11 Classic Movies for Date Night
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His Girl Friday (1940) / Public Domain
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time, even just for a little while?
That's just what we love about classic movies. For a few hours, they transport you to another time and another place, giving you glimpses of past lives and perspectives.
Classic Movies Make for a Classy Date Night
Several years ago Matthew and I began making our way though AFI's Top 100 American Movies. While it has taken us awhile (okay, okay—years), watching old movies has been a joyride. Rather than shrug off another blockbuster every week, we get to talk about what makes each classic movie we watch withstand history. Some of the movies we like, some we dislike, some we disagree about, but after each one we have lots to talk about. That’s why classic movies make for a fun, interactive date night—even if you decide to watch just one.
We made a list below of eleven classic movies for date night, plus paired them with eleven classic cocktails. Choose from any one of them and whip up the matching cocktail for a date night that is as classy as Cary Grant. Plus, we’ve given ideas for how a classic film can add variety to your dinner and a movie dating ritual.
Wondering Where to Watch?
From your couch you can stream almost any movie from your smart TV. Otherwise you can try renting one of them for free from your local library. If you want to go out, find the closest classic movie theater, or look for a special screening at one of the cineplexes. Turner Classic Movies partners regularly with Fathom Events to bring classic movies to theaters all over the US.
Get step by step instructions on how to make this the perfect date night, plus download a printable PDF with movie questions and recipes, at the bottom of this page.
1. Some Like It Hot (1959)
Photo Credit: United Artists / Fair Use
In Some Like it Hot (1959), two male musicians have an unfortunate encounter with the mob and go on the run with an all-female band—disguised as women. This classic comedy features Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon in arguably their best-acted roles. Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: On the run to Florida in the cold of February a la Some Like it Hot? Heat it up with a Tequila Sunrise, made up of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine. Download the printable recipes at the bottom of the page.
2. Casablanca (1942)
Photo Credit: Warner Bros / Fair Use
A nightclub owner in Morocco finds a way to protect his long lost lover and her new husband from the Nazis in Casablanca (1942). This moody and romantic classic may be the most famous Hollywood movie of all time, and for good reason too. Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: Like the film noir classic Casablanca, the Dark n’ Stormy is both exotic and mysterious, combining dark rum, ginger beer, and lime juice.
3. Psycho (1960)
Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures / Fair Use
In Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous film, Psycho (1960), a secretary in Phoenix, Arizona goes on the run and hides out at a remote motel. If you haven’t seen this horror classic, the time has come. Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: Much like the movie, the Bloody Mary is a mix of a lot of crazy ingredients, including vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, tobasco, celery salt, and pepper. Plus that name. It's perfect for Psycho.
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4. City Lights (1931)
Photo Credit: Chaplin Studios / Fair Use
In City Lights (1931), a down-and-out tramp befriends a wealthy man to help support the family of the woman he loves. Funny, charming, and romantic, you will quickly forget that this Charlie Chaplin classic is silent. Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: The iconic city lights of NYC inspired this cocktail choice, the Manhattan, a delicious blend of whisky, bitters, and sweet red vermouth.
5. The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Photo Credit: RKO Radio Pictures / Fair Use
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers soar in the classic comedy The Gay Divorcee (1934). An American woman travels to England to devise a way to get a divorce from the husband she hasn’t seen in years, only to get involved with a song-and-dance-man who has no idea. Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: Whip up a Sidecar, a cool combination of cognac, lemon juice, and triple sec. Named after the motorcycle part, the Sidecar is perfect for The Gay Divorcee because of its string of attachments.
6. King Kong (1933)
Photo Credit: RKO Studios / Fair Use
Even if you have not yet seen King Kong (1933), you are probably familiar with its long-lasting influence. In this action-adventure classic, a film crew travels to a remote island and discovers a giant, violent ape. Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: The Mai Tai is tropical and exotic, just what the filmmakers are looking for in King Kong, as a mix two kinds of rum, fresh lime juice, orange curaçao, and orgeat syrup.
7. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Photo Credit: MGM Studios / Fair Use
In the musical Singin’ in the Rain (1952), a film production company specializing in silent films struggles to make the transition into sound. Not only do you get music and dancing, but also a peek into film history. Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: Gin and tonic is subtle, a combination of two ingredients, perfectly embodying the transition from silent to sound in Singin' in the Rain. Plus, it's mostly water!
