The 27 Best Movies to Watch on Valentine’s Day
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Valentine’s Day elicits all kinds of emotions—from gratitude, joy, and love, to indifference, disdain, and the ick. Luckily, there’s a movie perfect for every feeling on the spectrum. Ahead, we’ve rounded up a list of the best movies to watch for the holiday, whether you demand a heart-shaped box and colossal teddy bear on February 14, or you believe it’s a contrived, commercialized bore.
Heads up: If you are looking for a movie featuring romance that will make you weak in the knees, like that on display in The Notebook and Titanic, see our list of the most romantic movies ever. And for those of you who’d rather skip the romance and get right to the fun stuff—e.g., the Red Room in 50 Shades of Grey—cruise through our lists of the sexiest movies of all time, the best movies about sex, and the steamiest sex scenes of all time.
500 Days of Summer (2009)
Not only does this charming tragicomedy fit the bill for a Valentine’s Day well spent on the couch, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Tom Hansen—the messy-haired hopeless romantic who pines over the woman who broke his heart, Zooey Deschanel's Summer—punches the clock at a greeting card company as one of its sentimental writers. Doesn’t get more perfectly matched than that!
Barbie (2023)
A new and equally apt addition to V-Day’s pink and purple party is Greta Gerwig’s 2023 blockbuster. So much more than just an homage to the Mattel doll that built a generation, the film—starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, and so many more stars—is a tour de force that follows Barbie out of her perfect plastic world and into the messy real one.
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975)
If it's a calendar holiday, it calls for the Peanuts. Charles M. Schulz’s comic-strip comrades are synonymous with annual celebrations, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. In this 1975 short, the gang prepares to have the best Valentine’s Day ever, with the titular lovable blockhead hoping to receive at least one valentine—from anyone. Follow it with 2002’s A Charlie Brown Valentine.
Bed of Roses (1996)
Everyone needs roses on Valentine’s Day, but not the kind that are a chore to keep alive—the kind that come with Christian Slater and Mary Stuart Masterson wrapped in a cheesy ’90s love story. The two star in this so-bad-it’s-good romance about a florist who falls in love at first sight with a woman who is all career and no fun. And no matter your critical take, the “Independent Love Song” interlude will get you.
Blue Valentine (2010)
For every lovey-dovey faithful, there are hordes of romance resisters out there. To those in the latter camp, we say the only thing your stiff drink is missing is this bittersweet indie from Derek Cianfrance. Starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling as Cindy and Dean, the film explores the evolution of a married couple’s relationship. Think of it as the antidote to sugarcoated love stories.
Bones and All (2022)
Artistic allies Timothée Chalamet and Luca Guadagnino are becoming quite the pair. Following their collaboration on Call Me by Your Name, the actor and the director added even more frenzy to the hysteria that is Chalamania with a meaty love story costarring sartorial muse Taylor Russell. It’s about two strangers who bond over their cravings for human flesh, it’s gory, it’s dreamy, and it’s sure to leave a mark.
Cat Person (2023)
You and Chewpawca have a date with this Sundance 2023 hit on February 14. Adapted from the famously viral New Yorker short story of the same name, Susanna Fogle’s genre-blender starts out as a rom-com about a guy and a girl whose IRL meeting doesn’t live up to their texting relationship, and then it morphs into a bonkers thriller every person who identifies as a woman will relate to.
Cyrano (2021)
Cyrano de Bergerac—a French writer whose innovative work helped define 17th-century libertine literature—was the inspiration for Edmond Rostand's 1897 play named after the bard. There are countless adaptations of the work, including Steve Martin’s 1987 classic Roxanne and Netflix's fantastic 2020 release The Half of It. Watch both, but not before Joe Wright’s exquisite retelling, starring Peter Dinklage in the title role and Haley Bennett as the beauty he thinks he’s too hideous to woo.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine enlists Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet to bring to life a screenplay conceived in the cerebral mindscape of Charlie Kaufman. It’s a near-impossible task they achieve brilliantly as Joel and Clementine, former lovers whose breakup was so painful, they chose to completely wipe their memories of the relationship—which begins (again) on Valentine’s Day.
Fire of Love (2022)
Katia and Maurice Krafft were French volcanologists who met on a blind date and then chased exploding calderas the world over. In 1991, the couple died in the eruption of Japan’s Mount Unzen, perishing in its massive pyroclastic flow. Weaving together archival imagery with footage the researchers collected from the cusps of bubbling volcano cauldrons, director Sara Dosa delivers a fascinating exploration of the nature of love.
Fresh (2022)
Dinner for one on V-Day? Pair your takeout with this grade-A delight from director Mimi Cave, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan as a couple of singles just trying to find love. After bumping into each other at the supermarket, the two go on a few successful dates, followed by a weekend getaway. And we’ll just say this is when the buffet of twists and turns begins. Enjoy!
Joy Ride (2023)
Looking for the perfect Galentine’s Day watch? Take a Joy Ride. Starring Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu, and Sherry Cola, the raunchy comedy heads to China on a quest to learn more about one of the women’s birth mothers. But that’s about where the sentimentality ends and the debauchery begins. The more friends piled into your living room, the better, when watching this one.
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
Even purists will tell you this remake starring Supernatural’s Jenson Ackles and Jaime King is superior to the ’80s slasher, probably because it delivers a solid dose of action, gore, and all-around fun. When a town is terrorized by a miner with a pickaxe, everyone but King’s Sarah points the finger at Ackles’s Tom. Is he the killer? Or just a misunderstood diamond in the rough?
