The Best & Worst Movies to Watch After a Breakup - Part 2
Busts:
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
If you're wary of Jim Carrey in a dramatic role or the title Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (just rolls off the tongue), don't be. ESOTSM is a fantastic picture that boasts a pristine 93% critic and audience rating on film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Just add it to your queue and save it for stronger times, because the piercing premise (if you could erase all the memories of a person you loved, would you?) is pure agony for the recently solo. "You need to feel enough distance from your situation to make it through this one unscathed," remarks Courtney Smith, a UT Austin junior. "But if you're safe in the reflection stage, it's thought-provoking and can help you appreciate a relationship after it has ended."
A nostalgic trip to the cushy, innocent world of high school romance is just what you need, right? Wrong. Despite its charming glimpse into the world circa 1989, viewing an adorable couple (John Cusack and Ione Skye) navigate rocky roads and come out united and just as starry-eyed is plain intolerable. Natalie, a senior at UT Austin, concurs: "It just makes me miss the intimate times we had." John Cusack is a particular hazard, stay away from his Serendipity as well.
Justin Long's Garrett is the one-in-a-million guy who desires a long-distance relationship with Erin (Drew Barrymore), a journalist he meets while she interns in New York for the summer (potential parallels running amok, collegiettes™?). "It's sort of sickening to watch an LDR work out so well after seeing them fail time and time again in real life," laments Jessie Townley, a UT Austin senior. You may be able to withstand this fun well-scored ride if you haven't been in an LDR, but hands-off if you have.
Just don't go there, you're asking for it, what are you insane? Heed the advice of HC Eckerd Campus Correspondent Devon Williams: "Absolutely not. I avoid movies like this at all costs post-breakup."
5. ANY movie that you and your ex have seen together
If you watch a movie you shared with an ex too soon, you might as well be staring at his picture all night. Temptations to text him will arise while you're watching or even after, so simply abstain. "Any movie that I saw with an ex-boyfriend makes me miss and think about him," confirms HC Editorial Intern and BU student Maddie Bourque. Seize this opportunity for cinematic exploration!
Breakups in college are crushing because they're often the most intense romantic relationships that we've known, but they're necessary. They incite retrospection and growth, maturity and discernment. Getting lost in a romance movie allows us to process the feelings that we normally fight to keep internal, to gain perspective on emotions that are rarely simple. There are endless movies out there with something to say about love, but the right film will recognize the romance of life as you become your own.
Sources:
*Name has been changed to preserve anonymity
College women from across the country
