He wants to watch an action or a horror film while she wants to watch a rom-com. What do you do? Well, I wouldn’t dare suggest that any partner in a relationship ought to veto the other’s choice. After all, this is supposed to be an equal partnership. So instead of arguing over whether to watch Pride & Prejudice or Alien, why not consider these compromises?

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

One of the best compromises of recent years, why not take a classic and add a dash of artistic license. The Bennett Sisters ever on the lookout for husbands have to cut and slash their way through hordes of zombies. They are highly-trained, efficient zombie killing machines and they also like to look pretty in a dress. This is a hilarious take on the original tale while remaining remarkably true to original source material for the most part. Of particular note is how they reimagine Mister Darcy’s first proposal to the strong-willed Lizzie Bennett.

Shaun of the Dead

Zom Rom Coms don’t get more original than this. It’s the original one, in fact. Waster Shaun wants to rescue his girlfriend (well, the one who just dumped him) and prove himself worthy. The problem is, the world has just turned to shit and is overrun with zombies. How is he going to get his girl back, protect his mum and keep all his friends safe? Shaun has a plan. This is the first of the so-called “Cornetto Trilogy” and one of the funniest British comedies ever.

Groundhog Day

While the romantic half of the relationship can engage with the love story and whether the sarcastic protagonist will end up with the love interest, the less romantic half of the relationship can enjoy Bill Murray’s caustic wit and cynicism. This is one of the greatest comedies of all time and it features a great script, some very funny moments and a romance. If you don’t know the story, our protagonist lives the same day over and over again until he gets it right. Trying to start a potential romance from scratch every day was never so much fun.

Ocean’s 11

The ultimate bridge between chick flicks and bloke flicks, this is the story of a group of people attempting to break into a casino vault – well, three of them. It’s an action packed fun film with lots of thrills and spills. So what is in it for the ladies? Well, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. Plus it has Julia Roberts and we all know that anything with Julia Roberts in must have romance. If Vegas is not your thing, then perhaps watch its sequel Ocean’s 12 which switches the action to Monte Carlo.

A Knight’s Tale

No matter what type of film you like to watch with your partner, this 2001 film has it all. Handsome knights? Check. Humour? Check. Overcoming the odds? Check. Period costumes? Check. Dancing? Check. Romance? Check. This is primarily a romance and a story of somebody rising above themselves. It also has a boo-hiss villain, plenty of sporting action (albeit in the form of jousting), love poetry, trusty sidekicks. Oh and Paul Bettany as Geoffrey Chaucer. Quite arguably one of the funniest films ever. You’ll have fun looking for all the deliberate anachronisms. The soundtrack is not too objectionable either.

I’m sure there are hundreds many more, but these are my personal favourites to avoid a conflict on Valentine’s Day night.