Dating Can Be Comic or Tragic in Films

Dating is a roller coaster for many of us. Most individuals seek love in their lives, and many of us can find a connection in the real world. You might meet potential love interests by going to a coffee shop. Perhaps you discover the love of your life at your job. Some people like online dating. Regardless of how you meet a date, it can be an exciting part of your life. 

Films show us how unique dating experiences are for each person. You might connect with romantic comedies because they feature funny instances of dating. Then, there are more serious films where people date and fall in love. You might watch a film that starts with two people dating and ends in heartbreak. Romantic affairs can be intense experiences. 

You can read more about how dating impacts people in this series of articles on BetterHelp. There you will find a variety of scenarios and some guidance to help you through your dating journey. You can also find some wisdom within the film world. Here are some different instances of how dating is portrayed in movies. 

Fun dating films 

Many people enjoy romantic comedies. Here are some fun dating films that may make you laugh.  

50 first dates 

Here’s a fun movie featuring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler called 50 First dates. In the film, Henry (played by Sandler) is a gigolo veterinarian who can’t seem to settle down. He’s determined to woo Lucy (Barrymore), but there’s one issue – she has short-term memory problems. The character has what’s called Goldfield Syndrome. 

It means she can’t remember anything that happened the day before. Henry is determined to make this work. The film is charming and features quirky characters. It is a romantic comedy based on the true story of a woman named Michele Philpot, who had a traumatic brain injury. Each day her husband needs to remind her of their marriage and the details of their life together. 50 First Dates is a fun story with a real-life origin.

Down to You

Down to You is a heartwarming and funny romantic comedy featuring Julia Stiles and Freddie Prinze Jr. Stiles plays Imogen, a visual artist, and Prinze Jr. plays Al, the son of a celebrity chef ( Henry Winkler). Al and Imogen met me in college. They fall for each other, but their romance is rocky along the way. There is infidelity and heartbreak, but ultimately they end up together. 

However, before the happy ending, Al ends up drinking Imogen’s shampoo because it smells like her. There are funny moments with Al and his dad, including a parody on the show “Cops” entitled “Cooks.” Down to You shows us that love is challenging but rewarding in the end.

10 things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You is based on the Shakespearean play Taming of the Shrew. Another Julia Stiles film features Stiles as Kat Stratford, a notoriously irreverent girl dedicated to being independent. Her younger sister, Bianca, is dying to get out there on the dating scene. 

Unfortunately, their dad made a rule that Bianca can’t date until Kat does. Enter Patrick Verona (played by Heath Ledger). Verona is hired by Bianca’s love interest to woo Kat so that Bianka can go on a date. Hilarity ensues in this farcical film. It shows that dating can be fun, but sometimes people aren’t always truthful.

Dramatic Dating Films 

There is a darker side to dating, which is why it’s important to balance out films when it comes to love. Here are some movies that deal with the heavier side of romance.

Cruel Intentions

This film features Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe. Witherspoon plays Annette, a teenage girl saving herself for marriage. Sebastian (played by Phillipe) is a Manhattan upper east side playboy. Sebastian has a questionable, provocative relationship with his stepsister Katherine (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar). 

Katherine says she will sleep with Sebastian if he is able to seduce the good girl Annette. Sebastian is up for the challenge, but he doesn’t expect to fall for Annette. Cruel Intentions is a whirlwind movie that plays with your emotions. There is heartbreak, deception, and hope at the end.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Many of us would like to forget the heartbreak of relationships. Clementine (played by Kate Winslet) meets Joel (played by Jim Carey) in this film. They’ve all worked hard for each other, but it’s not an easy relationship. Clementine has volatile moods, and Joel has difficulty dealing with them. 

Ultimately, she breaks up with him and chooses to get her memory erased at a special clinic, so she doesn’t remember him. He is heartbroken over the loss of the relationship and even further destroyed by her choosing to forget him. Joel decides to erase his memories of the relationship, thinking it will help him heal. Unfortunately, it backfires, and he starts to panic during the procedure. He wants to stop halfway through the erasing process, but it’s too late. 

In the end, even though their memories of each other are forgotten, the two find their way back to each other. This film is a depiction of what heartbreak feels like. It shows you that no matter how hard you try to erase someone from your memory, they will always find a way back to you.

The Fault in Our Stars

Based on the book by John Green, this film shows the romance between two cancer patients. 16-year old Hazel Grace (played by Shailene Woodley) is navigating thyroid cancer which has spread to her lungs. In a cancer support group, she meets Augustus Waters (played by Ansel Elgort). He is in remission from cancer, which resulted in an amputated leg. 

At first, they are friends, and they fall for one another as time goes on. They go on a road trip to Amsterdam together to find an eccentric writer where they realize they’re into each other. Sadly, the movie ends in a tragedy. However, we are left with the feeling of hope from their love story. 

Discover you’re dating truth in films 

Take a moment and think about what sorts of films with you are more connected to romance and dating. You can learn a lot about your love life from watching movies. Perhaps you relate to comedy depictions of dating. Maybe you’re more of a dramatic type. It can be cathartic to watch films about romance and find your truth within them.