Looking for the perfect rom-com to cap off the Valentine’s Day season? We’ve got you covered.
Whether you’re staying in with your galentines or sharing a heart-shaped pizza with your significant other, there are plenty of romance movies you can throw on to keep the spirit of Valentine’s Day for the rest of the month.
Here is my list of the top five movies you must watch this February (or any time of year)!
Set it Up (2018)
When I first watched this movie this past summer, I loved it so much for many reasons.
Zoe Deutch and Glen Powell play the main protagonists of the movie and portray overworked and underpaid assistants to two very successful bosses. Deutch and Powell’s characters try to set their bosses up so they can work less and enjoy life more, but then something unexpected happens: they start to fall in love! Shocker, right?
Two reasons I absolutely love this movie are, of course, because of the chemistry between our two main characters and also the fact that Deutch’s character remains set on her dream goal to write for ESPN even after finding the love of her life.
This movie is definitely on the newer side, and I know the era of rom-com classics peaked in the early 2000s, but I promise you this is one of the good ones — it had me smiling the whole time.
Where to watch: Netflix
Love, Rosie (2014)
I’m not going to sugarcoat anything — this movie is definitely more of a tear-jerker. But if you’ve seen it before, then you would understand why I had to include it.
The movie follows the story of two characters, Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin), who have grown up together since the age of five. The two have watched each other fall in love with other people, have children of their own, and help each other through tragedies and breakups.
Alex and Rosie seem to keep missing each other — but that’s what makes the story even better. Every time they connect you think this will be the time they realize they are meant to be together, but every single time something gets in the way.
I won’t tell you how it ends, but I highly recommend this movie for not only the duo’s chemistry but especially if you’re like me and love a good, realistic story about how real love isn’t easy and even harder to keep when you have it.
Where to watch: Pluto TV, Paramount+
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
An absolute classic that you will enjoy whether you’re watching it for the first time or the 101st time. This movie has so many iconic lines and scenes that seem to never age.
The story follows Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson), a beat reporter for an advice column in a women’s magazine. Her latest story is supposed to be about how to lose a guy in 10 days to show girls what not to do in relationships.
She then meets Benjamin Berry, played by the wonderful and charming Matthew McConahay, who she uses in her experiment for her article. But what she doesn’t know is that he’s playing a little game of his own as well.
While she’s trying to be the worst possible girlfriend, he has a bet going with his friends that he can make any girl fall in love with him and she happens to be the one they picked for him to experiment on.
But, as you probably guessed, their plans fail — miserably.
Where to watch: Pluto TV, Paramount+
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
This film is another classic that was made before I was even born. The plot is a bit thick, so let me explain it in simple terms:
Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) moves to a new school and meets Bianca (Larisa Oleynik), but she can’t date until her sister dates, per rules of their unreasonably strict father. Bianca’s sister, Kat (Julia Stiles), hates all boys and high school in general, so Dad’s rule stands firm all the way until Cameron makes a plan to get new student Patrick (Heath Ledger) to take Kat out on multiple dates. The rest is for you to find out.
One of my favorite movies ever, it boasts a lot of very popular and iconic scenes set in Seattle, Washington. I appreciate the storylines, Ledger and Stiles’s chemistry, the raw awkwardness of high school portrayed in the movie and all the perfect stereotyping that takes place.
Where to watch: Disney+
Valentine’s Day (2010)
Although this isn’t my favorite rom-com of all time, I still had to include it because of the season. I recommend this movie if you’re a fan of movies like “The Holiday” or “New Year’s Eve,” where the movie follows the plot lines of 4-6 different people that are not related at all (until the end, usually).
It features several different Hollywood icons, including Taylor Lautner, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Taylor Swift, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx, Patrick Dempsey, Jessica Alba, Emma Roberts and Jennifer Garner. A star-studded cast, am I right?
Each storyline is different and fun to follow, and when they begin to crossover into the lives of one another, you start connecting the dots — that’s where the fun begins.
Where to watch: HBO Max
Finally, a few honorable mentions: “The Holiday” (2006) and “The Proposal” (2009).
I hope you enjoy this list and take a few of my recommendations. Let us know what you think and we hope you enjoyed your Valentine’s Day!