Play These Films If You Want Swoon Or Scare Your Valentine!
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to cuddle up and watch a movie. Picking what to watch is usually stressful for any couple. With everyone having different movie tastes and so many streaming services, the choices can seem endless.
Use this as a guide for what to watch and what to avoid! Each pick has something related to love/romance or the holiday itself. There’s also something from every genre and spanning several decades. All together, this collection of films is meant for you to easily select something for your upcoming Valentine “Netflix and Chill” session!
Comment below and let me know your favorite or least favorite Valentine’s Day movie!
Honorable Mentions-
Best: ‘My Bloody Valentine’, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’, ‘Harold and Maude’
Worst: ‘Blue Valentine’, ‘Kramer Vs Kramer’, ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’
Best: Love, Actually (2003)
Sure, ‘Love Actually‘ is set on Christmas but this has to be one of the best modern romance movies. This film has multiple stories with so many wonderful characters that have charming endings…unless you’re Laura Linney. Some have criticized it for not being “romantic” enough but I think this puts a real spin on what love is.
Available on: Showtime Anytime – Google Play – iTunes
Worst: Audition (1999)
Don’t get me wrong, ‘Audition‘ is a great film but you don’t want to be cuddled up with your lover for an extended torture scene. Director Takashi Miike starts this film out with semi-romantic premise: a man uses a casting call for his next film to find his ideal girl. After he seemingly meets the perfect one…things get REALLY REALLY twisted!
Available on: Google Play – iTunes
Best: Brown Sugar (2002)
‘Brown Sugar‘ is not only a perfect love letter to your partner but a love letter to the entire hip-hop genre. Like the also fabulous ‘Love & Basketball‘, this film turns a “chick flick” into something approachable for men as well. That genius move mixed with the niche hip-hip influence makes this a re-watchable Valentine’s day hit.
Available on: Google Play – iTunes
Worst: Fatal Attraction (1987)
Watching this on Valentine’s Day can serve as a warning to any man with a wandering eye. ‘Fatal Attraction‘ scared an entire generation of men. It also scared parents from buying rabbits as their kid’s pet. Glenn Close plays the perfect woman scorned; delivering one of her best performances ever and making her the best anti-Valentine’s Day hero.
Available on: Google Play – iTunes – Hulu
Best: True Romance (1993)
Who says love movies can’t have a little violence? I never thought Tony Scott’s directing and Quentin Tarantino’s writing could make for something with such heart. The lovers in this remind me of Bonnie & Clyde but these two are pure savages. I debated putting ‘Natural Born Killers‘ here but the romance in ‘True Romance‘ really does feel true.
Available on: iTunes
Worst: Valentine (2001)
Not only is this not a good movie to watch with your significant other, ‘Valentine‘ isn’t even a good movie. The slasher genre was basically dead by 2001 so this comes as a last-ditched effort to capitalize on holiday horror from the 80’s. Other than a fairly scary mask, there’s nothing in this film that will make you leap into someone’s arm for comfort.
Available on: Google Play – iTunes
Best: Shrek (2004)
I knew when you saw ‘Shrek’ as the cover photo, many would question where it would place on this list. Without a doubt, this Ogre love story is one of the best romantic comedies. This movie guarantees a night of laughs with a message of accepting the flaws and all. Notice how is the only “kids movie” on the list…that’s how awesome ‘Shrek‘ is!
Available on: Google Play – iTunes
Worst: Gone Girl (2014)
Like ‘Fatal Attraction‘, you don’t want to spend your Valentine’s Day dealing with the craziness of another couple. While this may come off as another typical “psycho girl/cheating man” story, this will have you wondering how long a revenge plot has been brewing. As Tyler Perry says in the film: “I swear, you two are the most fucked up people I’ve ever known and I specialize in fucked up.”
Available on: Google Play – iTunes
Best: The Princess Bride (1987)
The best romance comedy of all time. Yeah the adventure element is present but it doesn’t take away from how ‘The Princess Bride‘ is all about Buttercup and Wesley’s love! It started out as a great novel and then was adapted in the late 80’s as this film. The story of these star-crossed lovers transcends any Romeo & Juliet vibes, allowing this to be incredibly original and a must-see any romantic holiday!
Available on: Google Play – iTunes
Worst: A Love Story (1970)
This film teaches us “love means never having to say sorry” but I’m sorry if you watch this movie on Valentine’s Day. Seeing the beautiful relationship Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw doesn’t make up for the sadness that follows. This feels like a precursor to sappy dramas like ‘The Notebook‘ and ‘Walk to Remember‘. ‘A Love Story‘ is the ultimate tearjerker and guaranteed to leave everyone crying on Valentine’s Day.
Available on: Google Play – iTunes
