Watch This, Not That: 5 Netflix Instant Date Movies to Watch (& 5 Not To)

There are some gems on Netflix that you can watch instantly, and many of them are especially good for a date night. But choose wisely: some are perfect for cuddling up on the couch together, while others just seem that way.

1.Recent Indie RomCom:
Watch Safety Not Guaranteed, NOT No Strings Attached
The huge star power of No Strings Attached (starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher) doesn’t hold a candle to the adorable power of Safety Not Guaranteed (starring…we couldn’t even tell you). It’s sweet, smart and funny — everything you want in a date movie (and in a date!). Meanwhile, NSA is totally forgettable (just like you wish all your bad dates could be).

2. Tested Love:
Watch 2 Days in Paris, NOT Like Crazy
They both are about the harsh realities of real relationships, but one is frenetically funny and the other just fizzles out.

3. Homoeroticism:
Watch Brokeback Mountain, NOT Heavenly Creatures
Well before his Lord of the Rings empire, Peter Jackson directed Heavenly Creatures, a small, stylish indie starring then-unknown Kate Winslet and featuring a lot art, fantasy, and gothic romance between two kindred spirits in undies and ankle socks. One prob for date night, though: it ends in bloody murder. For a gay love story that also ends in murder but much less graphically, try Brokeback Mountain — it can teach you and your date a thing or two about passion, forbidden or not.

4. Lost Love:
Watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, NOT Blue Valentine
Most of the promo materials for Blue Valentine tried to trick us into believing it was a hot, passionate, romance about crazy love. Nope! If you’re up for a movie about love dying, make it one that is simultaneously about love (and hope) triumphing over experience. It also doesn’t hurt that ESotSM is visually stunning, incredibly clever, and totally innovative.

5. Older Foreign Love Story:
Watch Cinema Paradiso, NOT Like Water for Chocolate
They’re both classics from the late 80s/early 90s, but for date night, we’d suggest the one that focuses on love, kisses and movies, rather than the one that focuses on love, digestion and bodily functions.

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