Just in time for Valentine's Day and Oscar nominations, we honor the silver screen's best men -- guys who set the bar for how to treat a woman. And our awards go to . . .

Forget Oscar-nominated actors. Sure they can teach us about acting, but to learn how to be the kind of leading man a lady craves, we found a different bunch of characters to honor: the best movie boyfriends/husbands. Here are our picks for:  

Best Husband Ever

Paul, Julia Child’s husband (played by Stanley Tucci), Julie & Julia

He loved the hell out of his civil-servant-turned-culinary-icon wife -- even though it wasn't practical for older women to have second-act (or first-act) careers at the time. Even though she was as kooky as a baked Alaska. Even though she had, like, a good 6 inches and 20 pounds on him. Even though she didn't (maybe couldn't) give him children.

Follow the leading man:

Like Paul, be the best husband ever by looking past your differences and going with your heart.

Most Romantic Husband

Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Edward Asner), Up

Carl, a widower, rigs up his old house with a million balloons (give or take about 900,000) so he can airlift it and pilot it to South America. The fearless act is all driven by sentiment, done in memory of his wife -- his best friend, fellow dreamer and inspiration -- to fulfill an aspiration they had during their whole life together.

Follow the leading man:

You’ll be the most romantic dude ever by following through with a crazy pipe dream you concocted with your better half.

Most Intense Boyfriend

Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), Twilight series

While some find Edward the vampire a little obsessive and almost stalkerish, the girls in the audience (and their moms) think he’s smoldering hot. The combination of dark, brooding and potentially dangerous yet tender makes him the Beauty and the Beast-type character we’ve seen throughout the centuries. Plus, not only must he work out like a bastard to look ripped for his Bella (though we never see him at the gym), he’s willing to sacrifice his entire happiness just to preserve her soul.

Follow the leading man:

Have your girl pine for you by working on your intense gaze and all-or-nothing attitude. (Bonus: Muscle up.)

Most Patient Boyfriend

Anton (Andrew Garfield), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

(Runners-up: the Bride Wars fiances, who put up with all kinds of bridezilla shenanigans.)

An actor in an impoverished traveling circus troupe, Anton tolerates living in squalor and being ridiculed by drunk audience members. Why? So he can be next to his secret love, 16-year-old Victoria (Lily Cole). Unfortunately, she has a penchant for bad boys (played by Hollywood’s finest: Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Heath Ledger and Colin Farrell). But have no fear! Patience wins when Victoria finally realizes bad boys are bad news and Anton is her true love.

Follow the leading man:

Why put up with subpar living conditions and wedding-day antics? In hindsight, she’ll interpret it as an indicator of your undying love.

Best Change of Heart

Stu Price (Ed Helms), The Hangover

Dentist Stu is a spineless masochist when it comes to his mean-spirited, snobby girlfriend, Melissa (Rachael Harris), who’s cornered him into marrying her. While in Vegas for a bachelor party, he meets the down-on-her-luck, sweet, doe-eyed escort Jade (Heather Graham), who also happens to be the mother of an infant. Cut to the ending: Stu leaves his shallow fiancee behind for the sweet, hot, single mom.

Follow the leading man:

This is the “Hail Mary pass” of the dating world -- scoring the win right before the clock runs out. It proves that, no matter how many cruel women you come across out there, you can still come across a princess who loves you. (Just leave out the escort part when introducing her to mom and dad.)

Best “Save” of a Relationship

Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), I Love You, Man

In the bromance I Love You, Man, Peter overhears his fiancee, Zooey (Rashida Jones), talking about how he doesn’t have any real male friends. Ideal fiance that he is, Peter tries to remedy this (and find a best man for the wedding in the process) by going on a series of painful, blundering “man dates.”

Follow the leading man:

The moral of the story? Sure she wants to be your everything, but she also wants you to be a well-rounded individual with your own friends and interests. It’s never too late to work on yourself.

Best PDA

Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds), The Proposal

In The Proposal, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) is forced to get engaged to his bully boss, Margaret (Sandra Bullock), in her effort to avoid being deported to Canada. The plan unravels after many legal and familial complications, but Andrew finds himself falling for Margaret as he gets to know her better. He confesses his love for her in front of the entire office and proposes marriage just before the Department of Homeland Security whisks her back to Canuck-ville.

