Don't Lose That Lovin' Feeling - Keep The Romance (Movies) Going!

I don’t know about anyone else, but I always want a good romance element in my movies, no matter the main genre. And Valentine’s Day may be over (and we’re officially in the grasp of the next candy-filled holiday with Cadbury eggs on grocery shelves), but that just means there’s room for love in our hearts, and whether you’d rather head out to the theaters or stay on your couch, there are romances everywhere you look.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance While I am a bigger fan of the first two movies - especially XXL, this third installment does have the heaviest focus on romance. The chemistry is there and it’s hard to look away anytime Tatum and Hayek are interacting, but the lack of bromance really hurts the overall vibe of the tale. The whole film would have easily jumped up a full point if Magic Mike was backed up by our favorite dance crew we’ve seen on the previous stages. Swoon Score: 3.5 out of 5

Your Place or Mine Behold, in the year of our Lord 2023, we have a bonafide romcom on our hands. We have genre royalty in Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher (I truly am not sure how many leading romance roles they have between them), the standard cast of supporting characters and a comforting plot trajectory with just enough of a refresh to not feel plodding. Even if the dialogue isn’t going to earn a screenplay Academy Award, there’s enough charm to make this love story worth your time. Swoon Score: 3.75 out of 5

Shotgun Wedding Maybe you’re rolling your eyes at this list because you’re more of an action flick fan than a sappy story lover. Don’t worry, I have that covered too. All you need to know is in the title. They lay it all out there for you. There is a wedding. There are many guns. Talk about truth in advertising. Shotgun Wedding offers up an all-star cast and some solid plot twists that manage to keep a stereotypical shenanigan-filled adventure bright and interesting, as well as some truly laugh-out-loud moments. Swoon Score: 3 out of 5

Somebody That I Used To Know I had an absolute blast with all this romance, but I think this (least publicized) Prime straight-to-streaming movie was my favorite. It has elements of all the greats - leaning heavily on some DNA from My Best Friend’s Wedding, just refreshed a bit. Alison Brie and Jay Ellis lead the pretty amazing (and absolutely gorgeous) cast of adults navigating love, marriage and the one that got away. It stands out among the crowd by following the path less traveled in terms of plot direction, and I can only hope more people stumble upon this hidden gem. Swoon Score: 4 out of 5

Here’s to sharing the love through the rest of this year - on TVs and in movie theaters, that is.