Dear John
LOVE IT – The typical love story; meet, fall in love, have a conflict, overcome, happily ever after. Dear John throws a twist on this typical time line. Yes, just like any typical story they were never supposed fall in love because it couldn’t work out, but of course, they did. And just as usual they are separated by a conflict, but the best part of this story is that she doesn’t stay and pine for her lost man; she picks up and moves on and cuts her losses, she helps someone in the world. I know it’s not sappy and cute and I know she’s supposed to end up with the man, but I’m so tired of that! I love the added conflict and the reality that it’s not smart to just sit and wait and cry. Reality is by far the best part of this movie, it seems like it could actually happen. –Rachel Sloan
HATE IT – How to describe Dear John with one word? Ridiculous. A movie about a soldier in the Army who falls in love on his leave? I guess that’s cute. Writing letters to each other after he’s deployed back to Iraq? Alright, that’s nice. When she leaves him and he gets shot and everything goes downhill from there? The directors should’ve just stopped while they were ahead. In the scene where he gets shot I laughed, while everyone else around me was freaking out and crying. In my opinion, it was decent enough at first but tanked toward the end of the film. –Nick Hage
Letters to Juliet
LOVE IT – This movie has the perfect combination between humor and romance. You are constantly laughing at the stereotypical English man, and the conversations that go on between his grandmother and a want-to-be professional writer that he ends up spontaneously falling in love with. The journey of finding the long-lost love of the grandmother shows the hilarious yet practical comments on Charlie’s view on life compared to Sophie who believes in destiny and the idea of love. This movie stars Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), Victor (Gael Garica Bernal), Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) and Charlie(Christopher Egan) as one of the best romantic comedy movies you can see. –Jessica Garrison
HATE IT – One of the things that really bother me with movies is if they are predictable. I watched the trailer before I saw the movie itself, and I already knew what was going to happen and how it was going to end. Other than that, the story itself was very unrealistic; I mean how does a letter stay in the same spot for 50 years without being found? When Sophie finds the letter, it’s behind a rock, and comes out easily. If it had really been there for 50 years, wouldn’t somebody have found it in that time? Besides those two things, the acting wasn’t the best and the storyline definitely could have been better. –Gloriana Stolle
The Notebook
LOVE IT – The Notebook is undoubtedly the best romantic movie of the century. The movie tells the story of teenage lovers Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams). Now, if Ryan Gosling doesn’t convince you to see it, then I don’t know what will. Let’s face it, he’s gorgeous. Its not-so-typical storyline will keep your eyes glued to the screen. Their adorable summer love gives you that nice warm feeling when watching it. You laugh at times, you cry at times and you really grow an attachment to some of the characters. The Notebook is overall completely and utterly worth every single minute of your time. –Bridget O’Malley
HATE IT – The Notebook is your typical love story; there is nothing exciting, nothing new and nothing to keep me interested. Though it does have the fun touch of it all being told as a reminder to the woman he loves who has forgotten their past, it’s still too stereotypical. Star-crossed lovers meet, parents disapprove, they overcome, what does that leave to your imagination? Absolutely nothing. The idea is exhausted and overused, I’m so tired of watching stories that could never actually happen, and all they manage to do is depress me because I know I can never have the ending they did. –Rachel Sloan
Titanic
LOVE IT – Titanic is one of the best romance stories of all time. This story unfolds into what is without a doubt a story that everyone can connect with. Titanic is in every since of the word a classic. Despite being 3 hours and 14 minutes long, this story manages to capture the audience from beginning to end.
It’s so much more than a story about thousands of people dying; it is rather about how they handled the knowledge that they were going to die. It shows the options many people faced such as forcing their way onto life boats, dying in the arms of a lover, drowning at the wheel of their ship, or freezing while promising to never let go of you lover’s hands. –Shelly Spencer
HATE IT – The ship sank slowly into the water. Drowning almost everyone on board. This romance movie breaks our hearts as we watch the perfect love story of two people drift apart. Don’t get me wrong, the acting is certainly award-winning and some of the best, but personally I think the storyline is one of the most tragic. Two people fall in love on the “unsinkable” ship and want to spend the rest of their lives together, although due to the captain’s deceiving knowledge breaks them apart by tragedy. In my opinion, some tragedy can make a movie worth seeing, but ending one of the most perfect, romantic relationships is too far. –Jessica Garrison
Valentine’s Day
LOVE IT – Valentine’s Day is a great romantic comedy because of its various storylines. It’s like having seven or so different movies in one, but eventually they all tie together. The cast list also improves the movie, having over 20 major celebrities, including Bradley Cooper, Taylor Lautner, and both Emma and Julia Roberts. Also, it’s about a romantic holiday so it’s a good movie to see with best friends or your special someone. With many different stories and a great cast list, it’s a hard movie not to love. –Kristina Jingling
HATE IT – Valentine’s Day is a terrible romantic comedy because of how predictable and confusing everything is. Basically, you take every single confusing aspect of every romantic movie and compile it all into one. The storyline is confusing as well. Following one character is difficult enough; try following 20. It’s also that much more terrible if you don’t have that “special someone” with you. It’s one of those movies to cuddle up and enjoy with your boyfriend or girlfriend. But what if you don’t have one? Then you’re just stuck in a miserable, confusing and lonely movie altogether. Valentine’s Day is definitely not worth seeing alone. –Bridget O’Malley
