Published: 13th February 2023

Valentine’s Day rom-com round-up

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a movie from our rom-com round-up! Whether you’re a single pringle or love is in the air, there is a film for everyone of all ages.

The Princess Diaries

contains very mild language and sex references 

Mia, a shy teen, discovers that she’s the princess of a small European state. To be able to claim her right to the throne, she must groom herself and prove that she is indeed a princess.

Elemental

implied bad language

A fiery young woman befriends her watery opposite in this romantic family animation, where occasional language and sequences of threat are counterbalanced with comedy and positive messaging about love and acceptance.

Violence

A young woman made from fire who finds it difficult to control her temper is shown unintentionally releasing flames, which harm other characters in an unrealistic fashion. There is also a very mild scene of slapstick when a child hits a character on the bottom using a baseball bat.

Threat and horror

Scenes of very mild threat include a sequence in which a daughter races to save her parents from an impending flood. She then endangers herself by trying to fetch belongings from a flooded shop, but is quickly saved. In another scene, a character made from water starts evaporating in a hot room.

Language

There is an implied use of 'ass' and a use of 'jerk'.

Sex

A comic undetailed references is made to 'hanky panky' when parents of a girl tell her they will have more time for it when she goes away. A character tells a young woman made of fire that she is 'hot..' and then stutters 'I mean smoking'. In another comic scene a couple, who are both trees, become embarrassed when they are caught at home picking apples from each other's branches.

Discrimination

There are references to discrimination when elemental creatures are taught never to mix. The daughter of an immigrant is subject to a microaggression when a woman compliments her on her clear speaking. When a couple arrive in a new city, they are given names that are easier to pronounce. The film's messaging promotes love and acceptance of all cultures, within a family friendly and fantastical setting.

Rude humour

There is a very mild comic reference to poo in a short film which precedes the feature. In the same short film, a dog advises his owner to sniff his date's bottom.

Theme

In a scene of emotional upset a character grieves the loss of another character during a fantastical death scene. The short film CARL'S DATE references a widow's deceased wife, whose photo he kisses before going on his first date since her death.

Enchanted

mild scary scene, brief innuendo

Princess Giselle is banished from her kingdom by her lover's evil stepmother. She is then transported to the real world, where she meets a lawyer and finds herself falling for him.

Threat and horror

Towards the climax of the film, there is a scene where the evil queen transforms into a dragon, grabs the male protagonist and takes him to the top of a building where he is eventually rescued by the brave heroine. While some moments of this sequence may frighten very young viewers, it is not a long scene, has a happy conclusion, and the heroine remains brave and resolute throughout.

Sex

There are infrequent moments of mild innuendo, generally through comic misunderstandings of terms.

Just My Luck

contains mild language and sex references

Ashley meets Jake at a party and soon learns her good luck has been swapped with his bad fortune. Jake too realises the change in his fortune and decides to make Ashley fall in love with him.

Red, White & Royal Blue

infrequent strong language, moderate sex, sex references

A US romantic comedy in which a feud between a British Prince and the son of the American President blossoms into an unexpected and eventful relationship.

language

There is infrequent strong language ('f**k') and implied strong language ('mofo'), as well as milder terms which include 'prick', 'wank', 'dick', 'dickhead', 'shit', 'ass', 'asshole', 'bell end', 'balls', 'douche', 'God', 'damn', 'Christ' and 'hell'

sex

We see characters passionately kissing, caressing and undressing each other and there is implied oral sex. There are brief, non-graphic comic verbal references to anal sex, masturbation and inbreeding, along with other undetailed references to sexual activity.

There are undetailed verbal references to homophobic attitudes and behaviour. We briefly see a man's buttocks in a comic moment of natural nudity. Scenes of very mild slapstick violence include characters shoving one another and causing a large cake to topple onto them. Characters are seen smoking and drinking alcohol.

Isn’t It Romantic

infrequent strong language, moderate sex references, drug references

A young woman disenchanted with love mysteriously finds herself trapped inside a romantic comedy.

Language

There are infrequent uses of strong language ('f**k') as well as bleeped strong language ('f**k', 'motherf**ker'). Other language includes uses of 'whore', 'bitch', 'bitchy', 'ass', 'shit', 'shitbag', 'bullshit', 'piss off', 'crap', 'tits', 'ballsy', 'God' and 'goddammit'. There is also use of rude hand gestures.

Sex

There are moderate sex references, including comments about a giant penis and a newly married couple combining their names to form the term 'jizz'.

Drugs

A man admits to being a drug dealer.

There is brief comic violence when a woman is targeted by a mugger, but she resists and fights back against her attacker.

Crazy Rich Asians

infrequent strong language, moderate sex references

A US romantic comedy drama in which a woman finds herself plunged into an unfamiliar world when she goes to meet her boyfriend’s super rich family.

