Some romantic films conclude with a warm, tingly cinnamon roll feeling, while other conclusions may well, in the words of Flynn Rider from Tangled, “break your heart in half and crush your soul like a grape”. Personally, I err on the side of movies that can offer me both – raise a smile with their meet-cutes and banter, but also trigger the odd cathartic sniffle. With that in mind, here are my suggestions for romance movies as we come to the end of the month of love; some fitting more conventionally into the ‘romance’ genre than others, and each with their exact percentages of smile and sniffle provided.

“Nothing says romance like autumn in New York, plush cable knit jumpers, the friends to lovers trope, and Meg Ryan’s extremely specific sandwich preferences”

When Harry Met Sally – 95% Smile, 5% Sniffle

Nothing says romance like autumn in New York, plush cable knit jumpers, the friends to lovers trope, and Meg Ryan’s extremely specific sandwich preferences. As well as being the ultimate cosy comfort film, When Harry Met Sally (1989) is a feast for the senses, boasting pumpkin-tinted cinematography and a lush jazz soundtrack; but the core of the film is the sweet bickering dynamic between its eponymous, lovably annoying lead characters. And just as a bonus, Carrie Fisher is in it.

La La Land – 60% Smile, 40% Sniffle

I saw this film in the cinema when it came out, and I vividly remember not being able to move when the lights came up from the combination of sheer joy and sheer anguish that it elicited in me. This story of two artists falling in love in Los Angeles hits vertiginous emotional highs and lows, thanks to the magnetic chemistry of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling – but more than that, in spite of being an ostentatious musical that seeks to hearken back to the Hollywood extravaganzas of old, it’s an honest and often heartrending glimpse into the creative temperament that feels flinchingly true to life. Tissues advised.

The Sound Of Music – 90% Smile, 10% Sniffle

As a little child, I enjoyed this film (which is approaching its sixtieth anniversary!) because the songs were catchy, and the precocious child actors had to deliver snort-inducing lines such as “They were strawberries! It’s been so cold lately they’d turned BLUE!” As an adult, I still love and appreciate those elements, but the real highlight is the love that burgeons between a curmudgeonly yet dashing military widower and his brood’s chaotic governess. The gazebo, the moonlight, the ridiculous pinecone – it’s all top notch, and gives you an overwhelming sensation of vintage warmth.

“Yearning, passion, finger sucking and Venetian architecture – it’s all on offer”

Casino Royale – 50% Smile, 50% Sniffle

Including a James Bond film on this list might seem a tad “Ummm…huh?” at first glance, but hear me out. Daniel Craig’s Bond and Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd have mesmerising chemistry from the moment she joins him in the dining car of that train to Montenegro, and the quality only improves from there. While this is of course a spy film, it’s as much about love as it is about poker, cars or Mads Mikkelson’s preferred methods of torture. I personally believe that life can be divided into two sections – ’Before Watching The Casino Royale Shower Scene’ and ’After Watching The Casino Royale Shower Scene’. Yearning, passion, finger sucking and Venetian architecture – it’s all on offer, along with some really superb writing and performances.

Roman Holiday – 96% Smile, 4% Sniffle

Don’t we all want to ride around Rome on a Vespa having adventures with Gregory Peck? Enough said, really.

Cinema Paradiso – 50% Smile, 50% Sniffle

I think it says a lot that even just the Ennio Morricone theme that accompanies this film is sometimes enough to make me tear up. At its heart, Cinema Paradiso (1988) is about every kind of love inherent to the human condition – romantic, yes, but also filial, familial and cultural. It explores how we feel about friends, mentors and the homes we grew up in, and charts the course of one man’s life with an impeccable blend of humour and poignancy that will inevitably culminate in ugly crying.

As for dishonourable mentions…

Notting Hill

Julia Roberts is unnecessarily mean in this film, and Hugh Grant needs to learn to stand up for himself instead of constantly offering her tea.

Clueless

At what point did it become acceptable to win the romantic affections of your older ex-stepbrother by wandering through Beverley Hills at night, waving your blingy phone around like an idiot, and having to be rescued post-mugging, all while remaining completely shallow and out-of-touch.

Pretty Woman

I promise I have nothing against Julia Roberts, but it leaves such an acrid taste in my mouth that this whole film revolves around Richard Gere trying to buy the love of a woman he considers not ‘ladylike’ enough for him – probably because his character has all the charisma and allure of wet cement.

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