The season of love is upon us, and we cannot think of a better way to celebrate it than watching romance movies. From cheesy rom-coms to classic Hollywood staples, we have compiled a list of the ten best romance movies to watch this Valentine’s Day.
Starting off with our favorite, “It Happened One Night,” which created the blueprint for modern romance movies. Released in 1934, this movie features heiress, Ellie Andrews, running away from her father because he forbade her to be with the man she eloped with, King Westley. While on a bus trip to New York she meets Peter Warne, a reporter who is desperate to find a new story to revive his career. The trip is filled with adventures and accidents, such as lost bags and missed buses, and the banter between the two main characters is hilarious. The dynamic between Peter and Ellie is unique, as Peter is trying to gather details from Ellie for a news story that he hopes will make him rich, while Ellie is learning about life. The story shows that in the end, love beats money and societal expectations. This film established classic tropes including “opposites attract” and the road trip meet-cute, influencing later famous movies such as “When Harry Met Sally.”
Rob Reiner’s “When Harry Met Sally” is a take on the famous question: can men and women be just friends? The movie follows Sally Albright and Harry Burns in their decade long relationship as they begin with mutual feelings of dislike, but begin to grow on each other. Their funny conversations, awkward encounters and city setting make this film seem incredibly real. We love this movie because while it may take years for them to end up together, their love can be seen through their long-lasting friendship.
Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” “10 Things I Hate About You” brings a classic story into a modern setting. It is set at a high school where Bianca Stratford is not allowed to date until her older sister Kat does. In order to date Bianca, a group of boys pays the school’s “bad boy”, Patrick Verona, to date Kat. However as Kat and Patrick begin to interact, a deeper connection begins to build between them. The film focuses on how love is complex and often defies stereotypes.
Jenny Han’s books, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” were adapted into a hilarious Netflix trilogy that we cannot recommend enough. The movie’s main character, Lara Jean Covey, writes letters to every boy she’s had a crush on. When her younger sister accidentally sends them out, she agrees to a fake relationship with the school’s most popular boy, Peter Kavinsky, to avoid her embarrassment. Over time their fake relationship begins to harbour real feelings, and both Peter and Lara need to find out how to navigate life while in a relationship.
“The Philadelphia Story” follows Tracy Lord, a socialite from Philadelphia, preparing to remarry after divorcing her last husband, C.K Dexter Haven. Complications arise when C.K Dexter Haven arrives back in down to disrupt the wedding, and tabloid reporter Macaulay “Mike” Connor is smuggled into the wedding by Dexter to prevent a scandal. Tracy finds herself torn between three men: her new “boring” fiance (George), her unpredictable ex-husband (Dexter), and the intellectual reporter (Mike). The movie centers on the message that finding true love requires empathy and accepting each other’s flaws. We love this movie because the love-triangle between Mike and Dexter is well done and not predictable.
“Flipped” is a coming-of-age romantic comedy about two neighbors, Juli and Bryce, and is incredibly wholesome. Initially, Juli is in love with Bryce despite him avoiding her, however as they mature, their feelings “flip”. We love this movie because it is told through both characters’ perspective, which perfectly shows how their feelings for each other change over time. This move highlights the importance of seeing people for who they truly are, rather than who they are expected to be.
Looking away from the traditional love movies, we recommend “Me Before You” to those who crave an emotional romance. This movie is about a woman named Louisa Clark who is hired to be a caregiver for the cynical Will Traynor, a man paralyzed waist down. He was once a banker and successful sportsman, and planned to have an assisted suicide in Switzerland. When Louisa learns this, she makes it her mission to show Will life is worth living again. She takes him on adventures including visiting a castle and going to Mauritius, however as their love deepened, she faced the reality of Will’s decision. Will had trouble accepting his new life as a quadriplegic and losing his former active lifestyle, despite Louisa’s efforts. The film explores accepting life’s difficult decisions and finding happiness through adventures, even when they do not end in a traditional “happy ever after”. Even though this may make audiences cry, it reminds us that our days are not promised and we should cherish our relationships.
Another one of our favorite iconic romcoms is “How to lose a guy in 10 days.” This movie follows a journalist named Andie Anderson looking to write a magazine segment about the “what-not-to-do’s” while dating a guy. On the other hand, Ben Barry, an advertising executive, bets that he can make a girl fall in love with him over the course of 10 days to win a work wager. They start “dating” and Andie does things seen as demanding or obnoxious to make Ben break up with her, but Ben tries to endure her behavior to win his bet. The overall message is that true love cannot be forced, but can rather be unexpected when you act your true, authentic self. We definitely recommend this movie for anyone looking to watch an original cheesy romcom with a heartwarming message hidden within.
“The Princess Bride” is one of our favorite childhood staples, and is narrated as a story read by a grandfather to his grandson. It focuses on Buttercup, a young woman engaged to an evil Prince, and her childhood true love, Westly, a farm boy who returns as a pirate. Throughout the movie there are daring rescues, intense duels, and clever schemes as Westly and Buttercup fight for their love and justice. Even though this is a children’s movie, we believe it is a must-watch for all ages because it proves that love and courage can overcome any obstacle.
The final movie we recommend is “Before Sunrise,” and it is one of the most unique romance movies we have ever watched. It follows Jesse, an American tourist, and Céline, a French student, who meet on a train to Vienna. Jesse convinces Céline to explore Vienna for the night before his flight the next morning. As they explore Vienna, they visit local spots and engage in deep conversations. It’s realistic in the aspect that eventually their night comes to an end and they separate to live their own lives. Rather than having a conventional romantic conclusion, the film focuses on how spontaneous human connections are meaningful.
Whether people are spending Valentine’s Day with a partner, friends, or just enjoying some time alone, these movies are the perfect way to celebrate love in all of its forms. From hilarious romcoms to emotional stories, each movie on our list offers something special. These movies remind us why love, whether fleeting, messy, or forever, is always worth believing in.
