10 film recommendations for a romantic evening

The best romantic films for an evening in with your partner

Joy, romance and tears on screen

Being in love is a wonderful feeling that you want to experience again and again. Films make this incredibly easy, of course. At the touch of a button, you can share in the excitement, the kisses, the heartache and the empathy as romantic relationships blossom, partners argue, make up again and the thrill of love sets your pulse racing. Romance can be so beautiful! Best of all, shared with your loved one on the sofa or in bed. With our romantic film recommendations, every evening becomes a romantic evening. Popcorn ready? Cosy blanket warmed up? Tissues to hand? Then let’s get started:

Casablanca

This film starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart is arguably the quintessential classic of the romantic genre. In Casablanca, Morocco, during the Second World War, Nazis, resistance fighters, spies and shady characters are all jostling for space. Not exactly the ideal setting for romance. Yet, amidst this chaos, nightclub owner Rick Blaine and the beautiful Ilsa Lund develop a love story unlike anything the cinema world had ever seen before. It is worth noting that the film was shot in 1942, during the war, and was highly topical at the time. A powerful plea against war and for unconditional love. We’ll just say, “Play it again, Sam”.

Cyrano de Bergerac

In 1990, Gérard Depardieu was at the height of his career. In the film, he plays an eloquent poet with an oversized nose from the 17th century, who helps a friend win over the lady of his heart (Roxanne) through the power of words. Secretly, he is in love with the lady himself, but does not wish to stand in the way of his friend’s happiness. He also considers himself too ugly for this extraordinary beauty. However, she has not fallen in love with his friend, but with his letters. The truth is only revealed very late in the film. A poetic drama that could not be written any more beautifully.

Pretty Woman

Pretty Woman was also released in 1990 and outshone everything else filmed at the time. Starring a very young Julia Roberts as a prostitute and an elegant Richard Gere as a stock market tycoon, the film tells the story of an unlikely couple. Humour, tragedy and, above all, the magnificent actors make this film one of the great fairy tales when it comes to romance. The message: love conquers all obstacles!

Real Love

Christian Slater, as the taciturn Adam, saves his colleague (Marisa Tomei) from being raped. However, the noble saviour has a heart condition and the rapists want to take their revenge on him. A modern fairy tale full of romance and tragedy unfolds. Perhaps not the most famous film, but when it comes to romance, it’s hard to beat.

True Romance

And Christian Slater again! This time as Clarence alongside Patricia Arquette as Alabama in a Tarantino film, directed by Tony Scott. Clarence, a comic book salesman, is a rather lonely chap and receives a call girl as a birthday present from his boss. Clarence is unaware of this, however, and promptly falls in love with the girl, just as she does with him. When he tries to rescue his beloved from the clutches of her pimp, he accidentally takes a suitcase full of cocaine instead of her belongings. This sets a turbulent story in motion, and their love is put to the test time and again. Anyone who loves action and dark humour as well as romance will experience one of cinema’s most unusual love stories here.

What the Heart Desires

An ageing playboy and a middle-aged author. That’s the premise. Except that the playboy is seeing the author’s daughter and suffers a heart attack during a weekend away together. The mother and the ageing playboy grow closer, fall in love, break up and eventually slide into a long-awaited happy ending. Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson turn this film into a fireworks display of humour, love and relationship chaos. A wonderfully charming romantic comedy with magnificent actors!

The Holiday

American businesswoman Amanda and the sensitive Englishwoman Iris swap homes over Christmas to escape their disappointing love lives. This leads to two very different love stories that pack a punch. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet shine in the female roles. The male parts are equally brilliantly cast with Jude Law and Jack Black. Here you get the best of both worlds – a charming and varied romantic comedy full of emotion.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Jim Carrey in a romantic film – can that work? Oh yes! In this multi-layered story, the reserved Joel falls in love with the impulsive Clementine (and we meet Kate Winslet again)

. After two years together, she impulsively has an expert erase all her memories of Joel. He then does the same out of spite, but whilst trapped inside his own mind, tries to save the memories from being erased because he realises she is the love of his life. A convoluted, hilarious and intelligent tragicomedy with plenty of twists and turns and brilliant actors. Our insider tip!

Once

Once is an Irish independent film about a street musician in Dublin who falls in love with a flower seller and trained pianist from the Czech Republic. Glen Hansard plays the sensitive musician alongside Markéta Irglová, and the two harmonise very convincingly on screen, not just musically. They became a couple shortly after filming, and the title song even won an Oscar. A film full of wonderful music and tragic love.

P.S. I Love You

You’ll need to be very strong now! The man in this story dies quite early on in the film. End of the story? No! He (Gerard Butler) leaves his wife (Hilary Swank) twelve letters with various tasks, all of which end with the phrase ‘P.S. I Love You’. This develops into a touching film about loss and new beginnings. Love that transcends death – you might as well put the tissues on the coffee table.

We hope you’ll find a few films in our selection to sweeten your evening. You’re also welcome to bring these films with you to the Romantikhotel Winzer, because alongside the many romantic extras we offer, you can also enjoy watching DVDs and Blu-rays in our rooms. So roll the film and really enjoy the romance!

Written by Christian Messmer