So you’ve made an introduction on your favorite date site like this and are chatting about the possibilities of arranging your first get-together. One suggestion frequently arising is to head over to your local theater, where you could snuggle together in the plush seating, refreshments to hand, waiting for the lights to dim. There’s also the more intimate choice of inviting your new partner over for a movie night, where you would have the option of choosing from a vast menu from TV, Netflix, YouTube or even DVDs. The only thing you need debate now – which movies are most apt for a first date? Here are suggestions for seven of the best.
Love Actually (2003)
Featuring an ensemble cast and covering ten separate storylines, writer/director Richard Curtis unashamedly plays with our heartstrings. With the added bonus of being set around the Christmas holidays, you and your partner can laugh at Bill Nighy’s cynical rock star, Hugh Grant’s prime minister dancing around 10 Downing Street, Andrew Lincoln pining after his best friend’s girl, Kiera Knightley, and numerous other engaging plots.
Groundhog Day (1993)
Some of the best romcoms have featured the attraction of opposites. World-weary TV reporter Bill Murray might not seem like an obvious romantic lead, but when he meets the charismatic Andi McDowell, an unlikely event occurs which assists his efforts to win her heart. He gets caught in a time loop. His attempts to engineer events based on outcomes he is already aware of makes for a sweet and inventive comedy, perfect for your date.
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Featuring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as an unlikely drag act, forced to impersonate girls in a touring musical troupe while fleeing murderous Chicago gangsters, this is one classic comedy which has certainly stood the test of time. As well as enjoying the brilliant one-liners, the sight of screen siren Marilyn Monroe at the peak of her tragically cut-short career will definitely give you both a warm feeling.
Titanic (1997)
Ok, so there’s nothing guaranteed to hamper your enjoyment of a film more than knowing how it ends. But even although James Cameron’s feature is set aboard the Titanic is it cruises towards its destiny with an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean, a love story unfolds between passengers Kate Winslet, from the pampered above-deck passengers, and Leo Dicaprio, a streetwise kid from below. The ship’s inexorable voyage to its demise only accentuates the intensity of their feelings. You and your date will need to ensure you have access to tissues as well as popcorn.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Tom Hanks received the best actor Oscar for this box office smash, an overview of America’s unfolding 20th-century history, as seen through the eyes of a slow but kind-hearted young man from Alabama. Masterful film editing also sees Gump spliced with real-life footage of US presidents. He does have a childhood sweetheart, but this is more about life affirmation than love and is a captivating drama for your date.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
A perennial story – how does platonic friendship survive natural sexual attraction – is enacted through a series of sparkling encounters between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, including that scene in a New York diner.
The Outlaw King (2018)
US star Chris Pine, best known for playing a young James T Kirk in the Star Trek reboot, makes a much more brooding medieval Scottish King, Robert the Bruce, in this epic drama. It has everything you could ask for in an entertaining date film – drama, tension, sweeping battle scenes, and Bruce’s love for his Queen, Florence Pugh.
