Valentine’s Day is right around the corner—and cuddling up with your partner (or yourself!) and putting on a good movie is the perfect way to celebrate the day of romance. What better genre to watch than the ever-classic and lighthearted genre of romantic comedies? Hundreds of them exist (some better than others) and because of their sheer number, there is a rom-com for every corner of interest.
It’s impossible to include everything, but here are the best movies to watch on this chilly Valentine’s.
Starting with the classics
“When Harry Met Sally” (1989)
Duration: 1 hour 36 minutes
Synopsis: After a heated debate in a long car ride about whether or not a man and woman can have a platonic relationship, Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) go through over a decade of periodic encounters that explores the torrent of love and friendship.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
“Sleepless in Seattle” (1993)
Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes
Synopsis: Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) is a recently widowed man who moves to Seattle with his son, Jonah (Ross Malinger). One day, Jonah calls a radio program in hopes of finding his father a new wife; Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), a woman living in Baltimore, hears Sam speak about his feelings on the program and falls for him, even though she is engaged. She writes him a letter hoping to meet, and they struggle with their respective love lives as they find themselves approaching their ultimate meetup at the Empire State Building.
Where to watch: MGM+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961)
Duration: 1 hour 55 minutes
Synopsis: Set in New York City, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), a carefree woman, moves into an apartment building and meets Paul Varjak (George Peppard), a struggling writer. Both shoot for partners above their wealth status, but eventually find love in each other.
Where to watch: MGM+, Paramount+, Apple TV
“Four Weddings and a Funeral” (1994)
Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes
Synopsis: Charles (Hugh Grant) considers himself to be completely unlucky with love until he meets a woman, Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at a wedding. She ends up returning to the U.S. after they meet, however, and over the course of a few weddings and a funeral, Charles and Carrie continue to meet in the unlikeliest of circumstances, leading Charles to believe she is meant for him.
Where to watch: Hulu, Tubi, Amazon Prime Video
Recent hits
“Crazy, Stupid, Love” (2011)
Duration: 1 hour 47 minutes
Synopsis: A recently divorced and over-40 bachelor, Cal Weaver (Steve Carrell) enters the world of romance with some trouble. He meets a self-proclaimed player, Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling), who teaches him how to navigate the world of dating and women.
Where to watch: Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
“Always Be My Maybe” (2019)
Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes
Synopsis: Sasha Tran (Ali Wong) and Marcus Kim (Randall Park) were childhood sweethearts until they had a messy falling out and didn’t see each other until 15 years later. Once they reunite, they discover that old sparks may still be there, but find their vastly different lives to be an obstacle in their relationship.
Where to watch: Netflix
“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” (2018)
Duration: 1 hour 39 minutes
Synopsis: Lara Jean (Lana Condor), a high schooler, writes letters to the boys she’s had crushes on throughout her life, but keeps them locked in her closet instead of mailing them. When her sister discovers them, she ends up mailing the letters and Lara Jean has to deal with the consequences. Through the mistake, her passion is reignited for one of the boys, Peter (Noah Centineo), and they explore their relationship in their last year of high school.
Where to watch: Netflix
Queer favorites
“Love, Simon” (2018)
Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes
Synopsis: Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) wants to experience the love life everyone seems to be having in high school, but there’s just one problem: he’s gay, and nobody knows. When Simon falls for one of his classmates anonymously online and someone threatens to reveal his secret to everyone, he has to scramble to solve both issues in a hilarious, mock-mystery.
Where to watch: FuboTV, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
“But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999)
Duration: 1 hour 25 minutes
Synopsis: Megan (Natasha Lyonne) lives every high school girl’s dream: a popular cheerleader with a football boyfriend, though she doesn’t care for him. To her surprise, her parents suspect that she’s gay and they send her to a conversion camp. There, she meets Graham (Clea DuVall), an open lesbian who Megan begins to fall for as she discovers her sexuality.
Where to watch: Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
“The Birdcage” (1996)
Duration: 1 hour 58 minutes
Synopsis: Armand (Robin Williams), a gay drag club owner, and Albert (Nathan Lane), the club’s star, are a flamboyantly gay couple whose son, Val (Dan Futterman), is getting engaged. When Val has to introduce his parents to his in-laws, he asks Armand to pretend to be straight in order to please his fiancee’s ultra-conservative father, a Republican Senator.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Max
International picks
“Badhaai Do” (2020)
Duration: 2 hours 27 minutes
Synopsis: A queer Indian film, Badhaai Do follows the marriage of a gay man and lesbian woman who got together to appease their conservative parents. When the woman’s girlfriend comes to live with the fake couple, the spouses find that balancing relationships, both platonic and not, proves more difficult than they could have imagined.
Where to watch: Netflix
“Amélie” (2001)
Duration: 2 hours 2 minutes
Synopsis: Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou), a shy young waitress living in Paris, seeks to improve the lives of everyone around her by orchestrating their lives behind the scenes for their benefit. On her journey to spread happiness, she finds love and her true purpose in life.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
“Same Love, Same Rain” (1999)
Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes
Synopsis: Set amidst a political struggle, Jorge (Ricardo Darín), a young Argentinian reporter, meets an actress, Laura (Soledad Villamil) who he starts an on-and-off romance with for two decades. He is afraid to commit to her, but after they reunite, Jorge reconsiders his previous position as the political situation in Argentina continues to escalate.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
