love at the moviesI’ve got a great idea. Why don’t you and I fall in love today?

Why don’t you come over? We’ll rent a couple of great movies. Maybe we’ll watch a romantic comedy or a thrilling drama. We’ll just sit on the sofa, talk, watch movies, hang out, and fall in love. What a great idea. Isn’t it great to fall in love on a random day?

I think it’s a great idea. Matter of fact, I’m totally into it. Besides, we know that you and I are probably never going to hang out, and we’re not going to fall in love, and this is just me being goofy. But, today I’d love to find out that if we could fall in love, what movies would we watch together.  Today, I’d like to see a list of the best romantic movies you’ve seen over the last year.

It’s going to help a lot of the men on this list to connect deeper with women, because men think a Jason Statham movie is the perfect date movie. Women have a different idea of romance. So, let’s talk a little bit about movies today. One of my favorite movies I’ve seen this year was Birdman; I thought Birdman was just such a great movie and a great story all around. It was exciting because there hasn’t been a movie like it before. Those long shots, getting to watch the actors go all out. It was thrilling.

Couple of the movies I’ve seen have been good. One I really enjoyed was Gone Girl. Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck exploring how couples intentionally hurt one another, how they grow to need one another. I don’t want to spoil it if you haven’t seen it but there are more twist and turns in this film than an M. Night Shyamalan movie, and here, the twists make sense.

What I love about the movies is how they bring people together. Think about it. Since their invention movies have been the perfect date. A large dark room, sitting close with your sweetie, the magic of cinema…

Movies can transcend language. Have you ever watched a movie with someone from another country or someone who speaks another language? All they need is the image. You can laugh at a Charlie Chaplin film even if you can’t read the scripted portion. You can share the fight scenes from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon – even if you don’t know why they’re fighting the artistry is breath taking. The look Lauren Bacall gives Bogart reads as love in every language.

I’ve made friends with people I can barely hold a conversation with while watching a film. That’s part of the mystique. Movies are great because they can literally take you back in time. Have you watched some of the early Mary Pickford films on YouTube? At the time, Pickford was one of the most recognized faces in the world. The stories she told, yes she wrote, directed, and starred in her own films back in the twenties, about the struggles of being a woman in a man’s world. How’s that for female empowerment?

Amazingly a silent, black and white film, from twenty years ago still resonates today. Are you looking for a good date that won’t break the bank? Play an old black and white movie, make a picnic, and see how much close the homemade cinematic experience brings you and your man. Movies also have the power to talk about some of life’s difficult situations. Maybe you had heard about blood diamond’s in Africa, but watching Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond, seeing the actual devastation, really brought home the reality. Right?

But it’s not just world event. Think about When Harry Met Sally. Is there a better example of the complication and joy of falling in love with a friend? It takes this complicated, all too common scenario and helps you see all the humor and drama that goes along with it. Or, what about E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. One of the first films to talk to kids about the difficulty of divorce, of being the middle child, of surviving middle school. All wrapped up in a Sci-Fi movie.

Can You Find Love At The Movies?

Finally, movies can sometime speak to us when no one else understands what we’re going through. Have you ever watched a film and thought to yourself, “The guy who wrote this understands me.” Or “This actress must have had a similar experience as me because her reaction is so similar to mine.”

A friend of mine felt this way when she saw Up. Yes, the animated film. Hear me out. My friend was smart as a whip. She graduated college early, sank her life into her career and did well for herself. While she was focused building up her career, her life passed her by. She had dreams to travel the world, start a non-for profit, maybe adopt a child.

When she saw the opening, the couple who couldn’t have the baby, but still had each other, something clicked for her. She realized her time was finite. Because of Up my friend quit her job, moved to China and started a company that helps rescue children who’ve been orphaned and abused.

The power of movies, am I right?

So what about you?

What are some of the best movies you’ve seen so far this year — or last year — that you could recommend to other people. Let’s get a fun conversation going today.