Is romance in your relationship always so serious? How is that working out for you and your husband? Maybe it’s time to try humor.

Here’s a romance test for you. Would your husband rather cuddle up with you on the couch and watch a) The Notebook; a gorgeously romantic tear-jerker of a movie or b) watch dust settle on the flat screen TV.

Of course, my husband would rather watch paint dry than sit through a seriously romantic movie like The Notebook or Somersby. He’s romantic, but none of that “mushy” and “bittersweet” stuff for him. A few belly laughs mixed in with some tender lovey-dovey moments is what he’s all about.

A date night at home has to be relaxing. Otherwise, where’s the romance? If I’ve learned anything about my husband, it’s that a few laughs in a relaxed atmosphere is the best romantic remedy we can have in our busy lives. Thanks to Bill Murray, Jim Carrey, Matt Dillon, Owen Wilson, Adam Sandler, and Ben Stiller, we have wonderful, warm laughs… with kisses mixed in!

If your husband is like mine, he’s feeling the same need for romance with a healthy dose of belly laughs. These are some of our favorite fun movies.

The Princess Bride (1987): Is this a kissing book? The Princess Bride is the story of a woman who is being forced to marry a cold, evil prince, while her true love tries to stop the wedding. I don’t know how many times I tried to get my husband to watch this movie until finally I just put the movie in, clicked play, and hid the remote. It’s now one of his favorite movies. He likes it because of the comedy and the fighting. I love it because it’s just a joy to watch.

Groundhog Day (1993): This movie is not only funny, it’s a look into human potential for love and living life through the repetition of one, dreary Groundhog Day… over and over and over… until a miserably cryptic weatherman, played by Bill Murray, can get it right. Through the process, he tries to figure out how to win the love of the woman who, well, starts out really not liking him in the least. The movie is a classic and one that you’ll want to watch over and over and over and over…

Wedding Crashers (2005): When two divorce mediators decide to crash weddings to meet women, they don’t know exactly how far they can go with it. They learn from an expert (Will Ferrell) and off they go. Crashing weddings takes some suave technique and lots of guts. They don’t just skulk around, eating up the food. They join right in, dancing, cutting the cake, getting in all the pictures, and introducing themselves in such a way that everyone thinks they were invited. The love story happens as all love stories do… when you least expect it. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are the perfect pair to pull this off.

The Wedding Singer (1998): Robbie, the wedding singer and Julia, the waitress, are both engaged to be married, but to the wrong people. Anyone who remembers the 80s will thoroughly enjoy the setting, styles, and music. And, every woman will be teary-eyed when Robbie sings ‘Grow Old With You’ at the end… and watch your husband sneak a hanky, too. Adam Sandler is at his funny and romantic best. Cuddle up for some good laughs, and kisses!

Fun With Dick and Jane (2005): Dick and Jane’s ‘good life’ comes to an abrupt halt when their plans for a comfortable future crumble with the collapse of the company stock, pension fund, and Dick’s job. Dick, as a middle manager, gets hung out to dry and blamed for the stock collapse. Humiliated, Dick and Jane snap and start doing whatever they can to hang on, which includes going on a wildly funny blue-collar crime spree. But, things change and they end up getting retribution for their co-workers and revenge on the person who really caused the collapse. Jim Carrey is hilariously funny, but with a very gentle heart. You’ll be cheering the victors at the end.

Love Actually (2003): These are eight short stories of love and life, with a good spattering of laughs and light moments woven all through the movie. You’ll see some romance, as well as love between a father and his son, siblings, and warm friendships. These are beautifully written stories that illustrate that there are many forms of love and that Love Actually is all around us. You’ll laugh, yes, but be prepared to have your heart touched a little, too.

Taking romance seriously can really be hard to do, especially if your husband is like so many others. They need a laugh or two to relax and start to enjoy themselves… and you! Pick out a funny romantic movie, get cozy, and enjoy your time together.

RomanceYourHusband.com is a great, fun place for married folks to figure out new ways to stay close, stay friends, and to remember the days when they first fell in love. If you’re looking for ways to express your love or looking for ideas for your wedding vow renewal, you’ll find everything you need right here to capture the joy.

If romance is not a very serious matter in your house, join the club. From what I’m hearing, most women find their men to be more inclined to get snuggly when they are laughing and happy. And it usually follows that when your man is happy, you’ll be happy, too.

When date night is movie night in our house, I’m pretty sure I know what my husband would NOT want to be forced to watch. Think of the most intrique love stories you’ve ever seen or heard about, those heart-tugging, tear-jerking movies that leave you surrounded by crumpled tissues. If you’ve considered watching any of these movies on date night, let me give you a heads up… don’t. Here are four Please-Don’t-Do-That-To-Him Movies.