Follow the leading man:

Chicks love having an audience when it comes to professions of love. Whether you write it in the sky or get on one knee after a family dinner, remember: the more public bells and whistles, the better.

Does your brain get twisted into a pretzel trying to decipher how her brain works? Wondering what to do? MLT's relationship expert clears it all up for you.

In this day and age, mankind has figured out how to engineer a nanoparticle to walk the dog, bring in the mail and empty the crumbs from the kitchen toaster. And yet, your lady (or the lady you want) can still confound you with wants and needs you just don’t understand.

Is there some way to hack into this FOS (Female Operating System)? Maybe an online translator that can interpret the language of the modern girlfriend?

Well, we can’t clue you into every inexplicable thing she does. But we can highlight the most familiar (no doubt) scenarios and give you a cross-sectioned, 3-D snapshot of her brain at that moment along with a little bonus perspective.

Here, the top 10 confounding girlfriend mysteries, defounded:

Mystery No. 1: She wears killer shoes.

She insists on wearing shoes that have no resemblance to the human foot, then complains that her feet are killing her.

Her brain:

She knows how sexy these skyscraper heels make her legs look -- no matter what her weight. (Bonus: Unlike her other clothes, her shoes always fit since her feet stay the same size.) There is a God.

How to handle:

Don’t even try to convince her that loafers are sexy. Besides, you too like how those heels make her stems look! Just make sure she has a chair, stool or lap to sit on at all times.

Mystery No. 2: She’s fickle with frenemies.

She can go from BFF to mortal enemy with someone within 48 hours (and revert back in 72).

Her brain:

They talk a lot more than guys, start talking younger, and in general, use a lot more words. So of course women argue more -- it’s a numbers game.

How to handle:

Is this really crazy behavior? What do two boxers do at the end of bloody fight? They hug like old high school pals. See, we aren’t that different. Just try to jump ahead and envision her endgame, and you’ll get fewer surprises.

Mystery No. 3: Her self-esteem is a fashion victim.

An article of clothing can make her feel thin or fat.

Her brain:

Since she’s been old enough to point and say “I want,” she has been subliminally and not so subliminally marketed to. Of course she actually believes that those pants -- and this hairspray, that lip gloss and that perfume -- can actually make her into a different person (the pushup bra excluded, ingenious wicked invention that was).

How to handle:

Tell her that nothing makes her look fat to you and that her skinny clothes indeed make her look very lean. She’ll roll her eyes at how dumb you are in the first scenario (“Just look at my ass in that skirt! It needs its own zip code!) and smile at the second.

Mystery No. 4: She gets flash hunger attacks.

When she gets hungry, she has to eat “right now” or she’ll faint. (Didn’t she see it coming?)

Her brain:

It’s just wired more delicately when it comes to intake and output of energy. Because of hormonal changes throughout the month, at times she needs more “fuel” than others. Plus, she’s by nature a caretaker, so tuning into her own grumbling stomach comes last. Result: You have that girl clawing at you to stop at a 7-Eleven for a snack of nuts … or anything!

How to handle:

Don’t take this as a nuisance; see it as a fantastic opportunity to look like a great guy when you stop to get her a yogurt or banana.

Mystery No. 5: She clones her clothes.

She buys multiple items of clothing that look exactly the same.

Her brain:

Girlfriend: “How does this look?”

(You squint. Don’t say it. Don’t! We warned you.)

You: “Don’t you have one just like it?”

The consequences: She rewards you with a long list of reasons why the second identical little black thingie is better than the first.

How to handle:

Instead of stating the obvious, the correct response would have simply been, “Great!” Plus, now you know what to get her for Valentine’s Day: something that looks exactly like something she has.

Mystery No. 6: She bans many foods.

One food can become vilified virtually overnight. (Salad dressing has to be on the side, etc.)

Her brain:

Every week, magazine after magazine uncovers a new reason America is obese. Add to this the Armageddon-like disaster of a hint of cellulite somewhere, and no wonder she can count a meal’s calories faster than you can say, “We’re ready to order.”

