in defense of love

I love Valentine's Day. I love it. I love the colors, the candy, the balloons, the flowers, and the big romantic gestures. I know people always hate on it and call it a consumer holiday, but I love it so I will continue to consume it. If you don't like it, you can just keep those sentiments to yourself. I've never had a boyfriend or a love interest over Valentine's Day, so I've always celebrated in other fun ways. I will not let the fact that boys don't like me (scientific fact- you can't convince me otherwise!) deter my from celebrating this love filled holiday.   In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share my five favorite romantic gestures from movies. I feel like big incredible things like this don't happen in real life. I am sure someone can fight me on this and has a beautiful story about a lover who did the most romantic things on a regular basis for you. If this is the care, great. Pat yourself on the back. I'll just continue crying into my Lemon Sorbet while youtube-ing "Saddest song ever." Sometimes I do that and I always end up listening to Taps by the Marine Corps Band. How depressing is that? Okay, by "sometimes" I mean, maybe I've done it like three times. That might be three times too many.  No Taps this Valentine's Day! Only Love Story by my girl Taylor!
Here goes nothin'!
1. Glen Hansard gives Marketa Irglova a piano in "Once."

This movie is just so beautifully heartbreaking. The first time I saw it, I just wept at the end. I just want to say exactly why it's so beautiful and tragic but I'm afraid of someone getting mad at me for going into detail about a movie they haven't seen. Okay, I'm gonna do it. The movie is so sad because they don't end up together! Ugh. Heartbreak city. The reason his gesture of giving her a piano is so romantic is because he gives it to her as they are parting ways. That's true love. I haven't even touched a piano since second grade but I'd learn in like five seconds if a man with an accent gave one to me. 
2. Lloyd Dobler stands outside Diane Court's window in "Say Anything."

My mom introduced me to this movie when I was in high school as part of a "the movies of my generation are so much better than the movies of your generation" type of bonding experience. She was right. There is nothing more romantic than when Lloyd stands outside of Diane's window hoping to win her back by blasting the song that they had adult relations to. Since seeing this movie, the song has become a fixture in my life and whenever I hear it, I have to stop what I'm doing and take a moment of silence for Lloyd and that beautiful movie gesture. I think that the moment is even more perfect because Lloyd is just so loveable. He's so normal and I mean that in the best way possible. He was just looking for a dare to be great situation. I'd marry him.
3. Edward climbs up Vivian's fire escape in "Pretty Woman."

This movie is just so great because he's a young, successful, handsome businessman and she seems like she could be your best friend, aside from the fact that she's a prostitute. Though we're taken on a roller coaster of emotions through this movie, Edward wins us over in the end when he comes to whisk away his princess prostitute in a modern day fairy tale. He arrives in his limo, standing in the sun roof with a bouquet of roses. I am so in love with him in this movie, I totally don't blame Vivian for letting him kiss her on the mouth. I would. So would my mom. Any my grandmother. He's just got that kind of charm. I need a fire escape and I need a businessman to come rescue me! 

4. Landon makes Jamie's dreams come true in "A Walk to Remember."

Thank God for Nicholas Sparks. Seriously, that man is a genius in the way that he has mastered the art of lady emotion manipulation. He can make my cry no matter what. He's such a guilty pleasure. This movie made girls all over the world want a bad boy. If Landon could be reformed into the perfect boyfriend, I could find a real life Landon to be really mean to me at first and then fall deeply in love with me even after I had instructed him not to. This is all I hoped for throughout middle school, high school, college, and now grad school. I may or may not be a little bit kidding or a little bit serious. You decide. I haven't met my Landon (insert sobfest here), but I still get chills every time he takes Jamie out on her bucket list adventure. Shiver me timbers.

5. The Beast gives Belle a library in "Beauty and the Beast."

This has been my favorite movie since seeing it as a three year old. A lot of people give Belle a bad rap but I firmly believe she's the most underrated Disney princess. I mean you see everything under the sun adorned with the faces of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and those other bimbos, but why not Belle? She's obviously the smartest. Those other girls were satisfied with shoes and kisses- not Belle. She yearned for a library. She's a smart cookie. Disney movies are full of romantic moments, but the most romantic moment of them all (ask the mirror from Snow White if you don't believe me) happens to my girl Belle when the Beast makes her close her eyes and leads her to her own freaking library. The library is huge, has massive windows, and a fireplace. That's my happy place right there and this is basically the best present ever. I'd love nothing more than to curl up in front of that fireplace with the Beast and read a book. Obviously animal version of the beast, not long haired post-transformation prince version of the beast. No thanks.

What's your all time favorite romantic movie gesture?