The 10 best date night movies you can stream right now in the UAE

Because the corn shouldn’t be the only thing that’s poppin’ (the movies should be too)…

There are few classic combos that say ‘date night’ as loudly as dinner and a show.

And we’re all for heading out to the pictures to catch the latest releases, but since there’s not many of those out at the moment, why not turn your living room into a VVIP screen for you and that gorgeous date of yours.

We’ve got rom-coms, action movies, horror and a bit of post-apocalyptic drama, you know, training in case 2020 continues its running theme through to conclusion.

So you organise the delivery-in, dim the lights and we’ll help you out with the best date night movies now showing in the UAE.

Baby Driver

Heist film? You son-of-a-gun, we’re in. And if we’ve learned anything from the movies about pulling the perfect score, it’s that your squad needs a strong getaway driver. Baby, (played by the perma-sunglassed Ansel Elgort) is that man. He starts this story married to a life of crime in order to pay off a debt, but eventually breaks free from his bond to mob boss, Doc (Kevin Spacey) and settles down to the life sedate with his new waitress girlfriend, Deborah (Lily James). Doc has a change of heart and decides he wants Baby back in for one last job. Of course, those ‘one last jobs’ rarely pan out as intended and the heist begins to unravel when the fractious team (which includes Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx and Elza Gonzalez) begin butting heads. For what is essentially a ‘car chase opera’ this flick has plenty of big date night energy. Heartthrobs, thrills, romantic entanglement, a soundtrack that slaps harder than a tort seatbelt, and cinema in its most honest, entertaining form.

Netflix, from Dhs29 per month

Bridesmaids

Just based on the title, there’s a chance this suggestion could meet with an initial cry of ‘veto’ from the male contingent but hear us out fellas. Bridesmaids is a comedy of the purest sort, packed with brilliant set pieces (the plane scene that launched a thousand memes is unquestionably a modern classic) and driven by an insanely talented cast which includes Kristen Wiig (who also co-authored the screenplay), Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne and Chris O’Dowd. Yes, it is a tale of friendship, but it’s also an anthem of hope for those of us who might not have it all together in our adult lives. Lillian (Rudolph) is getting married, and she asks her best friend Annie (Wiig) to be her Maid of Honour. A hilarious sequence of unfortunate events in the run-up to the wedding tests their BFF bond to the limit. Will they be able to patch things up before the big day? Probably yeah, rom-coms don’t tend to have sad endings, but it’s well-worth watching Wiig scramble.

Starz Play, Dhs40 per month

John Wick

Screenwriter Derek Kolstad has been quoted as saying that the genesis of his John Wick character came from the idea “what would happen if the worst man in existence found salvation … and when the source of his salvation is ripped from him, what happens? Do the gates of Hades open?” Yes Derek, yes they do. The salvation turns out to be John Wick’s (Keanu Reeves) pet dog, given to him by his recently deceased wife. An armed raid on Wick’s home, results in the passing of his beloved pet and the ensuing rampage of superbly-choreographed vengeance currently spans three (although the fourth and fifth installments are already in production) movies. Watch Wick in real-time as he ducks and strafes through the film noir story of an elite assassin trying to bring down the shadowy cabal of a powerful crime syndicate. It’s got a higher body count than your average date night movie but there’s enough in the theatrical production for most cinema fans.

Netflix, from Dhs29 per month

Lucy

We’re possibly going even further off the traditional date night reservation with this one, but bear with us, our mission is to provide variety in your viewing. Lucy is probably one of veteran director Luc Besson’s most wild imaginings, and if you strap in and embrace it for what it is, it’s a highly enjoyable ride. Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is accidentally exposed to a large quantity of a brain-enhancing nootropic called CPH4, as the effects begin to kick-in the titular character discovers she has enhanced physical and mental abilities. These allow her to put some pretty savage moves on the criminal gang that are holding her hostage for the valuable cargo within. As her powers develop she discovers she can also move things with her mind, unlocking hitherto dormant folds of her brain until she begins to transcend into a post-human form. It’s action-packed, occasionally silly, and features Johansson in fine femme-fatale form.

