Best Valentine’s Day Movie Ever

OK, guys, listen up. Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and you’ve got two options.

1. You can go to a severely overpriced “Valentine’s Day Special”at a crowded restaurant with other hapless guys who don’t realize the same meal will cost half as much the next day.
2. You can go to the movies, which—because it’s Valentine’s Day—means a chick flick.

The ultimate chick flick releases this weekend (February 5) so you can avoid the meal deal. Every woman loves that classic piece of literature Pride and Prejudice. My wife has 47 different movie versions of it. We have a friend who told us she reads the book every year. So, men, are you paying attention? Women love this story. It’s got quibbling sisters vying for potential husbands. It’s got witty conversation as the hero and heroine verbally spar.  It’s full of romance. So you can’t lose by taking her to see the new movie.

Oh, and it’s got zombies.

Finally, a chick flick that will appeal to guys.

I had a chance for an early preview of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. My wife refused to go, because she was afraid it would “ruin Mr. Darcy” for her. So I took my two sons.

There were moments we laughed out loud—but not because the movie was hokey. The movie was very well done and smartly written . Much of the humor came from Jane Austen herself. (I know this because, um, I may or may not have read the book.) The producers kept the light-heartedness of the novel but added to it by throwing in the occasional deceased person who had trouble staying deceased.

So for those of you who love Jane Austen’s novel, the movie keeps true to the story. Well, as best you can when Elizabeth Bennett occasionally has to wield a sword.  I never sensed the producers were trying to make fun of the story. They showed great respect for the novel. For you guys who have never read the original novel, you could still see Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and fake your way through a high school oral book report (something else I may or may have done).

For a movie with zombies, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was done very tastefully (no pun intended.) The film is not in the style of George Romero or AMC’s The Walking Dead. We saw nothing gross. (OK, OK, I know that’s a matter of opinion, but hey, the movie is PG-13.)

Men, take her to the movie. She’ll get her fix of romance with Mr. Darcy. And you’ll get your fix of watching a group of 19th century English women working their charms on the undead.