How to handle:

Encourage less neurotic eating habits, and make sure to over-tip the poor bullied waitress who was interrogated about e-v-e-r-y s-i-n-g-l-e ingredient in her dish.

Mystery No. 7: She’s BFFs with celebs.

She feels perfectly entitled to talk about an actress/singer/socialite and that celebrity’s outfits/boyfriend/makeup in detail, though she’s never actually met her (and probably never will).

Her brain:

She’s grown up with Lindsay and Britney. Their pain has been hers; their struggles and successes hers as well.

How to handle:

You can either fight the power by making her clarify “Lohan” or “Spears” every time or just know that it’s one of 20 celebs that are pretty much interchangeable anyway.

Mystery No. 8: She preps forever.

“Throwing on some jeans” takes at least half an hour.

Her brain:

Looking “spontaneous” takes time and effort. Her mental process: “Makeup, a touch-up with the curling iron … hmm, maybe I’ll floss while it warms up. Better cover up that zit too.”

How to handle:

Take a chill pill on this one.

Mystery No. 9: She hairballs the pipes.

Much like steel wool, small dense nests of her long hair clog the sink and shower drains constantly.

Her brain:

She has to trim, color, style, straighten, curl and fluff. We assume you don’t.

How to handle:

This is the price you pay for her beauty: having to yank this stuff out of bathroom pipes. Just look unphased.

Mystery No. 10: She’s 360-degree self-obsessed.

She’s as obsessed about looking as good from the back and sides as from the front (hence the yoga-inspired contortions in front of the mirror to inspect herself from all angles).

Her brain:

Half the time people look at her, it’s from the back, right?

How to handle:

Keep in mind you benefit when you get a glimpse of that thong peeking out from her pants -- which she’s totally aware of. See how it all works?

When you’re out flying the -- hopefully -- friendly skies in search of a good woman, you’ll need a great co-pilot. Here are the traits he’ll need to have.

Meeting women is not a solo sport. For men, it's essential to work in teams -- typically two-man excursions with one man in charge and the other designated as wingman, whose primary role is to assist the "pilot." Whether the setting’s a bar or bookstore, a good wingman can turn a strikeout scenario into a successful sortie.

So what kind of guys should you recruit before suiting up for a mission? Well, when it comes to separating a green pilot from a flying ace, say our sources, a good wingman should be …

• Assertive As anyone in the game will tell you, it takes guts to approach women cold. "A good wingman will push his buddy to take risks,” says Stephen Simpson, Ph.D., who wrote the book What Women Wish You Knew about Dating. “He gets you to do things you wouldn't. He's the icebreaker, the cheerleader and the commiserator when you get rejected. He makes you go talk to that woman whom you think out of your league.” Think: Sydney Fife (played by Jason Segel) in the recent hit flick I Love You, Man.
• Similar (to you) No matter how bold your wingman is, if you don't click with him, you're probably going to crash and burn. Dr. Geoffrey Greif, a professor of social work at the University of Maryland, talked to 400 men and 120 women for his book Buddy System: Men and Their Male Friendships. Based on his research, he says, "Nerds don't like hanging out with jocks -- they find them intimidating and uninteresting. Masculine guys hate being thought of as gay, so they won’t hang out with effeminate men." In other words, your wingman should be someone you're comfortable with. While relative looks don't matter that much, he says, "men seek friends who have the same level of masculinity."
• Adaptable It's called "jumping on a grenade" -- the wingman act of talking (and possibly more) with a girl's friend, freeing up “the pilot” to hook up with said girl. But it's just one of many wingman duties, all tying into being adaptable to any situation. If, for instance, in the middle of the evening you decide to change course and go after his prospect, instead of your own -- your friend should go with it. If you introduce yourself and your wingman as traveling beekeepers (despite his potentially fatal allergy to yellow jacket venom) to spark the interest of a group of women, he should also go along with it. And if you make him pay for the drinks, he should still go along with it (because you’ll get him back later -- right?).
  