1) The Notebook – If you know this movie, you know what I’m saying. If you don’t know the movie, well it’s a wife with alzheimers and a husband who’s devoted to her. REALLY devoted to her. ‘Nuff said? Spoiler alert… they die together in each other’s arms in the end. Boo hoo. A definite buzz kill if ever there was one for a happy evening at home.

2) Closer – Even though this movie has heavy-hitters like Natalie Portman, Julie Roberts, and Jude Law, they don’t make up for the sad plot twists. Beautiful “exotic dancer” gets run over by car, witnessed by man who becomes attracted to her, at first, but then moves on to another beautiful woman. They are in love, that is until she marries somebody else, which actually doesn’t stop them from being “in love” all over the place. Then, what about the beautiful stripper who still loves the man? Just too sad all around for a nice, romantic night.

3) A Walk To Remember – Sappy sentimental young people falling in love. Tragic consequences and kissy face are just not going to make the man in your life smile. Let’s move on.

4) The Bridges Of Madison County – Oh no! You did not just do that! This is a no-brainer, ladies. Watch it by yourself or with some lady friends and several buckets of wine, then start yelling at the television screen “No-o-o-o! Please! You idiot! That’s Clint Eastwood, for God’s sake! Look at him! He’s so cool!” Just keep this movie away from your men if you ever want to be “happy” again, you know what I mean.

Yes, your man loves you and yes he will choke up at some sentimental things, but when it comes to movie-time and play-time, he needs a couple belly laughs, ladies. Let’s see what’s out there that has a comfortable combination of romance and laughs. You CAN have both, but you just have to temper the romance a bit, and avoid the sorrow! Here’s a short list of movies that always bring smiles to my man, and me! Here are four Just-Sit-Back-Laugh-And-Enjoy movies.

1) Dan In Real Life – Okay, Steve Carell could make anyone laugh. His demeanor is so much like most regular family guys, that he’s recognizable in many homes. The movie is a cool family romp, but has plenty of real guy laughs. See, there’s this guy who lost his wife (not dwelled on) and hasn’t dated for a while, meets a beautiful woman quite by accident on his way to a family gathering, gets very interested, then meets his brother’s girlfriend at the family gathering, and, guess what… same woman. It gets funny, complicated, slap stick, and all the good things that movies should do to keep our, and more importantly, our man’s interest. Pretty girlfriend doesn’t hurt, either. Face it, ladies.

2) The Holiday – There’s a bit of sexy romping in this movie between Cameron Diaz and Jude Law, so that will certainly entice your man to take a chance on this movie. Once you get into it, you’ll both enjoy the situations that develop between the other characters, too, played by Kate Winslet and Jack Black. The women exchange houses for the Holidays in order to escape their respective miserable love-lives. Once immersed in the very different lifestyle they find themselves in, all sorts of storylines develop that keep you and your man smiling, laughing, and even feeling a few tugs at the ol’ heart. Not too much, but just enough to get you both all cuddly.

3) Hitch – Matchmaker Will Smith is good at what he does. He gets men past the first date by teaching them all the right moves and lines. His advice isn’t working so well on himself, however, when he falls for Eva Mendes, a woman who’s on to him and his moves. The dating stories and Smith’s struggle with his own dating techniques have lots of funny storylines and even some sweet tales. Just to watch Smith so smooth and confident as a “date coordinator” totally fall on his face in his own dating world makes for lots of laughs. Your man will enjoy the characters and the clever little plot, and then he’ll get interested in the romance going on.

4) Click – Some parts of this Adam Sandler movie might get a bit dark, but overall it’s got a lot of laughs. Everybody can see themselves in this movie, if you are sitting there watching the movie amid the bills, toys, job stress, dirty dishes, stupid dog, and crazy kids. We’d all like to have a remote control at times in order to “click” away our trials and tribulations. Well, just see what happens when you get your wish. If for no other reason, watch this movie to see Christopher Walken play the purveyor of the remote control device. Wicked funny, but with enough of a message for the ladies.

Romance and laughter go together. Life is no bed of roses, so when you can share a smile with the man you love, it sure sets the stage for some romantic warm and cozy moments. These are the moments to create tonight with a movie your man will love!

RomanceYourHusband.com is a website dedicated to helping married couples stay friends and to help them remember why they married each other in the first place. Whether you’re looking for romantic words or cheap date ideas, we can help.