You've just spotted the perfect partner. You want to approach her or him but you have doubts, and ultimately you don't have what it takes in the romance department. Never fear, the movies are here, with ten ways to make your love a sure thing.

The tip: Make contact.

The tipster: Notting Hill (Roger Michell, 1999)

Always be open to the possibility of romance. This is the key to beginning a successful relationship. Take bookstore owner William Thacker (Hugh Grant). One minute he's strolling through West London, the next minute he has chucked a cup of orange juice over a blockbusting actress called Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) and thus initiated a spiffingly diffident courtship that will exist in a state of giddy uncertainty until the final lovelorn declaration. Bravo.

The tip: Choose the date with care.

The tipster: Sleepless in Seattle (Nora Ephron, 1993)

No cinema, no pub, no disco, no park. The first date must “signify”. Sensitive widower Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) and frustrated romantic Annie Reid (Meg Ryan) know this well. Which is why they take forever to connect and then base their first date on the 1957 romance An Affair to Remember. The 102nd floor of the Empire State Building at sunset is not exactly a bargain platter at Harvester - and that's the point.

The tip: Buy her/him a present.

The tipster: Pretty Woman (Garry Marshall, 1990)

After a day of splurging in Beverly Hills boutiques, the LA prostitute Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) dresses in a red ball gown for her client, Edward Lewis (Richard Gere). Lewis impresses Vivian with a diamond necklace in a box. He then snaps the lid shut on her fingers, which makes her yelp, and shows her that he truly is a card.

The tip: Be sexually neutral.

The tipster: There's Something About Mary (Bobby and Peter Farrelly, 1998)

To avoid the libidinal jitters associated with first dates it is advisable, according to Mary, to manually relieve the situation. Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) does just this, leading to a seminal comedy moment (aka the Hair Gel Scene).

The tip: Be wacky.

The tipster: Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995)

Follow the moves of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy), who sit in a café, pretend that their hands are phones, and report to imaginary friends on the progress of their date. This way they get to be both intimate and hip. “She looked like a Botticelli angel,” Jesse tells his imaginary friend. “He's a little boy with beautiful dreams,” Céline tells hers. Nice.

The tip: Be wackier.

The tipster: Gregory's Girl (Bill Forsyth, 1981)

According to the rom-com rules, girls simply can't get enough of wacky. So, guys, take your cue from Gregory Underwood (John Gordon Sinclair). On his first date with a pint-sized fox called Susan (Clare Grogan) he takes her to the park, lies down beside her on the ground, and begins a long session of horizontal dancing - arms swinging, shoulders shaking, everything. She loves it.

The tip: Let her lead between the sheets.

The tipster: What Women Want (Nancy Meyers, 2000)

When things get physical men need to let the woman lead. Nick Marshall (Mel Gibson) does this, with impressive results. Being hit by a bolt of lightning gives him the power to read women's minds. He thus makes love to the vulnerable and emotionally fragile coffee waitress, Lola (Marisa Tomei) by following her every internal whim to the letter. He dumps her the next day but, hey, that's romance!

The tip: Meet the family

The tipster: Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

Once it gets serious, introduce your new partner to the family. And don't worry, any social and cultural awkwardness can be consigned to the comedy of life, as happens when Jewish stand-up comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) meets the Wasp family of Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). Just one thing, don't let the brother drive - Annie's brother Duane (Christopher Walken) coolly confesses, just moments before driving Alvy home: “I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head on into the oncoming car.”

The tip: Longevity rules!

The tipster: The Notebook (Nick Cassavetes, 2004)

If you want to understand the true quasi-mystical nature of love, you need commitment. Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) and her lover Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) are so committed that they defy social conventions, survive a world war and eventually become Gena Rowlands and James Garner. Allie eventually gets Alzheimer's, and Noah reads her the story of their relationship, every, single, day. She doesn't get better.

The tip: Start again.

The tipster: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)

If it gets too much and if the whole thing implodes, simply forget about it. It seems to work for the emotionally withdrawn Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and his fractious partner Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet). After their relationship crumbles into mutual antipathy they have their minds erased, reignite their courtship, and experience the good stuff all over again.

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