Ah, Valentine’s Day. A day of romance. A day of love. A day of investing far too much, time, energy, and money trying to impress your partner. And because you’re a movie fan, everything you’ve learned about romance comes from what you’ve watched on the big screen. Don’t be ashamed, the movies (mostly) have this whole “dating” thing down -- the way the girls do in this weekend's How to Be Single as they navigate the dating world of New York City. Let’s run down some pointers, just to make sure you’re fully prepared for the challenges ahead.

Go to the Movies

There are two possible outcomes to you taking your date to the movies. One: you discover a shared interest in cinema, have a grand ‘ol time and accumulate plenty to talk about over dinner. Two: you date John Cena in Trainwreck and have an insane, miserable time that leads to stories you’ll cry about now, laugh about later. Win-win!

Try Something Outside of Your Comfort Zone

When it comes to impressing your potential love interest, you can do far worse than asking yourself “What would Heath Ledger have done?” So do like he did in 10 Things I Hate About You, and share your first truly romantic moment after a spending an afternoon literally flinging balls of pain at each other. If it worked for them, surely it will work for you!

Meet the Family

Sometimes, you end up meeting the parents far earlier in a relationship than you planned. For some people, this will kill the date, and possibly your future romance, dead. But not you. You’ve seen Say Anything… and you know that being charismatic like Lloyd Dobler in the face of a protective father is the best way to impress your future partner. Steal from the best!

Go Someplace Special

Late in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Jim Carrey’s Joel realizes too late that he regrets having his ex-girlfriend erased from his mind and clings to his greatest memories of her, like the time the two of them ventured out on to a frozen lake and stared at the stars. If you pick a special enough place that your date will want to cling to in the face of memory erasure, then you’ve done the dating thing right.

Don’t Do Anything Too Crazy

A little adventure is OK, but do exercise a certain amount of discretion. Take the movie Hitch, where Will Smith's seemingly suave romantic bends over backwards to create special dates for the woman he likes…only for them to backfire. Sometimes, these dates end with her in tears. Other times, they end with his face swollen into an unrecognizable form thanks to food allergies. The lesson here is simple: make sure your grand romantic gestures are at least somewhat planned and vetted.

Make the Dreaded IKEA Run

Every couple will one day face the IKEA challenge. The Swedish furniture and accessory store has the ability to shatter even the strongest marriage into a million shards, so why not find out how you'd fare? Use 500 Days of Summer as an example and take a trip there as a major relationship test. If you can survive this, you can survive just about anything.

Try to Get Your Time-Traveling Son Involved

This is a bit of a long shot, but if your future son just so happens to be visiting with a time machine, you could do far worse than getting him involved in your romantic entanglements. Back to the Future’s George McFly had no idea that “Calvin Klein” was his future spawn, but his mere presence allowed George to save his future wife from an abusive creep and win her love on the dance floor. If breaking the laws of time and space to secure a date-gone-well is an option, then by all means take advantage of your unique circumstances.

Stand Up for Your Partner

Notting Hill is chock full of great little moments to steal for your future dates, but one stands out beyond all others. When Hugh Grant’s William overhears a group of coarse jerks saying unkind things about his movie-star date, he confronts them, faces humiliation dead-on, and stands up for her honor. Julia Robert’s Anna then returns the favor, approaching this table of loudmouths to give them a piece of her mind and defend William’s honor. The lesson: always stand up for your partner…and this road goes both ways.