  "He has to understand you -- he has to be able to read you," says Greif. "Men don't like to explain things to a guy, so a good wingman will know when to get you to talk and when to not force you to." Perfect bromantic example: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. "They got each other’s humor," says Greif. A more modern bromance: John (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) in Wedding Crashers. 
• Male Contrary to conventional wisdom, women don't make the best wingmen. While on the surface, enlisting a female co-pilot seems like a good way to show you're "safe," it raises too many questions, says Simpson. "She'll wonder why you hang out with women. She'll think you don't get along well with other men. And she'll have questions about your relationship and history with the woman. The last thing you want is a quiet, mysterious female at your side while you're hitting on someone."

Greif agrees that men make the best wingmen, with different reasoning: "They will not press the guy to be too emotional or emotive. Men like being with men because they will not be pressed to talk about their feelings as much as with women."

The Ultimate Wingman
Put all those qualities together, and who do you have? According to Simpson, Vince Vaughn's character from Swingers, Trent, epitomizes the ideal wingman.

"He begins by encouraging you and offering advice. He pushes and guides you until, suddenly, he's no longer needed. A good wingman wants the student to become the teacher. He wants his buddy to reach the point where he says, 'Don't worry -- I got this.' It's the self-sacrificial aspect of male bonding. We can't die for each other in battle as much as we could a century or two ago. But we can still jump on a grenade now and then."

When times get tough, the financially challenged get romantic. That is, they can if they follow these thrifty -- but effective -- dating strategies.

Even if you’re not sitting on a trust fund or earning big bucks, you can still show a lady a great time on just a little dough. And if you are well-off, these tips can still help you date well, since the amount of money spent on a date doesn’t necessarily equal the amount of fun to be had. Follow these five low-cost dating strategies, and you’ll get great ROI (Romance on Investment).

 

Get Retro
Ask her about board games she liked as a kid. Then go out and actually get them. (Her sweet tooth for “Candyland” will only cost you $12.99 on eBay, or -- if you’re lucky -- she’ll say “Battleship,” only $11.95 on eBay.) She’ll squeal with surprise -- not in a Deliverance kind of way.
Why this works: You asked about her past, you remembered her response, you went out, scouted for that game and found it. Women consider effort, especially when the process involves several steps, an amazing feat for guys. Use that to your advantage.
Caution: Do not drop hints beforehand -- she’ll inevitably think it’s bigger/shinier and be disappointed regardless of what you get. This way, she’s totally surprised.

Break a Sweat
Believe it or not, she’s been waiting for someone to take her to the park -- the one with the rubber tires and monkey bars. Just be sure to avoid after-school hours -- kick it up after the kiddies go home for dinner.
Why this works: She gets to talk about herself. She’ll tell you about how she once cracked a tooth on the asphalt, did an amazing summersault off the swings and survived the wrath of mean girl Stacey Abramowitz in sixth grade. Bottom line: She’ll feel like you really know her and this little adventure has brought you together.
Caution: You haven’t done a standing flip off the top of the slide in at least a couple of years. Maybe you’ve grown, gained weight or just remember the ground as being farther away. Leave gymnastics to the pros.

Get Classic
Bring over some movies like Casablanca or Gone with the Wind. She’ll tag you a Renaissance man akin to Rick or Rhett (even if your real goal is to avoid having to sit through another contemporary chick flick). Alternative: Pick up season one of her favorite TV show (maybe it’s “Friends,” “Weeds” -- hopefully anything but “Sex and the City”).
Why this works: Rather than scream “cheap date,” the evening will sing “romance.” Plus, you can top it off with some of your special gourmet popcorn (a la bag!).
Caution: Maybe she did say she liked Black Hawk Down, but resist the urge.

Be Silly
Whether it’s doing Mad Libs together or teaming up against another couple for charades, you’ll be taking advantage of the fact that the language and interaction part of her brain is bigger. See, while men like doing things in a parallel way (like sitting side by side watching sports), research shows women like face-to-face and verbal interaction.
Why this works: She gets back-and-forth time with you and gets to use words.
Caution: Learn what an adverb and a reflexive pronoun are before playing Mad Libs or you’ll look like a tool.

