Quickies: Valentines Day Edition

There is no more trying test for your relationship than going out on Valentine’s Day.

The restaurants are all booked or have a long wait, the movie theaters are all full, the NDA’s and sex slave contracts have to go through SO MANY lawyers. God help you if you get the wrong chocolates; is she allergic to peanuts or petunias, you wander with dread in the seasonal all purpose aisle? And with all that time spent waiting for a seat, what do you talk about? Where this relationship is going and if you have compatible skills in the coming nuclear war launched by a Trump Twitter Typo(™)?

So, staying in tune with our ‘Different Kind Of Love’ series, I recommend the following black hearted rom-com shorts for this Valentine’s season. Stay in, order up some Chinese, fire up the the Chromecast and just disconnect from the world for a night.

Trust me. We all need a night off these days.

It’s Not You It’s Me stars Gillian Jacobs as a woman who’s a little bit bored with her partner, and it’s exaggerating all his bad habits. But when it comes to a head, the results get a little … messy. It’s Not You It’s Me was directed by Matt Spicer, who had a minor Sundance hit this year with Ingrid Goes West, about a young woman who travels to L.A. to meet an Instagram star. His earlier work gives you an idea of his off kilter approach to life.

In The Oven, real life couple Skylar Astin and Anna Camp of Pitch Perfect fame portray a couple who is not communicating as well as they used to. All she wants is a cigarette, and to listen to the radio on the way to the party. But the regular programming seems to be pre-empted for something a bit too personal for their tastes.

When we talk about the resurgence of SNL this year, we have to talk about Beck Bennett, who has taken the opportunity afforded by the abrupt departure of Taran Killam late last summer and ran with it. He’s been a reliable lead male performer, and a seeming lack of shame has helped his shirtless Vladimir Putin become a regular fixture. It’s this lack of shame to embrace ridiculous behavior that makes Bennett great in How To Lose Weight in 4 Easy Steps!, a funny and bittersweet look at a man getting his life back together after a breakup.