Split Decision: Date Night

Welcome to Split Decision! Each week, Ryan will pose a question to our staff of knowledgable and passionate film lovers and share the responses. Chime in on Twitter, Facebook, our Instagram, or in the comments below.

This week’s question:

In honor of MJ’s Romance Week, what is a great film for a date night?

“Waiter, there is too much pepper in my paprikash.”
“Baby fish mouth!”
“I want you to know that I will never want that wagon wheel coffee table.”
One of the most quotable movies of all time, one of the best New York movies of all time, one of the best sweater movies of all time. When Harry Met Sally is all of these and more. A slow burn courtship of two best friends who sometimes can barely be in the same room, but have no problem watching television together over the phone, this is the romance for my wife and I. Sharply written by Nora Ephron, with Rob Reiner in the midst of one of the all-time great mainstream movie hot streaks, it is pretty perfect.

And "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." will always make me cry the happiest of tears.
–Ryan Silberstein, The Red Herring

Early in our relationship, Rosalie and I were still trying to figure out what the other’s style was. Turns out, there isn’t one. We both just like “good” movies and only we agree (usually) on what that means. In the process, we went to see 2007’s Body Snatchers remake The Invasion. This movie was perfect for both of us. We spent the entire time laughing about how ridiculous it was while still being able to enjoy the look of the thing. Imagine my surprise a couple months later when the unfortunate adaptation of Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith’s 30 Days of Night sent me into similar giggle-fits and I was chastised for “ruining the movie” for others in the theater. (My too loud retort: “It ruined itself!”) I guess there must’ve been something in the movie that I just didn’t appreciate as much as Rosalie. –Benjamin Leonard, Best Boy

Comedy that risks offense is a great way to suss out romantic partner potential. As I type this, I am looking at my faded ticket stub for a screening of Borat, which my husband and I saw on the Monday following Election Day, 2006. We discovered that we share the same sense of humor and laughed hysterically at the same visual gags. Thank you, Sacha Baron Cohen, for this and many other things. -Jenny Swadosh, Contributor

When my spouse of 6+ years and I started dating back in 1996(!), he was very afraid to go to the movies with me, because I am, well, critical. It took a few weeks before he would join me for a press screening, and the first one we went to was Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You. How could that title not be perfect date fodder? Well, for me, it was. I found the film swoon-inducing, though perhaps it was the company. I was too infatuated by my beau to think critically. Imagine my surprise when many years later he confessed that he hated the film, but was afraid to tell me because he didn’t want me to end our new relationship. I actually found that hilarious and sweet. (And I still like the film, but I love him more). I will also add that our besties (and his “best person” at our wedding) saw the Al Pacino Scarface on their first date (and remained together for 30+ years).–Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

David Bowie and Rosanna Arquette in The Linguini Incident, with Eszter Balint, Buck Henry, Andre Gregory and Iman. Anyone who doesn’t like this movie isn’t getting past first base. Period.–Anthony Glassman, Contributor

I reallyyyyy like what Best Boy Ben wrote up there ^^^ because I totally agree. I like to watch all kinds of movies with my girl, Ashley Jane, and it really depends on our moods. Like sometimes I’ll make her watch the terrible romcoms I love (Something Borrowed, The Proposal) or we’ll watch a Wong-Kar Wai (Ashley’s personal fave––see below, -Ed.), or we’ll check out an eerie Korean film my brother recommended (The Wailing). But if I had to pick one memorable date night movie time we had, it was seeing Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark because 1. I don’t always do very well with scary movies and 2. I had some really awesome pretzel bites with cheese and 3. there was this one part that reallyyyyy freaked me out that I was basically curled up in my seat but Ashley helped me feel not so scared. Since then, watching scary movies with my sweetheart has been my favorite.–Jaime Davis, The Fixer

One time, against my better judgement, I asked a guy on a second date to see a free screening of one of my favorites: Grey Gardens. I'm not sure why I thought a film about two reclusive old dames living among dusty victrola records and kitty litter would make for a good date but, to my surprise, he showed up. We were both soaking wet from the rain and had to sit in an overcrowded theater with no A/C while some random film professor gave a long-winded introduction for a movie I would later find out we'd both already seen. I rode the subway home convinced I had ruined a good thing before it could even get started. To my greater surprise, he called me back. Two years later, I'm still convinced that there's no better cupid than Little Edie dancing around her foyer! –Matt Crump, Staff Writer

