Paper hearts colored every hue of pink and red set the mood for February, the month of love. Store isles begin to fill shelves with extravagant rose bouquets and chocolate covered strawberries. Whether you’re single, or busy appreciating your significant other, a month dedicated to acknowledging the deeply rooted love in our lives ques both old, and new romance movies to play on our screens each year. From ’90s rom-coms to star-crossed lovers, a little romance has big impacts on LSE students.
Perhaps it’s bold love declarations or choreographed dances to sing-songy conversations of affection that truly convey the message of love in some people’s minds. For the 62 LSE students that participated in a romance movie based survey featuring “The Notebook,” “Titanic,” “Anyone But You,” “Dirty Dancing,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “La La Land,” 41.4% chose “The Notebook” as the best romance movie. “Titanic” earned itself the title of runner-up with 20.7% of their votes.
These Valentines Day favorites may be the perfect way for the lovers inside LSE to celebrate. For hand-holding couples strolling the halls, a blissful romance tends to lift spirits and embrace light-hearted comedy, while a sad love story can achieve the opposite effect, leaving the viewer devoid of the warmth they may have been hoping to experience.
Junior Leahlani DeOllos prefers happier romance movies. “[They] just make you feel better. It just shows that love can be good and it’s not all bad.”
Many romance movies contain love stories that provide a representation of how a healthy relationship should function. Although, others may set completely different examples that relay inappropriate messages further influencing unhealthy relationship standards.
“In my opinion I kinda think about the movie ‘It Ends With Us’, just because it’s mostly seen as romanticizing abuse and domestic violence when really that isn’t something to romanticize,” DeOllos said.
This alludes to the idea that the best romance films tend to represent healthier relationships, rather than glorifying the unhealthy aspects between couples. Despite the appreciation cheerful romances gain, sometimes a more melancholy romance with a happy ending earns itself just as much love.
This is shown with “The Notebook”, claiming the title of best romance movie. Throughout the movie viewers follow the main characters, Noah and Allie’s heartbreak filled love story. Regardless of the many tears shed throughout the movie, they earn themselves a happy ending.
“It tells such a great story, like how he wrote her a whole year’s worth of letters (to rekindle their love) that, unfortunately she never got, and when they met again it was like they’ve always known each other. It just has one of those stories that are very memorable,” DeOllos said.
Dedication to one’s love for another is a contributing factor that shows how loyalty in love is a commonly appreciated attribute to have in films. For many it’s not just the experience of watching the movies, whether that’s at home or in theaters, alone or with company, snacks or no snacks, sometimes a sweet cheesy couple’s love is all it takes to feel warm and bubbly inside.
For freshman Bree Meese, she watches romance movies because “I love love, it’s just so adorable. If the movie has a good plot I’m just so invested. Will they get together? Will they not? Even though the answer is almost always ‘yes’.”
Just like Meese, many people feel joyful when they see others happy and in love. Who wouldn’t? Romance movies have a tendency to produce a blanket of warm bubbly love through screens. So whether you prefer to view in theaters or at home on the couch, a little romance can be pretty heartwarming.
No matter the movie, even the smallest details can create a more exciting viewing experience. Watching the movies with company or without can make all the difference. 67.7% of the 62 LSE students that filled out the previously mentioned survey prefer to view romance movies at home, while only 32.3% prefer to view them in theaters.
“I think that watching them in your own home, with your own snacks is better. Watching a rom-com in theaters seems weird to me you’re supposed to be with friends in pajamas eating cookies and ice cream. Can’t get that in a theatre,” Meese said.
Oftentimes February is seen as a month for couples only, but sometimes appreciating the love friendships provide can be celebrated with a Galentines get together and a rom-com movie marathon to show just how much affection you have for your friends.
Regardless of whether you watch romances alone or with company, a tasty snack never fails to make the experience more enjoyable. 31.1% of students’ favorite movie watching snack was popcorn compared to the 23% for candy, 18 % for chocolate, 16.4% for slushies, and 11.5% for chips.
Meese also believes that a catchy playlist, good actors and an enticing plot makes for an all around better love story. While most ’80s and ’90s romances have been adored for years, newer rom-coms tend to be overly cheesy and make their audiences cringe with overwhelming second-hand embarrassment.
“The 2000s have plenty of good movies but more recent rom coms are just kind of mid. I don’t hate them, they just don’t have the same cute little effect,” Meese explained.
Although some will find a modern rom-com over the top, cheesy and unbearable, others live for them. Others will also find that older romance movies could be out-dated and unrealistic. Regardless, both will continue to have their fair share of supporters when Valentine’s Day rolls around each year with the arrival of February.
So whether you’ll spend your Valentine’s Day with a special someone or a box of chocolates, a couple rom-coms and musical love stories accompanied by tasty snacks could be all it takes to enjoy this season’s day of love.
