DAILY DIRT: All the other stuff can be done last minute, but you better start now to pick that perfect Valentine’s Day movie for that perfect someone

January 22, 2023 | By Steve Eighinger, Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

**Daily Dirt for Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023**

Oliver and Jenny, anyone? … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 507 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Valentine’s Day is about three weeks away, but it’s never too early to start planning for the special day.

For some things you need to allow for some extra time. Flowers? Candy? A nice meal at a nice restaurant? All of those items can be taken are of at the last minute if need be, but there’s one part of Valentine’s Day that requires some extra attention.

After you give that special someone the best bouquet of flowers from the cooler at the Hy-Vee on Harrison, the best box of chocolates the nearest drug store offers and get to the local steak house before rush hour, don’t forget about the perfect ending to a perfect Valentine’s Day.

That would be a movie.

After you get home from that steak and-all-you-eat salad bar, make your way to those his-and-hers recliners and turn on the perfect film for you and The Little Woman to enjoy.

I have three suggestions for that perfect Valentine’s Day movie. I’ve tried to stay clear of the predictable “When Harry Met Sally” type of offering. As great of a that film as that is, I wanted to dig a little deeper into the romantic movie library. Here’s my choices:

Gold medal: “Love Story” (1970). If not the saddest romantic ever, it’s certainly worthy of a spot on such a medal stand. Oliver (Ryan O’Neal) and Jenny (Ali MacGraw) are from different backgrounds, but fall in love and marry. Jenny develops cancer soon afterward … and well, even if you have never watched this classic, I’m sure you know the ending is not exactly uplifting. Even the soundtrack is sad, and more than likely, at some point in the final stages of this film you’ll need to reach for the Kleenex. But in many ways, it is the perfect love story, and what better time to watch than on Valentine’s Day?

Silver medal: “Titanic” (1997). This is another classic, that after more than a quarter of a century, tends to be forgotten when cinematic love stories are discussed. But the fictitious narrative of Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) is timeless. A warning to those who may never have seen this epic is how emotionally draining the latter stages of the film are.

Bronze medal: “Notting Hill” (1999): This would probably be considered a mild sleeper on a list like this, but Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts are superb in a story about a man and a woman who weren’t looking for love. It just happened. Neither of the lead characters are perfect, they are simply a man and a woman trying to make the best out of what life provided them. Now THAT sounds like a real-life love story.