Valentines Day: Surviving the Romcom

With Valentines Day rapidly approaching, romantic comedies are inevitable. Check out our survival shortlist of great romantic films without the cheese. 

Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson's charming tale of young love is elegant, quaint, and humorous, yet heartfelt, deep and other-worldly. Set on a island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, a young pair of outcasts fall in love and plot to escape. Bonus points for Bruce Willis's distinctly un-macho performance as a lonely and depressed police chief, and Edward Norton as an absurd, yet dignified Scout troop leader.

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
Romantic fails to describe the richness of this film, performing incredible conceptual acrobatics to leap from heartwarming to an post-romantic sadness. It has rich philosophical and psychological depth, but hides it behind a scruffy sci-fi facade. A modern Groundhog Day, with an extra helping of cool.

Her
Out tomorrow (14th February), Her is the classic 'boy-meets-girl' tale. If the girl is a super-intelligent artificial intellect, with issues of collective consciousness, physics, philosophy and love. Despite this cleverness, the movie remains relatable through out. Set in a future not dissimilar to the cool corporate utopia of an Apple advert, Her is a refreshingly different romance with a seasoning of Apple design cool.