6 Surprisingly romantic films that new couples will love

The new year will mark the start of plenty of new romances and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, there are sure to be many lovers settling down for movie night. But what to watch can become quite the puzzle.

A film that portrays a positive outcome for budding romantics, that appeals to a range of cinematic tastes and boasts a charismatic cast alongside a quality script.

That’s not an easy list to fufill especially when moving away from traditional rom-coms, but we have a few suggestions that scan across a range of genres and ensure that love is at the very core. 

Credit: Merrick Morton. Courtesy of Open Road Films

One word sums up Jon Favreau’s 2014 hit Chef. Passion. Directed by its star and featuring talent such as Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, John Luguizamo and Robert Downey Jr, the film traces the life of a talented chef who has abandoned his genuine love for cooking, losing his job after a violent outburst aimed at a critic.

With a marriage to save, a son to reconnect with and a career to restart, the cinematic experience takes its protagonists on a food truck road trip, which has since inspired the Chef Show spin-off. 

Heartwarming, and brimming with passion for family, former lovers and food, this is a perfect picture to enjoy with a new flame after a candle-lit meal.

Plus, there are some fantastic recipes included throughout the piece that are sure to make for great future date nights.

It’s just a shame that Smell-O-Vision never got off the ground in time for this release. 

Credit: Allyson-Riggs

Science-fiction doesn’t always make an appearance when discussing movies made for budding romantics, but 2022’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, doesn’t shy away from a love story that spans the multiverse.

Starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis and James Hong, lead character Evelyn’s mundane life is thrown into chaos once a version of her husband from a different world unleashes the secrets of multiple dimensions upon her. 

With her murderous daughter attempting to destroy her own existence, Evelyn must step up and be the mother she needs to be.

High stakes and hilarious action, combined with a beautifully written romance between a couple in every reality, results in an outside-the-box choice for new pairings that’s as imaginative as it is visually bombastic. 

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

From director Nicholas Stoller comes 2022’s Bros, with Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane in the leads. The romantic comedy takes two narcissists, Bobby and Aaron, who avoid commitment at all costs, and pair them together in a sincere and honest depiction of how love can win out. 

Although it’s not easy sailing and doesn’t confirm a full happily ever after, the film gorgeously demonstrates how these men simply can’t live without one another, despite their conflicts, and thus provides a funny and moving recreation for many young romances of how a situationship can simply just work.

The chemistry of Eichner and Macfarlane absolutely sells the project, which carefully balances the traditional romantic comedy tropes without feeling familiar.

Courtesy of Netflix

How far would you go for your partner? Directed by Michael Matthews, 2020’s Love and Monsters asks that very question, with Dylan O'Brien’s Joel attempting to make his way to love interest Aimee, portrayed by Jessica Henwick, who is separated by about 85 miles of blood-thirsty monsters.

Starring Dan Ewing, and Michael Rooker alongside the leads, Love and Monsters is another genre-bending display of action-adventure and romance, as this brave, and potentially very stupid, hero relies on his complete lack of skills and lovesick mindset to make his way across the post-apocalyptic terrain.

Whether that journey even results in a renewal of that fire, considering the separation of the duo, is a subject matter that audiences will be keenly aware of as they root for Joel’s arrival.

Most of all though, it portrays the lengths that someone will go to based on those beautifully fond memories of a former love. 

Courtesy of Netflix

Many couples these days are set up by their friends or work colleagues in some form. It makes the premise of 2018’s Set It Up so relatable, with the Claire Scanlon directed comedy focusing on two separate pairings who are moving in very different directions.

Starring Glen Powell, Zoey Deutch, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs and Pete Davidson, Charlie and Harper are work colleagues who attempt to set up their respective bosses in the hope that a new romance that might make the uptight head honchos a little happier—and thus take the stress off of their employees. 

While it might seem like a success at the beginning, the rom-com clichés kick in as the unexpected allies begin to fall for one another as well.

Besides the characteristic cast, the charming script and feel-good finale definitely makes this a must-watch for those new couples seeking a calm and slightly more by-the-numbers flick. 

Courtesy of Focus Features

2012’s Moonrise Kingdom, from legendary director Wes Anderson, boasts a star-studded cast. including Billy Murray, Kara Hayward, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Jared Gilman, Jason Schwartzman and Tilda Swinton.

The coming-of-age film is a sincere representation of young love, as 12-year-olds Sam and Suzy decide to run away together from their scout troop and parents respectively, to begin a new life.

It’s a ridiculous premise, with the film showing the world through the eyes of these two kids, both of whom seem far too wise for their age. 

It’s absurdist, containing all the trademarks of a Wes Anderson outing, but is emotionally compelling throughout.

It’s certainly not a traditional romance, but its odd combination of melodrama and bursts of hilarity build to a climactic conclusion, as the search for the missing duo continues.

Moonrise Kingdom will result in newcomers falling in love with cinema all over again. 

Read more: 7 Greatest love triangles in film

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