7 Unconventional Romance Movies
As Valentine’s Day nears, it’s time for high demand in the usual suspects: chocolate, flowers, and romance movies. But suppose you’re not in the mood for the same old bit of boy meets girl. Suppose you’re looking for something more along the lines of zombie meets girl and boy meets computer program. The recent success of The Shape of Water, a romance where a shy woman becomes sexually attracted to an amphibian monster, has proven there’s a bit of a market for the weirder romantic tales. Whether you’re looking for something different to watch with your spouse or odd to view by your lonesome, here are some unconventional romance movies that are sure to put you in a much different mood this month of love.
1. Warm Bodies
(2013)
If Twilight could make vampires sexy and soapy, Warm Bodies aims to do the same thing with zombies. The critical difference is that this film is more winking in its absurdity, realizing that a human woman falling in love with a zombie man is rather ridiculous. Nicholas Hoult plays R, a zombie boy that still has some coherent thoughts, and Julie (Teresa Palmer), the beautiful survivor that warms his undead heart. It’s just as much a romantic tale of opposites attract as it is an admirably silly dose of bloody action and horror satire.
2. Her
(2014)
If you’ve ever found yourself falling in love with Alexa, Siri, or Cortana, you can probably relate to the lonely Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) and his relationship with his operating system, Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). The film takes place in the future where forming a relationship with your phone’s operating system is not only common, but a socially acceptable form of sexuality. It’s a weirdly prophetic film, but perfectly sells the sadness of being alone and dependent on technology.
3. Lars and the Real Girl
(2007)
Ryan Gosling may have been the heartthrob of the tragic romance The Notebook, but he would go on to become the strange man who falls in love with a real doll in Lars and the Real Girl. Gosling plays Lars, a mustached man that is so lonely in his small-town Wisconsin community. He orders himself a real doll and parades his artificial bride around town as the latest citizen, dubbed Bianca. Such a plot seems as though it’d be the perfect setup for a raunchy comedy, but it’s a relationship that’s portrayed as sweet and touching for a man that befriends a doll intended for little more than solo sex.
Streaming On: Starz
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4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(2004)
If you’ve just broken up and would rather forget your ex-lover, you might dig the futuristic concept of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In this film, you can wipe your mind entirely of a previous relationship. That’s the plan for Jim Carrey’s character as he undergoes the operation of girlfriend memory removal, trying to forget the blue-haired Kate Winslet. To do so, however, he must relive all his memories of her in the most surreal of non-linear dreams. Trippy and sad, the Michel Gondry directed picture is the perfect film for the oddest of tears.
5. Life After Beth
(2014)
If Warm Bodies seemed too whimsical with its sweet zombie romance, Life After Beth may be the more cynical flavor of choice for this strange little sub-genre. The roles have been reversed and the relationship no longer as mutual. Zach is saddened by the death of his girlfriend Beth but is shocked to discover she has come back from the dead in a mostly coherent state. But their relationship only continues to be on the rocks as Beth’s teeth continue to munch on brains. Filled with plenty of horror slapstick and an absurd treatment for a zombie outbreak, it’s a solid choice for the horror fan trying to let go of their ex.
6. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
(2010)
Sometimes getting into a relationship can have its share of obstacles. For Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), he has to deal with his new girlfriend’s ex-boyfriends and girlfriends. Seven of them, to be exact. And when I say deal with, I meant to defeat them in battles worthy of video games and Japanese anime. Directed by Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz) and based on the hit comic book by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the movie is fast-moving and vivid, matching the art style of the comics. It’s a tremendous geeky kick for a vibrant tale of young love.
Streaming On: HBO
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7. Wild at Heart
(1990)
David Lynch’s Wild at Heart is a tale of love, but in the tradition of Lynch’s trademarks for the violent and surreal. Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern play white trash on a road trip, associating with the wrong types and being pursued by assassins sent by Dern’s strict mother played by Diane Ladd. They fall in love while dancing to Elvis at clubs, finding dying people in the desert, and getting involved in a brutal bank robbery led by an ugly-toothed Willem Dafoe. And if all that wasn’t weird enough, the couple also have consistent daydreams about characters from The Wizard of Oz. Only in Lynch’s wild cinema world could love be so strange.