Obvious Child (2014)
Jenny Slate stars as Donna, a recently dumped stand-up comedian who just happens to get pregnant after a one-night stand. Spiraling into an emotional crisis, she considers having an abortion, which can only be scheduled for Valentine’s Day. An offbeat romantic comedy whose setup, delivery, and punch line are handled with aplomb, this one is another nice palate cleanser.
Past Lives (2023)
One of the best movies of 2023, this subtly aching portrait of a woman pondering life with a former flame is a story personal to its maker, Celine Song. But through intimate character development and a narrative that invites thoughtful introspection, the events based on Song’s life become crazy relatable. Starring a brilliant Greta Lee, Past Lives is the present you should give yourself this V-Day.
Priscilla (2023)
Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla is nothing like the glitzy Elvis biopic unleashed in 2022. Coppola’s stylish iteration is raw and dark—almost suffocating—as it dives into the isolated, lonely existence of Priscilla Beaulieu, the 14-year-old dating the most famous rocker in the world. Coppola washes the film in her signature dreamy palette and gives Cailee Spaeny the floor. And wow you the young actor will.
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
Things get cheeky in this rule-breaking rom-com from Matthew Lopez. When Prince Harry, a British royal, and Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the American president, clash at a wedding, their feud threatens international relations. Coaxed into a faux friendship for appearances, the pair end up involved in much more than the hoax. This one is full of surprises, both while the men are clothed and, well, not.
Rye Lane (2023)
A love letter to South London, Raine Allen-Miller’s romantic comedy gives the multicultural city as much of a showcase as she gives her two leads, David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah. As Dom and Yas—singles who connect after an awkward meet-cute in a public bathroom, then meander through markets, museums, and a medley of vibrantly colored shops—they open up about love and life.
Sitting in Bars With Cake (2023)
Yara Shahidi and Odessa A’zion do amazing work bringing Audrey Shulman’s 2016 memoir-slash-cookbook to the screen. They play Jane and Corinne, best friends who spend a chapter of their lives either at bars passing out slices of Jane’s heavenly cakes in an effort to meet guys, or at the hospital where Corrine's deteriorating health is being treated. It's Beaches for the 21st-century movie watcher, so invite your best mate over for a cocktail, some cake, and a good cry this V-Day.
Decision to Leave (2022)
Parasite director Park Chan-wook has the ideal watch for those looking for something romantic but not saccharine, intoxicating but not cheesy. Decision to Leave, a stylish thriller with a gut-wrenching climax, tells the story of a married detective who becomes obsessed with the wife of the man whose murder he’s investigating. There are many moving parts here, all of them intriguing.
Somebody I Used to Know (2023)
Dave Franco directs his real-life wife, Alison Brie, in another screen project, this one an elevated romantic comedy about a woman who returns home, runs into her ex (Jay Ellis), and then fixates on his fiancée (Kiersey Clemons). It’s kind of like a more melancholic and modern take on My Best Friend’s Wedding, and would be the perfect movie to watch with the you you used to know.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Remember the boxed valentines that came bundled with stickers and images of cartoon characters, cereal icons, or superheroes? This V-Day, consider the latest animated Spidey sequel a dose of that nostalgia in cinematic form. Furthering the storyline between Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales, the movie features their sweet love story while digging into several others caught in the Spider-Verse’s web.
The Color Purple (2023)
Paying homage to the palette of the season—a mosaic of pinks, purples, and reds—The Color Purple is spot on. Of course, that’s not the only reason to check out this masterpiece. The latest iteration of Alice Walker’s time-honored story, the new musical stars Fantasia Barrino as Celie, a Southern girl who goes through hell and back on a journey to self-love, and is a must-watch for Valentine’s Day and every other day of the year.
The Disappearance of Shere Hite (2023)
Shere Hite was an American-German sex educator and author who made massive waves in 1976 with her bestseller, The Hite Report. Dispelling myths about sex—such as that the female orgasm is achievable only in the presence of a man—the book offered insights about the magic of the clitoris and self-stimulation, among other topics. Needless to say, the boys were shook and the patriarchal backlash was fierce. In Nicole Newnham’s documentary, co-narrated by Dakota Johnson, Hite’s erased legacy is given its due.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
You can’t have a proper love fest without the sweet stuff. So look to Wes Anderson’s 2014 masterpiece to get your fix. As all of the auteur’s works do, this one intertwines several small stories into one deadpan adventure, incorporating numerous colorful characters. Our favorite here has to be Agatha (Saoirse Ronan), the Mendl’s pastry heroine whose exquisite courtesans au chocolat make our mouths water.
The Menu (2022)
There’s a heavy price to pay for that fancy prix fixe dinner. But for the guests in Mark Mylod’s epicurean thriller, the consequences wreak havoc on more than just their wallets. Anya Taylor-Joy leads an all-star cast whose members dine on a smug chef’s culinary wonders, each course presenting a surprise more twisted than the last. Forgo the reservations this year, order burgers, and just hit play.
Valentine’s Day (2010)
Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Alba, Queen Latifah, and so many more familiar faces team up for this holiday-themed essential from late ensemble-comedy king Garry Marshall. An overarching tale about love–and all of its complexities, disappointments, and nuances–the movie even features a curly-haired Taylor Swift mugging down with Twilight’s Taylor Lautner in her acting debut. What's not to love?
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