There’s no way to deny it, being single on Valentine’s day can suck. Thankfully, it can suck a little less with a few good movies and popcorn to keep you company.
For Amazon Prime:
Little Italy
Soccer, pizza, airports, and a Romeo and Juliet love affair. What more could you ask for? Little Italy is a modern forbidden love story with families separated by pizza, but brought back together by young–and old– love. If you desire a classic romance to get you through the holiday, this is the one for you.
Stuck in Love
While based around the premise of Thanksgiving, this movie is still a classic for Valentine’s Day. It shows the story of a divorced family and their struggles over the course of a year. William, the father, is still pining over his wife; Rusty, the son, deals with high school love; and Samantha, the daughter, finds her own romance and overcomes her fear of opening up. Also, the soundtrack is pretty exceptional.
Because I Said So
With a cast of Mandy Moore, Lauren Graham, Piper Perabo, and Diane Keaton, how can it not be the best romantic comedy around? Mom of three girls, Daphne, sets up her unmatched daughter, Milly, with a man she believes to be perfect, only to discover that Milly has found her own significant other that is perfect for all of the opposite reasons. The story follows that mother-daughter relationship between Daphne and Milly and how despite it all, they will always be there for each other.
For Netflix:
One Day
One Day is by far the saddest movie that I have ever seen in my whole life. It follows the story of Emma and Dexter as they go through their lives, meeting one day every single year. While it may seem like a completely typical movie plot, the ending is completely unexpected and something you may not recover from. If your ideal Valentine’s Day involves you uncontrollably sobbing and waking up the next morning with puffy eyes, this is 100 percent the movie for you.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Ah, to be young and in love in high school. This movie provides the opportunity to relive your high school “great love” experience (if you had one, if not then it is a great way to live vicariously through someone else). This movie wants to make you write love letters to every crush that has ever broken your heart, although I would recommend burning them and not keeping them hidden in the back of your closet.
Pretty in Pink
Andie is your typical high school girl: she has a job, a best friend, and a seemingly impossible love interest. She struggles to fight the norms in order to be with someone that doesn’t belong to her world. Definitely the most “girl power” movie from the 80s, this movie will make you feel confident despite all the hardships that Andie faces.
Sixteen Candles
Like Pretty in Pink, this is another John Hughes/Molly Ringwald classic. Samantha Baker’s sixteenth birthday doesn’t go the way that she imagines it will go: her parents forget about it entirely, her crush has no idea that she even exists, and her dream car isn’t waiting for her in the driveway. This is a perfect movie to watch if you want to feel better about your own life (just don’t watch the last five minutes).
For Hulu:
A Walk to Remember
If you were looking for that one Nicholas Sparks movie, here it is. Arguably the best of his book-to-movie adaptations, A Walk to Remember is the emotional story of small-town boy Landon Carter who has lost his way due to various circumstances in his life. His punishment turns from pointless to something he actually looks forward to when he meets Jamie Sullivan, an overly kind and optimistic girl who is facing her own challenges. This is definitely another tear-jerker with an ending that is happy for a completely unexpected reason.
