Top 5 Valentine’s Day movies

For some, Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean a fancy dinner by candlelight, but rather take-out Chinese food and the glow of the television.

For these folks, Hollywood has also capitalized on Valentine’s Day with a plethora of movies destined to generate tears. Here are the top 5 Valentine’s Day films as chosen by the CU Independent.

5.“Blue Valentine”- Beginning the countdown on a somewhat low note, “Blue Valentine” is the perfect movie for those who find themselves single this Valentine’s Day. Directed by CU film graduate Derek Cianfrance, the film stars chick-flick regular Ryan Gosling and “Dawson’s Creek” sweetheart Michelle Williams.

The film centers on the downfall of their relationship by flipping between the end of their marriage and the very beginning of their romance. Hilary Devlin, a 20-year-old sophomore international affairs major, said she feels there is a purpose for “Blue Valentine.”

“Once in a while we need a movie that reminds us that life sucks,” Devlin said.

Desperately trying to save their marriage, the couple vacations to a hotel and stays in a space-themed hotel room. As they try to rekindle their love, alcohol inspires yet another fight and the viewer finds Gosling passed out and alone on the floor of the hotel room.

4. Any Julia Roberts movie: If chick-flicks were the high school prom, Julia Roberts would be unanimously crowned the queen. While she has shown her skills in a diverse variety of films, her strengths seem to lie in the romantic chick flick.

Emily Prather, a 20-year-old junior integrative physiology major, said she finds “Pretty Woman” to be Roberts’ best flick.

“Every girl dreams of being swept up by a man who takes her out and pays for everything,” Prather said.

Other Roberts favorites include “Notting Hill,” “Eat Pray Love,” “Steel Magnolias,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “Runaway Bride.”

3. “The Princess Bride”- Made way back in the 1980s, “The Princess Bride” is like the live version of a Disney princess cartoon: There’s a prince, a princess, a dashing suitor and many roadblocks in the way of love.

Princess Buttercup gets kidnapped by the prince’s men in order to force her to marry him. Her adolescent love interest disguises himself as the Dread Pirate Roberts and crosses dangerous hurdles to save her and redeem their love.

Matthias Young, a 23-year-old first-year graduate student in chemical engineering, said he isn’t usually a fan of chick-flicks but has a soft spot for this one.

“It’s a classic love story,” Young said. “It has everything: romance, giants and the pit of despair.”

2. “A Walk to Remember”- As a general rule of thumb in chick-flicks, any sort of disease will lead to death and opposites always attract. In this film, Landon (Shane West) plays a delinquent who is forced to participate in community service, like the school play. Jamie (Mandy Moore) is a quiet Christian girl with a secret.

When Jamie and Landon both star in the school play, their initial tension turns to sparks which turn to inevitable love. Later in the movie, Jamie reveals she has leukemia and Landon copes with losing the love of his life. They marry before her untimely demise and Landon finds the Lord. The end.

Kyla Brunner, an 18-year-old freshman open option major, said she loves the sadness of the movie.

“It’s a real tear-jerker,” Brunner said. “I cry every time I watch it.”

1.“The Notebook”- The generations of the past have had “Casablanca” and “Gone With the Wind,” and this generation has “The Notebook.” The movie, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, epitomizes true love, starring Ryan Gosling as Noah and Rachel McAdams as Allie.

Showcasing the ever-popular “opposites attract” theme, Allie is from an affluent family and Noah is from the wrong side of the tracks. The two meet, and despite seemingly insurmountable odds, wind up together in the end.

“It’s definitely that timeless love that everyone hopes for,” Prather said.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Caitlin McCluskey at Caitlin.mccluskey@colorado.edu.

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