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8. North by Northwest (1959)
Photo Credit: MGM Studios / Fair Use
North by Northwest (1959) incorporates comedy, suspense, and intrigue into one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most acclaimed films. A group of foreign spies targets a man they think is a government agent, but is really an advertising executive in the wrong place at the wrong time. Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: Foreign agents. Mistaken identities. Espionage. The White Russian echos all the adventure of North by Northwest, combining coffee liqueur, vodka, and cream.
9. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures / Fair Use
In Sunset Boulevard (1950), a silent film star hires an unknown screenwriter to help her develop a script and their relationship turns… complicated. You may recognize its infamous final line, “Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close up!” Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: What could be better for Sunset Boulevard than a Boulevardier, so named for the wealthy, fashionable socialites that drink them? The mix of campari, bourbon, and sweet red vermouth will leave you feeling terribly sophisticated.
10. His Girl Friday (1940)
Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures / Fair Use
In this laugh-out-loud screwball comedy, His Girl Friday (1940), a newspaper editor does everything he can to convince his ex-wife to come back to journalism rather than marry another man. Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: Fast-talking, speedy, hot off the press. His Girl Friday moves so fast you have to keep up with an Irish Coffee that's just as peppy, mixing coffee, whiskey, and cream.
11. Ball of Fire (1941)
Photo Credit: RKO Radio Pictures / Fair Use
A nightclub singer finds a quiet place to hide from the police with a group of professors who are writing an encyclopedia, in Ball of Fire ( (1941), another screwball comedy. Watch it on Amazon.
Mix Up the Classic Cocktail: In Ball of Fire the professors are extremely old fashioned. Just like this drink! Muddle a sugar cube with angostura bitters and add bourbon.
(Keep scrolling to get a free printable PDF with all of these cocktail recipes, as well as BONUS movie night conversation questions!)
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Change Up Dinner and a Movie
Has your usual dinner and a movie routine date gotten a bit stale? Change it up with a classic film paired with a meal that fits the theme. If you are staying in, choose a fitting recipe, like one from TCM’s Movie Night Menus cookbook, which gives ideas for dinner and drink recipes inspired by best-loved classic films. If you are going out, try choosing a restaurant that lives in an old movie theater, or one appropriate to theme, like a speakeasy.
This date is part three of our series 10 Ways to Change Up Dinner and a Movie. Check out new ideas on changing up an age-old favorite!
Here are Step-by-Step Instructions for Your…
Classic Movie Date
Time: 2+ hours | Cost: $-$$$ | Location: At Home or On the Town | Level: Easy
Change up dinner and a movie with a classic movie night at home or on the town. Plus try the cocktails we've chosen to perfectly accompany each of our suggested films. You will be feeling like a dapper gentleman and fancy lady in no time.
Materials Needed:
Printable Invite, Cocktail Recipe, and Movie-Talk Questions (download below)
Dinner and Cocktail Recipe Ingredients
Movie of Choice
Snacks and Beverages
Instructions:
Download the free printables below—including the invite, questions and cocktail recipe—and print. Cut out the pieces (we recommend using a portable paper cutter). Optionally you can download them to your tablet instead and text the invite. Then, gather your materials.
Deliver the invite to your date. You could leave it out on the counter one morning, send it via snail mail, pin it to your fridge, or come up with something else creative.
If you are going out:
Get "in the mood" with our Spotify playlist in the car on the way to the restaurant and movie theater.
At the restaurant, order one of our choice cocktails (or mocktails). Don't you feel classy already?
Enjoy watching the classic movie on the big screen (don't forget the snacks!).
Chat about the movie-talk questions on your way home.
If you are staying in:
Play our Spotify playlist leading up to the movie.
Create one of our delicious cocktails (or mocktails) and deliver it to your date. Sip together as you cook and eat dinner, perhaps a recipe from TCM’s Movie Night Menus.
Enjoy the classic movie from the comfort of your couch, noshing on snacks as necessary.
After the movie, chat about it using our movie-talk question printables.
Get ready for more great date ideas! Follow us @makeadateofit and subscribe to our newsletter below.
Click below to get your cocktail recipes and movie questions!
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"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." — Casablanca
Let us know your favorite classic movie @makeadateofit!
This Post was Last Updated: March 4, 2021.
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