Hulu Is Pushing Romantic Movies For Valentine's Day, But There's One Choice That's A Serious Bummer For Date Night

St. Valentine’s Day arrives later this week, and it’s likely that many are planning evenings filled with both romance and fun with their significant others. Such activities may even include taking in some of the best rom-coms of all time. Anyone looking to feel the love in that way is in luck, as Hulu is currently hyping up several titles that’ll have you in your feelings. There are some great choices that would make for great viewing on V-Day, yet there’s one film that may actually throw a wet blanket on a steamy date night.

It’s fitting that the love-centric titles available to Hulu subscription holders would be hyped up around this time of year. The specific films that have been hyped up (in a press release) are romance-infused gems that were released between the late ‘90s and the early 2010s. Take a look at the list below:

• Titanic (1997)
• A Walk to Remember (2002)
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
• Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
• The Notebook (2004)
• Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)
• Just My Luck (2006)
• 27 Dresses (2008)
• The Proposal (2009)
• 500 Days of Summer (2009)
• The Switch (2010)
• No Strings Attached (2011)
• Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

That’s a relatively solid lineup, in my humble opinion. One particular movie on the docket that gives me pause is 500 Days of Summer, Marc Webb’s 2009 romantic dramedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an excellent film, and it was even dubbed one of the greatest rom-coms by CinemaBlend. Yet those who are familiar with it may understand why I think it’s probably not the warmest flick to watch during the upcoming holiday.

500 Days of Summer centers predominantly around Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a young man who works as a writer for a greeting card company. The film mainly chronicles Tom’s attempts to woo the breezy Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel). Amid the story, it’s established that Summer isn’t keen on a serious relationship, while Tom ultimately falls head over heels for her. As time goes on, the relationship breaks down, with both characters opting to go their separate ways, which is unfortunate enough.

That’s not the only reason why this would make for a truly bittersweet Valentine’s Day screening. As the tale goes on, Tom and Summer reunite and have a friendly encounter, only for the latter to try to rekindle their romance at a party later on. Unfortunately, his hopes are shattered when he later discovers that Summer is engaged. Sure, Tom does eventually seem to find a glimmer of romantic hope in the form of another woman named Autumn, but it’s still sad to see his romance with Summer essentially crash and burn.

While the movie is greatly loved, fans seem to have shared a lot of thoughts on 500 Days of Summer in recent years. Many have come to see Summer as an antagonist of sorts and, as a result, Zooey Deschanel is still defending her character. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has also asked that fans stop casting blame on Deschanel’s character. Additionally, Gordon-Levitt approves the hot take that Tom is the film’s actual villain. Considering how strong this discourse is, I’m not sure how long it’ll persist.

As mentioned earlier though, there are also other great titles that fans can partake in with this Valentine’s Day. Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Proposal are particularly fun. Still, if you feel moved to give 500 Days of Summer a watch, definitely don’t hesitate to do so. Just don’t be surprised if you (and any partner or friends you may have) feel a certain way by the time the credits start rolling.