The best options for me and my partner are weird or failures. I have a hard time getting her to watch anything that isn’t horror or a big blockbuster (sad films are out, and when you live with somebody who doesn’t like those, you realize they’re all you watch), but if I can convince her to sit down for something like Jonah Hex or Hudson Hawk, I know we’ll spend the rest of the night talking about why the movie was made, and what trends led the studio to think this was a good idea and remember that one character who sounded weird? Well I just looked it up and that’s a Canadian man trying to sound Swedish. He has three IMDb credits and he’s a camera operator on the other two. We can watch a Marvel movie and have a good time, but a conversation about the deeper themes of Dr. Strange isn’t going to last beyond the walk to dinner. You can spend the whole weekend talking about Serenity, though. –Alex Rudolph, Staff Writer

For years I earnestly curated my collection of sad love movies. You know, ones where the person in love did not end up with the one they love. That’s because that’s what I thought my life would be. Until it wasn’t! I’ll never forget finally watching Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express with my sweetheart for the first time. It wasn’t a sad watch anymore, it was beautiful and hopeful. You just never know where you’re gonna find love. (I love romance, okay?) –Ashley Jane Davis, Staff Writer

When my boyfriend and I started dating, him in Massachusetts and me in Brooklyn, our weekends together would more often than not include an afternoon at the movies - Lady Bird, Call Me By Your Name, A Fantastic Woman, Black Panther. A year later, both of us in Brooklyn now, we kept it going: captivated by Birds of Passage, pleasantly surprised by Ready or Not, arguing about Her Smell. But now, after a year where almost every night has been date night in our one-bedroom apartment, I think we’d both agree that the best date night pick would have to be What’s Up, Doc? The sexy and silly farce is a nonstop delight, building up speed and absurdity until Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal are careening through a San Francisco Chinatown parade. Streisand proves to be a screwball comedienne for the ages, O’Neal plays a perfect himbo, and I haven’t even mentioned Madeline Kahn yet - every date night is better with Madeline Kahn.–Ryan Smillie, Staff Writer

My mind drifts back to Fever Pitch a lot. It’s not about sports. It’s about loving someone who is devoted and passionate about something that isn’t about you, or maybe isn’t something you even like, but loving them for it anyway, and learning to appreciate that thing in a way you haven’t before. –Audrey Callerstrom, Staff Writer

Last Valentine's Day, my wife and I saw True Romance together and, goddammit, it's perfect. It's romantic, it's cute, it's action packed, bloody and profane. That's like the ideal date night movie. 

Sometimes, though, you gotta watch a date night movie about a couple you're happy not to be. And that's where Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf comes in. 

But maybe the best of them all is the sweet, underrated little gem Miracle Mile, about finding love, real love, at the end of the world. –Billy Russell, Staff Writer

I used to think that any film was good for a date… you know…. Because cinema. I know better now. Tsai Ming-liang’s Goodbye Dragon Inn is not a good date movie. It is an amazing piece of art, but of the two of us, one was thrilled beyond imagining (not only to see it on the big screen but also on 35mm), the other was….shall we say….patient, considering we also had to go to Queens to see it. If I had to side with a good “date movie”, I think my 14 year old self had a pretty good intuition when they decided on Meet Joe Black (1998) for literally their first “movie date”, indeed perhaps it was my first “date” altogether. It satisfied a requisite romantic vibe, was emotionally transportive, and at 3 hrs long was both epic length (early cinephile points for me) and therefore just long enough for me to work up the courage to kiss my date. I count it as a formative experience on all accounts. In fact, it is a guilty pleasure that survives in my collection to this day. There’s just too much strong and simple technique, too much refined mood and tension, and too many wonderful performances to dismiss it out of hand. I felt that way then, and I do now.

We recently rewatched Titanic, and not only does it hold up very well, but it does make for a pretty amazing date night at three hours long. Sure it may be a slightly morbid choice, but Jack and Rose’s love story still pops off the screen as brightly as it ever did.  –Andy Elijah, Staff Writer

Yesterday was one of the last movies my wife and I saw together in a movie theater before the pandemic hit. The romance subplot is pretty straightforward and predictable, but it works well enough if you just sit back and enjoy the music. The idea of being the only person alive who remembers the Beatles and who also has the talent to reproduce all of their music is just too good for me not to like. –Matt McCafferty, Staff Writer