Everyone loves movies! The best way to become a family with your fellow roommates is to host a movie night with a great visual experience and complimentary food. But to guarantee success you’ve got to pick a movie that takes into account your shared living situation. Let’s explore possible film party ideas for different types of roommate houses.
All Female House
There are so many different types of women. There are adventure-seeking, peace-loving, or shopaholic types of women, but a great movie can bring us together and create lasting memories. The best movies for girls’ night are ones like the Hunger Games and Titanic which feature dynamic female characters paired with high tension and powerful relationships. Romantic comedies appeal to our crowd as well. With female driven plots, a potluck with a variety of food will complete the occasion. Pizza, cupcakes, chips and salsa, and creamy banana smoothies are some of the my valued choices.
Other Suggestions: Bridget Jones’s Diary and Pan’s Labyrinth
All Male House
The many wonderful differences between female interests and male interests come out so clearly with movies. For example, have you ever watched a movie like Tropic Thunder and all your male friends were dying of laughter yet you only chuckled here and there out of confusion? From my experience, groups of men gravitate toward movies that feature powerful protagonists who utilize their strengths in life-threatening events, which is why comic book adaptations and James Bond films rank high in the box office. Groups of men also gravitate toward comedies with witty dialogue and physical humor. So what types of edible treats match a male-oriented action or comedy film? You can never go wrong with pizza and popcorn as well as some beer to wash it down.
Other Suggestions: Blazing Saddles and Terminator
Coed House
A coed household experiences both worlds. To please the majority, select a movie with well rounded characters, an engaging storyline, and plot twists. Slumdog Millionaire fits these criteria. On the other hand, you can learn from each other. Have a night where the women pick the first movie, and then men pick the second. This opens up many possibilities even in the horror genre. In a coed household, men and women can protect each other from the glimpses of evil they see on the screen. If you chose to be scared, I would NOT serve food. For every other genre, consider a fest. Besides the obvious food choices, you can offer nachos, hot dogs, salads, pasta, and sparkling cider or beer and wine. Basically have dinner and crank up the volume for a night to remember.
Other Suggestions: The Shining and Super 8
Here are some other movies to check out:
For all female house: get a big box of Kleenex and rent The Notebook, Steel Magnolias or Imitation of Life (a 50’s classic.)
For family house: Pink Panther-series.
For international house: Cinema Paradiso, Mostly Martha (a German movie)