As a devoted romance film watcher, even I have to admit that my viewing habits can be a little sinful. So here are my seven deadly sins in romance films.
SLOTH: THE ONES I’LL GET TO…EVENTUALLY
There are many iconic and lesser-known movies that I keep telling myself I’ll get around to watching, and then, I just don’t. These include Never Been Kissed (I’m just a little unsure about the premise of pretending to be a high schooler and ending up with the teacher…), Ghost, and Past Lives (but I think I am finally going to watch this one soon).
GLUTTONY: THE ONES I CAN’T STOP REWATCHING
Part of the reason I still have such a long to-be-watched list is because I’m a chronic rewatcher. If I sit down to watch a movie, it’s probably Penelope or Crazy, Stupid, Love. I’ve seen them more times than is justifiable and could quote several scenes.
PRIDE: THE ONES I’M PROUD TO HAVE SEEN
This category is tricky. What does it mean to be proud to have seen a romance film? I’m going to say Atonement, The Princess Bride, and Titanic because I think they are really well-done films that I would recommend to anyone. And with Titanic, it’s not an easy feat to sit down and watch a movie for three hours.
WRATH: THE ONES I ABSOLUTELY HATED
Not every romance movie is lovable. As much as I love Katherine Heigl, I thought The Ugly Truth was terrible and romanticized misogynistic nonsense. I never felt like it was funny; it just fell flat. I also wasn’t a fan of The Materialists. I really didn’t care who Dakota Johnson’s character ended up with because I didn’t see the chemistry between either pairing.
LUST: THE ONES I WATCHED FOR THE AESTHETIC ALONE
They say you should never judge a book by its cover… but I do that for movies quite a bit. 500 Days of Summer is a masterpiece, and I did watch it just because of the tagline on the cover. I also was drawn to La La Land because of the image of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling dancing on the cover. Thankfully, it turns out to be a fantastic movie.
GREED: THE ONES WHERE I WATCHED THE WHOLE FRANCHISE
This is the part where I confess to having a huge Twilight phase in middle school (Team Edward, of course). I have seen all the movies several times, and Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 is my favorite. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is another romance franchise that I have seen in its entirety, and in my opinion, those films are so cute.
ENVY: THE WORLDS I WISHED I LIVED IN
For this one, I am going to say Enchanted because how cool would it be to shift between a fairytale world and New York City?? Giselle is living the dream, seriously.
FINAL CONFESSION
If loving romance movies is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Even when they’re predictable, messy, or completely unrealistic, they give us something rare: the chance to feel everything, all at once. What are your seven deadly sins as a movie watcher?