Like many of us, my relationship did not survive “break-up season”, and I got dumped right before coming home for Fall Break. After taking advice from people about how they make themselves feel better and reading books on how to cope, I continued to feel so lost and unsure of myself. I felt so alone and sad, I didn’t want to see or talk to anyone, I didn’t want to leave my room, go out at night, or go to the gym. All I wanted to do was stay in my bed and do nothing. I specifically remember my mom telling me to not listen to sad music and stay off of social media, which I failed at, and only made me more upset. Something that made me feel better and gave me a better understanding and insight on this rough time in my life was watching movies. These are the six movies that helped me through my breakup!
The first movie I watched was Superbad, which I watched with my mom over Fall Break. This is not a typical movie that my mom and I would watch together, but it definitely made us laugh until our stomachs hurt, and took my mind off of things. It was a perfect movie for a gloomy, rainy day, and I really needed a good laugh. Superbad stars Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Emma Stone. It is a Judd Apatow production about two nerdy teenage best friends who want to lose their virginity before they graduate high school. It sounds raunchy and kind of bizarre, (don’t get it twisted, it is) but no matter how many times I watch it, it never fails to bring a smile to my face.
A movie that won’t make you feel better, but make you feel heard is Someone Great. Gina Rodriguez from Jane the Virgin stars as Jenny Young, who gets broken up with her long-term boyfriend because he doesn’t want to go long distance with her (extremely relatable). She is a music journalist in New York City, and her and her two best friends go out for one last crazy adventure before she moves to San Francisco. Someone Great takes place the day after Jenny gets broken up with, and Gina Rodriguez does an amazing job illustrating the grief and shock of losing someone that we can all relate to. This movie shows how important it is to have great female friends that you can lean on, about not settling for someone that doesn’t deserve you, and to learn to choose yourself over a man. This movie was SO realistic, and made my ugly cry, but it made me feel a lot less alone.
Similarly, How to be Single is about a newly single Alice (Dakota Johnson) who just graduated from college and moves to New York City to embark on new adventures. She meets Robin (Rebel Wilson), who teaches her how to party, date around, and embrace the single lifestyle. As a viewer, it’s really empowering to watch Alice grow more confident and sure of herself, and the whole movie is a reminder that you do not need to be with someone romantically in order to be happy. It’s also a reminder that life is so unexpected, and to not be hyper focused on finding “the one.” This movie also highlights that everyone is going through totally different things in their twenties, and it is so easy to compare yourself to others, when in reality, what you are going through is exactly what you should be experiencing right now. It is also a feel-good movie that will make you cry, but will make you laugh really hard.
My all time favorite comfort movie is Crazy, Stupid, Love. There are two subplots within this movie, and the first one is about Cal (Steve Carell), who has just been divorced by his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) who has confessed to cheating on him with her coworker. Cal’s life starts to deteriorate, and is struggling with the harsh realities of being a newly single middle-aged man. He meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling) who is a young bachelor who takes Cal under his wing, and teaches him how to casually date. This is one of my all time favorite movies that I can watch over and over again, and find something new everytime that I love. It obviously has a great cast, and it is so well written. Crazy, Stupid, Love is just a *chefs kiss* from me.
Next is 500 Days of Summer, which is a fan favorite and classic 2000s romcom. 500 Days of Summer is interesting because it is from a male’s point of view instead of a female’s which is really refreshing and different. The movie is narrated by Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who reflects on his 500 days of knowing Summer (Zooey Deschannel), and the failed potential of the relationship that they could’ve had. There’s a distinct part in the movie where it shows Tom’s expectations vs reality, which is really relatable, as we tend to have too high of expectations for people that they cannot fulfill.
If you like romcoms, musicals, or just incredible cinematic experiences, then La La Land is perfect for you. Struggling actress (Emma Stone) meets Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a restaurant piano player, who dreams of opening his own jazz club. The two are drawn together by these dreams of theirs to come true. Eventually, their relationship falls apart, and they have to decide if they should follow their dreams or continue their love affair. This movie realistically illustrates the difficult decisions that people commonly have to face about determining their future, and Gosling and Stone absolutely nail it. Additionally, not to spoil it, but the ending is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful.
After watching and rewatching these movies, I started to feel less alone, and in a way, I felt more seen. I hope you add these to your watch list and hang in there. I promise you, it may not feel like it now, but you will feel better.