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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Screening Dates Picking The Right Film For That Special Date

Renee Graham The Boston Globe

Everyone knows a good action movie when they see one an impossibly overpaid humanoid star, a murky plot, lots of noisy explosions, implausible escapes from overwhelming situations, and a few dumb Schwarzeneggerian catchphrases tossed off while pumping bad guys (or sometimes good guys) full of bullets.

Determining the charms of a good comedy are equally easy. If you laugh so hard you miss the next 15 minutes of dialogue, chances are you’ve found a funny one.

But what constitutes a great date movie?

For most folks, finding a date takes less thought and effort than finding a date movie. You pore over newspapers and magazines. You ask friends for advice. If you get desperate enough, you refer to reviews. Never before has finding a flick fueled so much fervor.

Let’s face it, movies serve a very important purpose, especially on a first date. They can set a tone for the evening, and perhaps help determine whether the date blossoms into a relationship. Besides, it’s two, fat hours when you don’t have to do anything but stare at the screen. No witty repartee, no dysfunctionalfamily stories, no teary, dreary tales of that last significant other who turned you emotionally inside out and left you for dead.

Of course, there are no hard and fast rules concerning the proper date movie. For every couple who loved and wept through “Ghost” with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, there were an equal number who found it mawkish and manipulative. “Pretty Woman” with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere was hailed as a great date movie in 1990, but really, its Cinderella-meets-The Happy Hooker theme is more than a bit discomforting.

In recent years, Disney’s animated films have become popular date movies, especally for young adults. With their romantic stories, films such as “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and now “Pocahontas” are attracting as many adults as children.

But what appeals to two teenagers in the first blush of love can hardly be expected to warm the hearts of a 30ish couple still dating after several years. Not to mention how gender, race and sexual orientation figure into the equation.

What any couple wants is something entertaining that will spark romance, not arguments. So, bouyed by our passion for romance and movies, we’re offering a little guide to the dos and don’ts of date movies. Nothing scientific here, mind you; just a few things to keep in mind the next time you venture off to the movies with that special guy or gal.

We’re concentrating on movies for first dates. Everything they say about the power of first impressions is true. Do the wrong thing on a first date, and you may not have a second. So no matter how tempting it is, avoid taking a first date to a film laden with sex. Too much flesh adds too much pressure to the evening, if you know what we mean and we think you do. Films like “Body Heat,” “Sea of Love” and the explicit “Taxi Zum Klo” might be fine later in the relationship, but for a first date, keep it simple.

Opt for romantic over sexy, but keep it light, airy and preferably funny. “Four Weddings and a Funeral” was a perfect example in recent years. There’s a slew of readymade date movies in theaters these days, including “While You Were Sleeping” with Sandra Bullock and the Billy Crystal-Debra Winger vehicle, “Forget Paris.” There’s also “French Kiss” with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. Of course, exposing a date to the achingly perky Ryan on a first date is rather like treating them to sushi dinner: Either they’ll love it or they’ll be nauseated for the rest of the night.

Chill and cling

Once upon a time, horror films were believed perfect date movies. You know, a thrill here, a chill there, next thing you know you’re clinging to your date. Cool concept, but it’s best to be careful here. We’ve long since fallen from the heady heights of Hitchcockian terror. These days horror movies are way too dumb and too gory. Remember, you’re trying to impress this person - take them to “Friday the 13th, Part 24” and they’ll think you’re a serial killer, or at the very least, a real dolt.

Action and reaction

This time of year, action films are all the rage. “Judge Dredd” and “Die Hard with a Vengeance” are just a few of the noisy action flicks clogging the local multiplexes, and you can bet dollars-to-donuts that couples are lining up for these. The problem is films like these are no-brainers and your date may think you are, too. A date movie should stimulate a little post-film conversation. In its time, the original “Terminator” was a fabulous date movie, combining action and real terror. These days, “Batman Forever” makes for a good date movie with its hint of romance and healthy helping of humor.

Documentary alert

Documentaries are much trickier. Remember Woody Allen taking his date to “The Sorrow and the Pity” in “Annie Hall”? Great film to be sure, but you don’t take a first date to a 4 -hour feature on the effects of war and Nazis on a small French town. On the other hand, “Paris is Burning” Jennie Livingston’s compelling journey through the drag balls of Harlem, was a brilliant date movie for hip, gay and lesbian couples a few years ago.

Foreign films have become increasingly popular as date movies. Once overlooked except for pseudointellectuals out to impress at cocktail parties, some of the most beautiful and romantic films of recent years have come from other shores. “Like Water for Chocolate,” “Farewell, My Concubine,” and “Cinema Paradiso” are among the foreign films adored as great date movies. Don’t let the subtitles scare you.

However, if you have a secret passion for the work of an obscure filmmaker in Qatar, do your date a favor and keep it to yourself. If the relationship lasts, you can always expose particular film fetishes later.

xxxx The hall of fame of great date movies “Psycho” (1960) “West Side Story” (1961) “Annie Hall” (1977) “Splash” (1984) “Desert Hearts” (1986) “She’s Gotta Have It” (1986) “Say Anything” (1989) “When Harry Met Sally” (1989) “The Crying Game” (1992) “Four Weddings and a Funeral” (1994)