Reservations, roses, and red heart-shaped boxes- it's that time of year again. The fairytale Valentine's Day takes a lot of planning from both parties; the perfect restaurant, the perfect outfit, the perfect hair, the perfect kiss-proof lipstick...the list goes on.
V-day falls on a Sunday this year, which makes it the perfect year to forego all the date night drama and snuggle in bed all day, watching movies. Opt for the low-key, romantic option with a Nicholas Sparks movie marathon. Nobody does romance quite like Nicholas Sparks, and nobody does laying stationary in front of a screen for hours on end quite like you. Refer to this organized list, in descending order, or Nicky S' best flicks!
10. Nights in Rodanthe (2008)
The best part about this movie is the super cool wooden beach house where all the action happens. This one never clicked for me because of the age of the main characters. Their situations are ones I can sympathize with, but not empathize with because I am neither unhappily married nor a parent.
9. Message in a Bottle (1999)
This movie is so old it was technically meant for the generation of teens before me, since I was only 2 when it came out. The storyline is so fantastical that only Nicholas Sparks could've penned it.
8. The Lucky One (2012)
It pains me to have to put a Zac Efron movie so far down on a top ten list, but this was also just not a winner in my book. The mix of tragedy-happiness wasn't quite balanced, and I always end up feeling sad after this movie.
7. A Walk to Remember (2002)
This was a really sweet movie, and it was the first (non-Barbie) love story I watched. When I was younger, I didn't like that a main character died. Now, I am a Nicholas Sparks sage and I understand the necessity of killing Jamie from cancer so that Landon could go on to medical school and achieve everything that she had encouraged him to do.
6. Safe Haven (2013)
While this movie was definitely the darkest Nicholas Sparks movie, it is also one of the best-cast duos. It's hard not to feel for them both; he's a widower with two adorable kids and she's running from her family and becomes a part of his. The only detraction of this movie is that the happy/sad balance is off a little bit in the final scene which includes a child in a burning house, a drunkard arsonist, and a death by gunshot; a little dark for a romcomdram.
5. The Last Song (2010)
I've always had a sweet spot for this movie because I had my first slow dance to the theme song, so I'm a little biased. Despite the poor acting skills from the both of them, it's hard not to enjoy the love story between a rebellious intellectual and a rich pretty boy.
4. Dear John (2010)
This story is literally the cutest on the entire list; John and Savannah fall in love, but John's in the military, and Savannah ends up giving up her life with John so she can marry a friend who has cancer and a son with autism. Essentially, she is the best kind of selfless martyr who would give up her own happiness to better the life of a disabled child. And John is Channing Tatum in a soldier's uniform...enough said.
3. The Longest Ride (2015)
This movie followed the Nicholas Sparks formula to a T; Ira's bittersweet love story interwoven with Sophia and Luke's current story is definitely a successful melange of bull riding, art shows, and 1930's culture.
2. The Notebook (2004)
It's a classic. While this is arguably the best romantic movie of all time, it falls short to my number 1.
1. The Best of Me (2014)
James Marsden's revenge on Nicholas Sparks for The Notebook. Similar to the fan favorite (my #2), The Best of Me features one love story in the past and the present. The ending is what makes this movie superior to The Notebook; when Amanda's son receives Dawson heart as a transplant, everyone in the movie theater bawled. The ending is the perfect balance of tragedy and happiness with Dawson's reading of his last love letter to Amanda as the screen fades.
Stay in bed with Nicholas Sparks this Valentine's Day!
