Film
Old Fashioned
- Romantic drama
- Light-hearted
A romantic drama about a reformed partier who commits to old-fashioned courtship with a free-spirited woman who rents the apartment above his antique store. It's earnest and sincere about values, faith, and intentional romance. Made for people who find modern dating exhausting and want to believe in something slower, more deliberate, and deeply committed.
If you liked this
You've Got Mail1998
Two people who despise each other online fall in love in person, trading witty emails and stumbling through the confusion of real connection. It has the same belief in fate, the same pleasure in conversation, and the same warmth about New York small business.
But The romance feels quaint now, and the film's pacing is leisurely to the point of stalling in places. Some will find it aggressively saccharine.

Gilmore Girls2000
A mother and daughter in a small town navigate love, family, and what commitment actually means, all wrapped in rapid-fire dialogue and genuine affection for their community. Stars Elizabeth Roberts and shares that faith in small-town rootedness.
But Seven seasons is a lot to commit to, and the show's energy can feel relentless. Later seasons lose focus.

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society2018
A writer travels to a Channel Island after WWII and discovers a community bound by books, kindness, and quiet rebuilding. It has the same reverence for slowness, intention, and the redemptive power of showing up for people.
But Very gentle and plotless by modern standards. If you need conflict or pace, this will feel like watching paint dry.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Old Fashioned
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Pride and Prejudice
Both films believe a courtship is a real story worth telling slowly. Both feature characters learning to see past their own judgments. Both frame commitment as a genuine ethical choice, not a plot convenience.
The BBC miniseries that rewrites the template: six hours to earn every kiss, a woman who demands respect before softening, a man who has to prove he's changed. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy invented the idea that real love requires real reckoning.
But It's from the 1990s and moves at its own pace—no scene exists to move plot forward alone. Heavy emphasis on dialogue, light on action.
More like this (8)
Austenland2013
A Jane Austen superfan spends money she doesn't have to live out a fantasy of Regency romance, only to discover what real connection looks like. It's funny about longing without mocking it, and kind about why we want what we want.
But The comedy can feel forced in places, and the film's budget shows. Some scenes are genuinely awkward rather than charmingly awkward.

When Calls the Heart2013
A young woman teaches school in a remote frontier town and falls for the Mountie stationed there. Period romance, tight-knit community, values-driven storytelling, and zero cynicism about goodness.
But It's earnest to the point of sentimentality. The show leans hard on faith and tradition, which may feel preachy if that's not your wavelength.

North & South2004
A young woman from the rural South moves to an industrial mill town and clashes with the mill owner before discovering who he really is. Genuinely passionate romance wrapped in a story about class, conviction, and change.
But The BBC production values are BBC—budget and pacing will feel slow if you're used to American television. Some relationship dynamics feel dated now.

Penelope2006
A woman cursed to live as an outcast through no fault of her own meets a man who loves her despite her shame, and she has to decide who she is for herself. Whimsical, kind, and genuinely about earning your own respect.
But The fairy-tale aesthetics are deliberate and thick. If you hate whimsy or pastel visuals, this will feel like eating spun sugar.

The Holiday2006
Two women swap homes for Christmas, meet men, and discover what they actually want from life. Smart, funny, romantic without being saccharine, and believes in the possibility of real change.
But It's ensemble and plot-heavy, so the romance takes a back seat. At 138 minutes, it's longer than it needs to be.

The Lake House2006
Two people separated by time fall in love through letters in a magical mailbox. High-concept premise carried by genuine chemistry and a sincere belief in fate and connection.
But The time-travel logic falls apart on inspection. If you need plot to make sense, this will frustrate you.

Synecdoche, New York2008
Where Old Fashioned says 'commit to reality and show up,' Synecdoche asks what happens when you can't bear to. Both are about fidelity—one celebrates it, one shows the cost of its absence. Opposite angles on the same urgent question.
A theater director creates a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse to stage a play about his own marriage, losing himself in a world of his own making. A devastating exploration of what happens when we refuse to live in reality, and why we build escape routes instead.
But It's willfully obscure, sad, and structured like a fever dream. If you're watching Old Fashioned for comfort, this will feel like punishment.

A Ghost Story2017
Old Fashioned argues that real love is forever; A Ghost Story proves it—at terrible cost. One is about choosing to build something lasting; the other shows what lasts whether you want it to or not. Both are haunted by eternity, one sweetly, one terribly.
A man dies and returns as a ghost to haunt his former house, watching time pass in an extended, hypnotic meditation on love, loss, and what endures. Shot on 4:3 film stock, it plays like a lullaby or a fever dream.
But It's a 92-minute film that feels like 200 minutes. It consists mostly of a white sheet watching people move through rooms. If you need plot or narrative momentum, stop here.

People
Cast
Elizabeth RobertsAmber
Rik SwartzwelderClay
LeJon WoodsDavid
Tyler HollingerBrad
Dorothy SilverAunt Zella- Kilina JellelHotel Manager
Directing
- Rik SwartzwelderDirector
Writing
- Rik SwartzwelderWriter
Production
- Dave DeBordeProducer
- Nathan NazarioProducer
- Nini HadjisProducer
- Rik SwartzwelderProducer
- Melody GeorgeProduction Designer