Language

There is infrequent use of strong language ('f**k'), as well as milder terms such as 'bitch', 'asshole', 'Jesus', 'crap' and 'tits'.

Sex

A man claims that a female guest at his party was "in a porno: two girls, one cup of noodles". A woman grabs a man's hand and puts it to her breast, over her dress. There is brief male rear nudity.

There is a fleeting reference to unspecified drugs, a Singaporean character refers to another as "a banana: yellow on the outside, white on the inside", and it is implied that a woman suffered domestic violence at the hands of a former husband.

John Tucker Must Die

moderate sex references, strong language

Three ex-girlfriends of a serial cheater set up their former lover to fall for the new girl in town so they can watch him get his heart broken. 

How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days

moderate sex references

Benjamin Barry is an advertising executive and ladies’ man who, to win a big campaign, bets that he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days.

Upgraded

strong language

A US romantic comedy in which an auction house intern masquerades as her boss to impress a handsome passenger on her flight to London.

language

There is use of strong language (‘f**k’). Milder terms include ‘prick’, ‘bitch’, ‘dick’, ‘shit’, ‘bullshit’, ‘nutsack’, ‘ass’, ‘asshole’, ‘son of a bitch’, ‘pissed off’ and ‘bloody’.

Moderate comic sex references include ones to oral sex, genitalia, and feeling ‘horny’. There are infrequent images of artistic nudity in paintings. Other issues include a passing reference to ‘dropping acid’.

Anyone But You

very strong language

Despite an amazing first date, Bea and Ben’s initial attraction quickly turns sour. However, when they unexpectedly find themselves at a destination wedding in Australia, they pretend to be the perfect couple to keep up appearances.

Threat and horror

A woman falls overboard from a boat and a man dives in to rescue her, but the very mild threat has a reassuring outcome.

Language

There is infrequent very strong language ('c**t'), as well as more frequent uses of strong language ('f**k', 'motherf**ker'). Milder terms include 'bitch', 'bugger', 'bloody', 'shit', 'dick', asshole', 'jerk', 'damn', 'hell' and 'God'.

Sex

Moderate sex references include comments about "S&M", penis size, faking orgasms and sex toys. A woman is inadvertently caught in a comically embarrassing position with a sleeping man on board a plane which gives the false impression that they are engaging in sexual activity. A couple move against each other in a brief scene of moderate sex.

Drugs

There is infrequent joint smoking, as well as verbal references to cocaine and crack.

Nudity

There is moderate breast and buttock nudity in an establishment of sexual activity. There is also natural nudity as a woman sits up from sunbathing and shows her breasts, and comic male buttock nudity. In a comic scene, a man taking an outdoor shower stands with hands cupping his genitals, but there is fleeting sight of the tip of his penis showing through his fingers.

Rude humour

A woman slides her hand inside the back of a man's pants with no sexual intent, and it is implied that she accidentally sticks a finger into his anus, which results in a comically pained reaction from him.

Alcohol and tobacco

Adults consume alcohol.

No Hard Feelings

very strong language, strong sex references, crude humour

A cash-strapped 32 year old woman responds to a couple's job offer to take their naive 19 year old son's virginity before he goes to college.

Violence

Brief footage from a 3D fantasy video game features a character thrusting his hand through a man's chest, with resulting blood splatter. Comic scenes of moderate violence include a kick to a woman's groin during a fight, however, this is wholly undetailed.

Language

Infrequent very strong language occurs ('c**t') as well as more frequent use of strong language ('f**k'), the middle finger gesture and other terms such as 'bitch', 'shit', 'asshole, 'ass', 'God' and 'hell'.

Sex

Occasional crude verbal references are made to intercourse, masturbation and anal sex. There is a scene of implied male ejaculation as a pair of characters prepare to have sex, however, this is comic and no strong visual detail is shown.

Discrimination

At a party, a group of characters have a misunderstanding with a woman and accuse her of making a homophobic comment. Discrimination is not condoned by the work as a whole.

Drugs

Infrequent scenes of cannabis misuse occur, including joint smoking. Comic references are made to a dog experiencing drug addiction in the past.

Sexual violence and sexual threat

Infrequent crude references are made to a high school teacher grooming one of her students. There is a verbal reference to a rape whistle during an altercation in which a teenage boy pepper sprays an older woman.

Nudity

There is female full-frontal nudity during a scene in which a woman fights a group of people after going skinny-dipping.

Rude humour

A man appears in front of a woman wearing a finger trap on his erect penis, however, this lacks any focus on nudity.

Theme

Mild scenes of emotional upset occur, including references to a character being bullied as a child.

Alcohol and tobacco

Occasional scenes feature a teenage boy drinking alcohol, however, underage drinking is not promoted by the work as a whole.

Flashing/flickering lights

This work contains flashing images which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.

Notting Hill

strong language, moderate sex references

A set of circumstances makes Anna Scott, a famous actress, fall in love with William Thacker, owner of a bookstore in Notting Hill.