Netflix, from Dhs29 per month

Shaun of the Dead

Can’t choose between horror or a comedy? You can have both with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s opening chapter of the ‘Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy’, Shaun of the Dead. This masterpiece of British cinema came at a time when the zombie movie genre was in desperate need of a refresh, films featuring the undead were typically filled with tired tropes and becoming as stale and flailing as their brain-hankering subjects. Life seems to be slipping uneventfully by for slacker duo Shaun (Pegg) and Ed (Nick Frost), but when a zombie apocalypse breaks out — and it’s clear that survival might require more than heading to the Winchester for a nice cold pint and waiting for it all to blow over — the pair are forced into the frontline of humanity’s fight against the Z hoard. This film is full of genuine LOLs and cult catchphrases. And in our opinion, it’s worth watching for the pub fight scene set to a jukebox rendition of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now alone.

Amazon Prime Video, Dhs16 per month 

The Big Lebowski

Why not spend date night following the odyssey of ‘the dude’. Listless bohemian Jeffrey Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is suddenly injected into a world of mystery and crime, following a home-invasion carried out due to a case of mistaken identity. Lebowski is employed an aging millionaire of the same name (and the real identity Lebowski’s attackers were seeking), to track down the whereabouts of his employer’s trophy wife, and hand over a ransom. This classic Cohen Brothers story takes a neck-jerking jolt to the left when one of Lebowski’s friends Walter (John Goodman) decides there may be more to the kidnapping than there at first seemed. It’s like Lenin said, “look for the person who’ll benefit and erm…”

Amazon Prime Video, Dhs16 per month 

The Book of Eli

This film takes place three decades after a nuclear apocalypse has already destroyed most of earth’s inhabitants. Those who remain are caught in bitter scraps over scarce resources. It’s in this world, that we meet Eli (Denzel Washington), a man on a mission given to him by an ethereal voice. Eli must transport a book across the barren wasteland that was formally the USA. On his journey, Eli battles through feral survivors, marauding clans and treacherous temptresses. What is contained within the book? Who can he trust? How does he know he’s going in the right direction? What does a world without stable wifi connections look like? These and other questions are answered in exhilarating samurai-western action.

OSN, Dhs35 per month

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Probably the most underrated film on this list. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is based on a 1939 story of the same name and stars a bang on-form Ben Stiller in the titular role. It’s an adventure comedy about an office worker who swaps his daydreams of a life less ordainary, for an actual one when he’s tasked with tracking down the perfect image for the cover of Life magazine’s final print issue. It’s bursting with life-affirming positivity, entertaining asides, romantic sub-plots and grand themes.

OSN, Dhs35 per month

Us

Written and directed by emerging horror godfather Jordan Peele (one half of comedy pairing Key & Peele), the brilliant Us confronts the terrifying proposition of a world inhabited with malicious doppelgangers. After Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) and her family take a nostalgic trip to the seaside home she grew up in, she is plagued with a sense of impending doom. Turns out, she’s appropriately spooked as the house is set upon by a group of four ‘Tethered’ souls. It’s original, gritty, suspenseful and dare we say often Hitchcockian — the perfect watch for a daring date night duo. Just make sure there are no porcelain dolls within the periphery of the viewing area.

OSN, Dhs35 per month

50 First Dates

To those of you that think watching a movie about dating, whilst you’re on a date is super awks, we hear you. But this one is worth making an exception for. A stand-out rom-com starring the, perhaps unlikely, pairing of Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, in a story with a charming novel plot device. Lucy Whitmore (Barrymore) suffers from a fictitious form of anterograde amnesia called “Goldfield’s Syndrome”, which means overnight her memory of the previous day is completely wiped clean. Henry Roth (Sandler), is a Sea World veterinarian, on the Hawaiian Island where they both live. Guy attempts to woo girl, girl falls for guy but faces difficulties remembering she’s fallen for guy, guy must then begin wooing once again. There’s flashes of great dialogue, strong chemistry between leads, Rob Schneider — Sandler’s forever stooge — plays one of his more amusing characters, and it’s all set against the beautiful backdrop of the South Pacific. What’s not to love?

Starz Play, Dhs40 per month

Images: Youtube/Instagram