As Valentine’s Day arrives, couples and singles alike may find themselves looking for the perfect movie to set the tone for this day of love. Whether it be a classic romantic comedy or a heart-wrenching love story, Valentine’s Day movies are a staple for this holiday season. But why do people keep returning to these romantic films year after year?
Valentine’s Day movies typically focus on two lead characters whose romance unfolds throughout the film. By the end, they usually achieve their “happily ever after,” leaving the audience with a warm, fuzzy feeling they wished to receive from watching the film.
These films thrive on universal themes of love, connection and overcoming obstacles, all to provide a sense of satisfaction to the audience that they typically don’t get from endings that are sad or open to interpretation. This genre allows viewers to escape reality and stir nostalgic and hopeful emotions within themselves.
People get a sense of closure, satisfaction and fulfillment from dopamine when the characters on screen that they’ve been watching all this time get the happy ending that viewers all knew, were expecting and were hoping for the moment the film had started.
With a majority of films, directors and actors alike are putting a lot of time and effort into casting, acting, filming, editing and overall creating the film, with a multitude of things being cut, remade and decided for the film to have the greatest and most genuine effect it can.
When some watch these lovey-dovey, romantic movies, they may see how the characters in the films almost always experience complete and utter lovestruck emotions for each other throughout their relationship. This could create miscommunication about what a relationship is truly like, hiding the truth behind rose-colored glasses.
“There are some relatable themes,” marriage counselor Luke Harty said. “We all want to be in relationships where we feel accepted for who we are despite our problems. And we like the idea that we will find someone who loves us in spite of our issues and we’re willing to do the same for them.”
However, Irene Schreiner, owner of Solid Foundations Therapy told Business Insider that one should avoid comparing their relationship to one they see on screen and that even the best rom-coms should be taken lightly.
With this in mind, many people have watched or at least heard of some iconic and well-known romantic movies such as “Titanic” and “The Notebook.” And according to MovieWeb, Hollywood’s golden era was majorly important in the genres of films seen today. And the concept of LGBTQ+ characters and romances has grown more common in the film industry and storytelling.
As filmmakers and actors want to make the feelings in films genuine and romance being such a large and prominent thing in many people’s lives, it’s completely understandable why this genre is well-loved and people constantly come back to it.