Give a Little
Ask her to join you at the soup kitchen. No, not to eat there, dummy -- to do volunteer work. Although you won’t label this a real “date,” afterward, you’ll enjoy the fresh afterglow of having done some good in the world, which will give you both a warm and fuzzy feeling that’s very … date-like.
Why this works: Wow, how cool, you care about others! What a breath of fresh air!
Caution: Make sure to pick a cause you really like -- your heartfelt mission to help will render you irresistible.

Ever wonder where the love of your life went? Just look her up online! But be warned -- you may not like what you find.

Janie Sherwin married the first boy she ever dated. She just did it 10 years after they broke up.

She and Howie were 14 when they first locked lips, but they decided they had some living to do before they could commit. So, they ditched after their second date. “But I never stopped thinking about him,” says Janie.

She packed up her memories when she moved away, and Bobby “dated a ton of chicks” before a short-lived marriage. But divorce turned his thoughts to his first love. “I looked her up on Facebook,” he says. Within minutes he found her and sent a message. “Then I thought she might have me arrested for harassment.”

Wrong!

“It’s like we were never out of touch,” says Janie. “We emailed -- a lot -- then agreed to meet. Within months, we decided to get married.”

For most folks, first loves were Super-Bowl-size events. The imprint on your emotional Etch A Sketch can’t be shaken. So when you get nostalgic … you’re unearthing some serious stuff.

In her book, Lost and Found Lovers: Facts and Fantasies of Rekindled Romance, Nancy Kalish, who holds a doctorate in psychology, reports that of the 1,300 people she surveyed, 25 would reunite with lost loves if they could. Now the Web makes the process a lost love layup.

A Classmates Web site survey revealed that 39 percent of their users -- or 14.7 million people -- said they used the site to look up an old love. So whether it’s Google, MySpace, Facebook or Twitter, it’s easy to let your fingers do the walking to locate old loves. The trend is so prominent, they have a name for digital daters who party in the past: retrosexuals.

It may be easy to find somebody online. The hard part is figuring out whether it’s the right thing to do, because sometimes, high-speed Internet “connections” have bugs.

Debbie, a 28-year-old dentist, was “friended” by her teenage squeeze on MySpace. “At first it was amazing,” she says. “I had always wondered what had happened to Ken, and suddenly, he was back in my life.”

The bad news? They were both married.

“My husband found out we were flirting online, and we ended up divorcing.” Which happily left the door open for Ken, right?

Wrong!

“He didn’t want to commit,” says Debbie. “It was the worst decision I ever made.”

So, be forewarned men! “People feel like they don’t need to be honest online,” says New York relationship counselor JoAnn Magdoff, who urges retro-romancers to do their homework before wining and dining online. “They might have innocent intentions, but they also have the entire Internet to hide their baggage, whether it is a marriage or a relationship.”

Kalish’s book indicates that 62 percent of the married folks who reconnected wound up having an affair -- even though they say they didn’t intend to.

Magdoff warns that you need to get a clear grasp of what you’re looking for before reaching out to touch someone from your past. Here are Magdoff’s essential strategies for retro-romancers to keep a past perfect romance from getting present tense:

Know your motivation. “What’s going on in your present life that’s forcing you to reach into the past? Do you really miss this person, or are you just dissatisfied with things right now? Put your focus on fixing the present before you dredge up the past.”

Level your expectations. “People age differently,” says Magdoff. Somebody who looked like Taylor Swift a decade ago may have, uh, “changed.” “Be smart,” she adds. “If her Facebook photo looks suspiciously like her yearbook pic, she might not be entirely honest.”

Remember why you reached out in the first place. “Make sure these people are who you remember them to be,” warns Magdoff. “Memories may be powerful but not always accurate. Engage in a lot of online dialogue to determine whether she exhibits the same qualities she had when you were kids.” If your memory says sweet and innocent but her emails say smug and sarcastic, drop this continuing-education class.

Ensure everyone is briefed before any debriefings. “If you’re married, and you’re looking to reconnect with an old friend … great. Just make sure everybody knows it.” That means tell the girl why you’re reaching out and let your girlfriend know you’re doing it. “If you’re not hooked up and you’re looking for love, ask her if she’s available and wants the same.” If you don’t, you’re leaving a ton of stuff unsaid. And when it finally is said ... you might not want to hear it.