What we learned this week: don’t trust any of those web sites that come up when you search for “Best Rom-Coms on Netflix”. The people who write those things have no idea what rom-coms are. We had not heard of this movie, but the first we watched was “Blue Jay” (2016) on Netflix.

It’s about the reconnection of two high school sweethearts. It’s in black and white, which doesn’t bother us because we are old school. Despite good performances from Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass, there’s just a little bit of rom and not a whit of com in this one.

Next, an email showed up from Amazon which suggested that we watch “Feast of Love” (2007). A look at the description noted that Greg Kinnear, the “it guy” of the mid-2000’s, is the star.

The bonus actor in “Feast of Love” is Morgan Freeman. He’s not playing God in this movie, so don’t worry about him being typecast. He does play the “friend of the main character”, which is essential in all rom-coms. However, despite the cast, there’s plenty of rom, but not a lot of com in this effort.

Back to the drawing board. In fact, all the way back to 1940 for “His Girl Friday”.

Back in the day, they called these “screwball comedies”. It’s also in black and white, but the funny lines come as fast as they can deliver them. And they talk fast.

The writers in the old days must have been paid by the word. Although we have seen this movie before, there’s plenty of laughs and lots of fun. It’s worth revisiting.

Speaking of classic movies, if you haven’t seen “Detour” (1945), it’s a fun film noir watch. At only 80 minutes, if you hate it, you haven’t wasted your night. It’s in the public domain and it’s easy to find on YouTube.

It’s got everything you want in a film noir: the innocent patsy who commits an unintended crime, a virtuous girlfriend, a “not-so-nice” woman, and plenty of sweaty closeups. It’s really low-budget, with actors you have never heard of. And maybe that’s why it’s so much fun.

Take-Out Tuesday: Mama D’s Italian

This week’s takeout is an Italian restaurant that’s about 1/2 mile from Date Night’s California headquarters.

It’s a windy night and it’s pouring rain, which makes this the first time we try Doordash. We make our order at 6:10PM and about 6:30, we are presented with dinner. It’s pretty easy and with this weather, it’s well-worth the extra money. Let’s open up the Doordash bags (outside, of course) and see what’s inside…

Eggplant parmesan is a staple when we order Italian. Mama D’s is excellent. It’s full of gooey cheese and big pieces of breaded eggplant. Our next dish looks similar, but it’s a lot different.

It’s lasagne, so under the cheese and tomato sauce is pasta, big chunks of sausage, and ground beef. We both share, thus enhancing our Italian experience.

The garden salad really hits the spot tonight. We are not “salad starved” in California, and have been eating a lot of it. However, what we eat usually does not have olives, garbanzos, and mozzarella cheese, so that must be the reason. Maybe it’s the wine.

One of the good things about getting takeout is that you can BYOB since you are sitting in your house. We pop open a bottle of Coppola Claret from the Diamond Collection. It’s a big-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that’s made like a Claret from early last century. Let’s party like it’s 1910! After we open it and have a taste, we panic–have we just opened a $100 bottle of wine? Fortunately, you can get one for about $15.