Valentine's Day 2017: Ten films to watch on the day of love, if you are weary of cliches

Valentine’s day, with its relentless barrage of heart-shaped anything, romantic getaways and cliched romantic trappings, is all well and good for those of us who are dating or married.

The rest of us though, live in a disgruntled disgust coupled with weariness to try and escape the cliches of Valentine’s day. In that spirit, here are a few films for those of you who don’t want romance shoved down your throats on 14 February, and genuinely want to Netflix and chill (no pun intended).

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky (Rebecca Hall) And Cristina (Scarlett Johnson), are two friends who take a trip to Barcelona in Woody Allen’s umpteenth film about complicated relationships. The plot is something we have seen many times before; the girls fall for the same man (Javier Bardem plays a Spanish artist) and wreck their lives. Penelope Cruz plays Bardem’s fiery ex. Don’t worry though, the film doesn’t have a cliched happy ending.

(500) Days of Summer

Told in retrospective, (500) Days Of Summer tells us the story of Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as he remembers the year that he knew Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel).

For Tom, it was love at first sight when she walked into his office, her having just been hired as the new assistant, and before long Tom concluded to himself that Summer was the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. But the problem is Summer doesn’t believe in relationships; and by the end of the film Tom ends up by himself.

It is debatable whether Tom forces his ideas on a woman who had no place for them, or whether he has his heart broken by a woman who plays with his feelings.

Romy and Michele’s High school Reunion

Here’s a film that celebrates the kind of love that really matters — the love between lady friends. This comedy is light on romance and heavy on friendship.

Romy and Michele go to their high school reunion and try to give it back to the bullies who made their life hell. The film is a fun and warm take on friendships and a perfect Valentine’s Day watch with your friends.

Husbands and Wives

Here’s one more from the king of dysfunctional relationships; Woody Allen. This 1992 films stars Allen as Gabe and Mia Farrow as Judy, a couple whose friends are on the verge of a breakup.

Their friends’ failed relationship starts to take a toll on them. Gabe starts flirting with one of his students (he is a university professor) and Judy starts having an affair with her coworker.

By the end of the film; Gabe and Judy are separating while their friends decide to stay together.

Blue Valentine

This is the perfect ‘anti’ valentine’s day film, if you must: How do two people who love each other end up divorced? The film depicts a married couple, Dean Pereira (Gosling) and Cynthia ‘Cindy’ Heller (Williams), shifting back and forth in time between their courtship and the dissolution of their marriage several years later.

To Die For

Love is blind, and this is something Larry Maretto’s (Matt Dillon) mafia-esque family discoveries as they meet his new wife,fame-obsessed weather girl Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman).

When Larry tries to convince Suzanne to take time off to build a family; she immediately starts plotting to kill him.

This black comedy is at its best in the scene where Suzanne brings a boom box to her husbands burial; and with all eyes on her and no sense of inappropriateness; blasts ‘All By My Self.’

Gone Girl

How do you punish a cheating husband?

Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck play married couple Nick and Amy Dunne. Nick cheats on Amy; and Amy retaliates by framing him for her murder while she disappears and goes off the grid.

Adapted from Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name; this film will make you question whether if you really know your partner or not.

Fear

What do you do when you love someone to death?

Follow them everywhere? Keep track of their every move?

Reese Witherspoon stars as Nicole, a teen with a rebellious streak that gets her into a relationship with David (Mark Wahlberg). David’s obsessive nature spells the end of the relationship; but he doesn’t leave it at that. The film is supposedly based on Shah Rukh Khan’s Darr.

Natural Born Killers

Mickey Knox (Woody Harrelson) and his wife Mallory (Juliette Lewis) are very much in love and embark on a romantic road trip together.

Sounds like another run-of-the-mill love story right? Not really. Two are serial killers whose cross country killing spree leaves 50 people dead. Directed by Oliver Stone and scripted by Quentin Tarantino; the story is an interesting look at how media hype works.

Brokeback Mountain

Two young men, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist 9Jake Gyllenhaal), meet when they get a job as sheep herders on Brokeback Mountain in 1963.Throughout the weeks, they grow closer as they learn more about each other and become romantically involved. They part ways after the summer ends, but will they reunite to rekindle their love?