By: Ellie Simmers ~ Assistant News Editor
I wanted to do a Valentine’s edition of LetterBoxd Top 4 as we celebrate Love Day this week. I tried to narrow all my favorite romantic comedies down to four films, but choosing them was impossible. Instead, I will highlight my favorite “Anti” Valentine’s Day movies.
These films deal with heartbreak and breakups rather than love and marriage.
I know that February 14 isn’t always a day full of romance for everyone, so if you have been dreading this Friday, check out these films and celebrate self-love on this day of love.
- (500) Days of Summer (2009)
If you watch this film for the first time and all you know going into it is what the synopsis online says, you will be severely disappointed.
The film is labeled as a “romantic comedy,” which I would argue the film fits in neither of those genres.
(500) Days of Summer follows Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel), exploring their relationship through non-linear flashbacks of the 500 days they were together.
What drew me into this film and why it is still one of my favorites is how easy it is to see yourself in the characters.
At some point, we have all been Tom, so hopelessly in love with someone that the incompatibilities between you two fade into the background.
At another point in our lives, we have all been Summer, free-spirited, trying to figure out our place in the world, and not wanting to be tied down or labeled what we should be.
Tom’s tendency to idolize Summer and Summer’s aversion to commitment as a way to retain her independence doesn’t make them bad people or even badly written characters; it makes them human.
These flaws are what make them feel so real. They aren’t perfect, and the film doesn’t try to hide that; it highlights how deeply flawed Tom and Summer are.
(500) Days of Summer shows us that some people are meant to fall in love with each other but are not meant to be together.
- La La Land (2016)
As someone who loves movie musicals, I was excited to see Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling dancing and singing on screen the first time I watched La La Land.
I was certainly unprepared for the emotional rollercoaster I was about to embark on.
La La Land is about two fiercely passionate people trying to make their dreams come true. Mia (Emma Stone) is an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is a jazz musician waiting for his big break. The film follows them through their journeys to follow their dreams and the relationship between the two of them.
Similarly to (500) Days of Summer, La La Land does not end the way the viewer might hope or expect it to. I don’t think that’s inherently a “bad” thing.
Dozens of romantic comedies end with happily-ever-after, which is true to life for some people. The film avoids the easy resolution, offering a more realistic portrayal of how love and aspiration can intersect and sometimes diverge.
What makes La La Land a beautiful film to me, aside from the immaculate cinematography and choreography, is how the film portrays a relationship many people find themselves in: the right person for a season.
Mia and Sebastian find each other right as they struggle to achieve their dreams. What makes the audience feel so attached and, later on, disappointed by Mia and Sebastian is how good they were for each other at that time. They pushed each other to do better, both in their respective crafts and as people, and ultimately to follow their dreams.
As a viewer, it can initially feel like a let-down not to see the couple live happily ever after or have a messy, dramatic breakup.
Instead, La La Land shows a couple who does not regret the end of their relationship but appreciates the relationship for what it was and meant.
It’s a bittersweet ending, but a realistic portrayal of powerful and meaningful connections doesn’t always mean forever.
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
I am a chronic movie crier, but no movie has made me cry like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has.
The film, to me, is so much more than the synopsis describes it. It’s a deeply emotional and thought-provoking film that will stay on your mind long after the credits roll.
After Joel Barish (Jim Carrey), heartbroken after his breakup with Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), finds out that she has undergone a procedure to erase all of her memories of their time together, he decides to undergo the same procedure, in hopes of erasing all of the memories from the beginning to the end of their relationship.
After the end of a relationship, it’s not unreasonable to wish you could forget everything about it, to erase the memories that continue to cause you pain.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind suggests that our memories are intertwined with our emotions rather than just recordings of previous events that play in our heads.
This film shows how you can not discard the painful parts of your past without losing part of yourself.
The nonlinear storyline is another aspect of this film that makes it stand out. Similarly to (500) Days of Summer, the choice to have the storyline be shown in fractured snapshots is meant to showcase how fragmented the nature of memories is. While (500) Days of Summer explores how a relationship is remembered, using a nonlinear narrative, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind depicts the active erasure of those memories and the profound loss that follows.
Using the fragmented timeline, Joel and Clementine’s relationship is swirled with beauty and pain, making Joel’s struggle to hold onto his memories even more tragic.
As the procedure progresses, he’s not solely losing the painful memories; he’s losing the beautiful ones, too, the moments of connection and love that made their relationship so impactful.
Overall, this movie isn’t solely about erasing memories; it’s about love and remembering the painful and good moments.
- John Tucker Must Die (2006)
Ending on a much lighter note than the previous three films, I had to include one of my guilty pleasure movies that fits the “Anti-Valentine’s Day” theme.
John Tucker Must Die might not be a cinematic masterpiece like Eternal Sunshine, but it’s a fun and escapist 2000s chick-flick that scratches that specific itch for lighthearted revenge comedies.
John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe) is the star basketball player and most popular guy at West Canoga High School. He is also a serial cheater, balancing three relationships with three of the most popular girls at the school (Sophia Bush, Arielle Kebbel, and Ashanti), all from rival cliques. When the girls find out, they band together, despite their differences, and recruit the new girl, Molly (Brittany Snow), to help them enact revenge on John Tucker.
In true 2000s chick-flick fashion, their plans don’t go over smoothly.
Complications arise when Molly starts to develop feelings for John Tucker, and the other girls question whether revenge is the right thing to do.
In keeping with classic 2000s teen film tropes, the film is packed full of over-the-top escapades, giving the film a satirical edge.
John Tucker Must Die might not have won any Oscars, but it’s a reminder that sometimes, a silly teen comedy is exactly what we need, especially when we’re tired of the same old romantic tropes.
Check out my LetterBoxd account (elliegsim) for past recommendations and what I am watching now!
