Growing up, most of us took our romantic lessons from Hollywood.

Apart from our parents, Jack & Rose were the closest thing we had to romantic models.

I mean how could we not be influenced by the brilliance of Hollywood movie stars?

For the most part, what happens in Hollywood should stay in Hollywood. The romantic habits of our favorite characters don’t often translate to success in the real world.

However, there is, every once and a while, a character or a scene that typifies how a man should behave in the face of romance.

In this article, we’ll be breaking down iconic romance scenes from Hollywood to help teach you which Hollywood moves actually translate well in the real world.

Critiquing Dating Scenes from Hollywood

Hitch — Create A Kick-Ass First Date

There’s a lot that Hollywood gets wrong about wooing a woman but when it comes to the date doctor, that most certainly isn’t the case.

Hitch knows a thing or two about winning a taking a woman on a kick-ass first date. He flexes his skills and wins hearts by taking Eva Mendes jetskiing and on a private tour of Ellis Island on a first date.

Hitch took his date on an unforgettable first date.

When he pitched this date idea there was no way she was going to say no.

I imagine him either calling her up and texting her something like:

Not only does he just take a vacation but he fully invests in staying busy and stimulating his mind.

Peter makes new friends, goes to parties, and as we saw in the clip above, he learns to surf… kinda.

There are a billion reasons why taking a vacation (big or small) is great for your mental health.

Here are just a few benefits of taking a vacation after a breakup:

— Lowers blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol

— Reduces stress

— Boosts cognitive skills

— Increases mindfulness

Perhaps you’re not in a position to skip off to Hawaii right after a heartbreak.

That’s fine.

You can still learn from Peter by devoting yourself to doing things, literally anything as long as it stimulates you and is enjoyable.

Pick up running again, join a trivia club, finish that jigsaw you have leftover from the pandemic, hang out with your friends every week, go dancing, hell, even start dating again.

500 Days Of Summer — Make Your Own Fate

We all know the story.

It’s a story of boy meets girl.

But as the narrator warns us, it’s not a love story.

However, what we can learn from 500 Days Of Summer has nothing to do with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s relationship with Summer, but rather with his relationship with Autumn.

Let’s watch.

As the narrator says, there is no such thing as cosmic significance.

Life’s a string of coincidences.

We however have the power to make our own miracles — to create our own destiny.

Chances are you meet people all the time that you could see yourself dating.

But there is no prophesy that will bring you two together. Tom decided to make his own future when he asked Autumn out. It would have been easy to not ask his competition out, but he felt a connection and pounced.

This is the lesson.

Take a chance, open your mouth, say hello, and maybe, just maybe you’ll end up with the girl in the end.

One last thing.

Many of you might be thinking that it’s rare that you meet someone you have a connection with. That could be because you’re not putting yourself in the right space to meet like-minded people.

The reason Tom bonded with Autumn is because they’re both architects.

If you want a woman that’s into comics, volleyball, or painting to go places where those women can be found.

Make your own luck.

James Bond: Goldfinger — Always Be A Gentleman

If I were to ask you to describe James Bond in two words you’d likely say: spy and womanizer.

A womanizer is generally thought of as someone that not only has many a dalliance with various women but does so in a consensual manner.

After watching this JB scene (or any pre-2000s Bond scene) you’ll never think of Bond the same way again.

That’s not exactly PG canoodling is it?

Pussy Galore clearly doesn’t want to give him her namesake. She rejects his advances three times until Bond forces her to the ground and climbs on top of her.

Women want gentlemen. They want to be respected and feel safe around you.

This scene would never fly in the woke 2020s.

The world’s most famous spy should have walked away after his first failed attempt.

Hell, if he were really that skilled he would have sensed that Pussy didn’t want to be kissed.

It’s your job to understand when it’s time to kiss your date. Should she in any way show she isn’t interested don’t persist.

Silver Linings Playbook — First Date Rules

If you’re following MegaDating rules there are some things that you shouldn’t do on a first date.

