as the champion, there are also other ways to enjoy this day that has somehow become an unofficial holiday that you end up participating in whether you understand football or not. So, here are some ways to make the most of your day even if you barely look at the TV: 1. Remind yourself that it's one of the few days a year when you can treat yourself to food that you spend all year treating yourself to anyway From wings and sandwiches to nachos and popcorn, any good Super Bowl party will have endless amounts of food, so if you get bored by the game (for me, that's usually one minute after it starts) then just hit up the snack table and enjoy the fact that at least one good thing came from a day all about football. 2. Find other people who have no idea what's going on If you're hanging out with a group while watching the game, there's a good chance there's at least one other person who's as clueless as you are. Having friends to share snacks and ignore the game with will remind you that you're not the only person who doesn't understand why it's ok for people to get emotional over a football game but god forbid you have opinions about an award show. 3. Make yourself the center of attention by rooting for whatever team everyone else is rooting against This one is taken right out of my handbook. Whatever team no one likes is usually the team I'll act like I'm invested in and defend to no end. When I'm surrounded by people who care way too much about a team that they don't even like during the rest of the season, it's necessary to remind them that there's more to life than football and also that I'll do anything to make the game all about me. 4. Watch the halftime show and judge it as if you could do any better J.Lo and Shakira are this year's performers, so naturally there is going to be some very intense choreography going on. Even though I have zero dance ability and I'm not an international pop star (and I'm assuming you aren't either), the halftime show is the perfect chance to summarize a 15-minute performance that's been months in the making by saying, "That was fine." 5. Just agree with what people are saying about the game so you don't actually have to talk about it This is another technique that I've mastered. When people are getting super into a discussion about a bad call or a play that just happened, just nod and throw in "uh huh" and "totally" a few times. I have tried for many years to understand football and it just never took, so if you're the same way then it's probably for the best that you just nod in agreement and then go back to playing an episode of New Girl in your head. 6. Act like you predicted the outcome of the game When a team finally wins the game and everyone storms the field, it's your time to act like you totally called it and knew the team would win even if you spent the whole game cheering for the other team. If anyone questions you, just say that you predicted a spiritual victory for both teams because how do they know what the players are feeling? Try to argue that, football fans. The Super Bowl might technically be a day dedicated to football, but for me it's more about food, friends, and faking it until you make it - aka how I live every day.
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