With so much content available for streaming these days, it’s easy to miss out on good movies and series. Two must-watch categories on our list are classics and modern romance that give us the feels to be in love. More than any other time of the year, summer is the best season to catch the love bug, whether it’s the kilig we’re looking for or the wistfulness over passions that didn’t work out.
The lazy days, especially when we’re on break, might as well give us enough free time to catch up and binge on titles that inspire these emotions. Here are five shows and films tackling love in all its forms: obsessive, cute, romantic, challenging, and ever-changing — all of which you can stream without interruption especially if you’ve got PLDT Home’s blazing fast and super reliable internet connection.
- Letters to Juliet (2010)
This movie expertly weaves people’s notions of love from the Elizabethan era with the 21st century. Letters to Juliet is set in Verona, Italy, where Shakespeare located three of his plays including Romeo and Juliet in 1594. There is a tourist attraction in Verona called Juliet’s House that features a balcony much like in the play, where letters that people write to Juliet are taped.
The New Yorker fact checker Sophie (Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls ) visits the place with her fiancé chef Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal, The Motorcycle Diaries ). One day, she finds a letter tucked behind a brick in the wall written 50 years ago by the then teenage English girl Claire (Vanessa Redgrave, Girl, Interrupted ) to Lorenzo, whom she leaves behind in Italy. Claire writes an impassioned letter to Claire who, now widowed, comes to Verona with her short-tempered but protective grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan, The Prince ). What follows is a story of fateful love and romance involving Sophie, Claire, and Charlie that you’ll need to follow and see through to the end.
- Endless Love (1981)
Starring Brooke Shields ( The Bachelor ) as Jade and Martin Hewitt ( Secret Games ) as David, this romantic drama directed by Franco Zeffirelli was based on the eponymous book by Scott Spencer.
In Endless Love , Jade lives in suburban Chicago with her bohemian, counter-culture family and falls in love with David. The two begin a sexually intense relationship that affects the 15-year-old Jade’s schooling, leading her father to ban David from their house for 30 days. This results in a chain of events that leads to tragedy and, ultimately, love.
- Summer Guys (2021)
The web drama series was filmed on Jeju island, South Korea, in the summer of 2020, starring Lee Jung Shin, Kang Mi Na, Kwon Hyun Bin, Lee Jung Shik, and Lim Na Young.
The title is derived from the beachfront bar Summer Guys, which is failing despite the popularity of the resort where it’s located. The barkeeper (Kang Mi Na) is determined to revive its glory days before summer begins and enlists the help of three friends who could be bartenders. One is an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy family, another is a devout Buddhist who wants to help people, and the third is a baseball player. It’s a summer to remember on an island known for its beaches, food, holidaymakers, and romance.
- My Summer Prince (2016)
My Summer Prince takes the Shakespearean literary device of mistaken identity that leads to love but in the very modern context of crisis management and public relations. Rebellious royal Prince Colin of Edgemere ( Jack Turner, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow ) is in small town Greenbriar in Idaho on a state visit when gets into mischief, for which he is arrested by the sheriff. His mother, Queen Rosalind, hires cutthroat PR boss Deidre Kelly (Lauren Holly, Crank: High Voltage ) for damage control and she brings her assistant Mandy Cooper (Taylor Cole, 12 Rounds ) along with her.
Unfortunately for Deidre, she gets chickenpox when they land in Greenbriar. She is then forced to send her younger assistant Mandy to deal with the crisis. When Mandy is mistaken for Deidre by the Queen’s assistant Penelope and by extension the Prince, she doesn’t correct them until the deception gets too deep to walk back. Mandy and Prince Colin get to know each other as they strike a deal with the sheriff for him to do community work. The Prince, who is set to be engaged to Lady Isabella as soon as he gets back to Edgemere, falls in love with “Deidre” and finds that duty and what his heart desires don’t always have to be in conflict with each other.
- Rush to the Dead Summer (2017)
The Chinese TV series spans a period of 10 years for a group of friends, starting in summer when they are in high school. Starring Chen Xuedong , Zheng Shuang and Bai Jingting , the 2017 series is about friendship and betrayal between a quiet artist, a kind and sincere girl, and a protective friend who goes to prison for defending a friend.
The story follows them through graduation and after they go their separate ways and live their own lives. Like in real life, people grow and change — and not always for the better. The summer of their youth fades away and in comes reality with its lessons and hard-fought wins.
Stream Rush to the Dead Summer on Viu.
Keep that kilig flowing this summer and watch these romantic classics in crispier detail and uninterrupted through PLDT Home ‘s fastest and strongest connection. Stream these titles on Lionsgate Play when you activate your complimentary voucher from PLDT Home and on Viu Premium for only P80 a month charged to your PLDT Home account.
