Why choose an action movie for a date?

Why choose an action movie for a date?

Going to a movie is THE tried and tested date activity. But what’s a safer bet – action film or rom com? Okay, here’s a clue – it’s the action movie. For jolly good reasons. Here’s why.

When it comes to hotting things up, films are mood lifters or mood killers. if you’re going on a date, do be aware of what effect a film will have on you before you buy the tickets. Eraserhead is a great film, but to be honest I wouldn’t want to do hanky panky with anyone who gets in the mood for love after seeing it.

So… if you’re going on a date, what might work better? The action movie or the rom com? Let’s take a closer look at ‘X-men Origins: Wolverine’ and ‘Kate & Leopold’. Interestingly, they both star Hugh Jackman as the male protagonist and Liev Schreiber in a supporting role.

‘Kate & Leopold’ is a stereotypical romantic comedy, so very much so that I’m tempted to say that it is a meta rom com. The plot goes something like this: Kate (Meg Ryan) is a sensible career woman who doesn’t believe in love. At least until she meets Leopold (Hugh Jackman), a 19th century English duke who has fallen through a time-rift into modern New York (sic!). Leopold seems strangely familiar, probably because such a character rides around on a pretty horse in over half of the housewife romances ever written.

The film seems to be tailored especially to evoke little pink clouds in the female brain. And naturally, it fails utterly. The chemistry between Ryan and Jackman is pretty non-existent, emphasized poignantly in the scene where they spend a night together in a bed for the first time. After the romantic dinner and the kissing, do they rip each others clothes off and have wild, passionate intercourse? No. They put on their pyjamas and spoon. And to top it off, it all ends with Kate giving up the promotion she has worked very hard for to go back in time and live happily ever after as a little Victorian wifey. Enough to make even girls who missed all their feminist education groan in irritation. It also has to be mentioned that it is an achievement to make Hugh Jackman seem as sexy as yesterday’s dishes.

The film is still quite entertaining, mainly because it uses every romantic cliché in the book. And I’m suspecting that this is done intentionally. Certainly there is more than one hint that this film has been made tongue in cheek. But is it something to go see on a date? No. After seeing romantic comedies one may have had a few laughs if one is lucky, but one also learns that love and romantic relations with a man inevitably end with you giving up your independence and career. So unless your goal in life is to be a home maker and your reason for going on the date is to snare a provider I recommend steering clear of the rom coms.

‘X-men Origins: Wolverine’ is about the early life of the Marvel superhero. There is an abundance of violence, things going ka-boom (including a helicopter) and flashing of adamantium claws. And, of course, a generous helping of one of the hottest fictional characters ever created. What more can a girl ask for in the cinema? Okay, one could ask for a better plot and a convincing villain, but never mind.

Action films get your blood pumping. Even if it is utter crap you usually leave a bit energized after seeing one. And they are light entertainment which does not demand very much thinking. Which leaves you time to think about your date. And there is absolutely no hint of ‘happily ever after’ to put pressure on the date experience.

The conclusion is that the action film is almost always the better choice for a date. Save the romantic comedies for an evening with your mates, or until you are well settled in a relationship.

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