For example.

First dates should:

— Last no longer than an hour

— Cost less than $10

— Be stimulating and active

Let’s see if Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper’s first date satisfies any of this criteria.

If they ordered a grand total of milk, cereal, and tea Cooper probably spent less than $10.

J-Law stormed out of the diner after about 7 minutes so yes it lasted less than an hour.

And no the date activity wasn’t active or stimulating.

2/3 but still a fail.

What’s most important about a first date is that it’s fun, brief, and easy for your date to say yes to.

While the date may have been brief, cheap, and close to the woman’s home it certainly wasn’t a good time.

There are a billion reasons for this from Cooper informing Jennifer Lawrence’s character that he’s still in love with his ex to enlisting her in his crusade to win her ex-wife back, to him telling her that their date is in fact not a date because ordering Raisin Brand with a woman means your outing can’t possibly be a note.

You can learn a great many things from this, the chief lesson being that first dates should be fun.

If you can’t come up with an awesome first date plan, choose one of these:

— Hit up a speakeasy bar

— Go to an animal cafe

— Rides bikes during sunset

— Hit the beach for a glass of wine and snacks

— Wine tasting

— Karaoke

— Walk your dogs together at a new park

— Play arcade games

The Tao Of Steve — Just Hang

Dax is right. Technically he shouldn’t be getting laid, but he is.

So what’s his secret?

Watch on my friend.

He’s not obsessing over how he can scheme his way into her pants (even though but intentionally not scheming he is scheming).

Dax is kind of a dick, but he does offer some words of wisdom.

When you’re on a date with a woman, be on the date.

The Tao of Steve is heavily influenced by Taoism and Buddhist — or at least it’s referenced a bunch.

What Dax hopes to depart to his young sexless friend is that you have to actually enjoy the time you have with this woman. Don’t see her as an object of desire; as something to be conquered.

She’s a unique person of depth that deserves your attention (if for no other reason than because she agreed to date you).

So ditch your ulterior motives, listen up and be present on the date.

The worst thing you can do during a nascent relationship is move too fast and use a bunch of pre-planned moves to try to get into her pants.

The best way to date someone is to experience them fully, without the constant desire to see her naked.

Crazy, Stupid, Love — Dress To Impress

As Jacob so eloquently puts it, Cal’s wife’s cheated on him because he “lost sight of who he was as a man, as a husband, and probably as a lover.”

So what does Cal decide to do?

Reinvent himself.

But it’s a little difficult to do so when you dress like a man whose jeans give you a mom-butt.

Let’s really imagine that you’re in Cal’s shoes.

You’re romantically inept, alone, and are looking for a comeback.

If that’s the case it’s time for a makeover.

Buy a new shirt or two, get a haircut, maybe start running again.

Do what you have to do to both feel and look like the guy that women want to be with.

You don’t have to spend big where small changes will do.

However, at the very least you’ll want to look presentable on your dates.

If you’re looking for your own personal Jacob to guide you to romantic glory, then let’s talk. 

Swingers — The Waiting Game

How long should you wait to contact a woman after getting her number?

This topic has been of great debate ever since the advent of the telephone.

I’m of the mind that you don’t take Vince Vaughn’s advice. But watch the clip below and come up with your own opinion.

6 days!

Not a chance in hell.

Jon Favreau’s right. Wait too long and she’ll forget about you and whatever momentum you had brewing will have been lost.

As you can see, how we meet people nowadays has changed.

Back in the day when we weren’t walking around with 24/7 singles bars in our pockets, we’d meet someone new every once in a while.

Back then getting a number was a rare occurrence. That being the case you’d be allowed to wait a couple of days before calling. Especially if you get her number on Saturday and wanted to ask her to go out for a date next Sunday.

But today’s dating scene moves too fast for that.

Chances are you snagged her number online.

As soon as you get her number it’s time to text her.

You need to keep what little flame you’ve conjured alive.

Do so by texting her as soon as you see that she’s sent you her number.

Text her something like: