Just like that, another Valentine’s Day has snuck up on us but this time we’ll be celebrating a bit differently than last year. Whether you’ll be spending it with your significant other, those in your quarantine bubble, by yourself, or even on a zoom call with some friends, maybe watching a good ’ol romantic comedy movie will get you in the love day mood.
Ranging from the classic best friends to lovers plot line, enemies to lovers, to dealing with the complexities of relationships, to finding the closure one needs after a breakup, here are 15 romcoms (in no particular order) that you can enjoy watching on Valentine’s Day — or whenever your heart desires.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
The blueprint for strangers to best friends to lovers movies. Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) meet as strangers in Chicago and take a cross-country drive to New York City, agreeing to never speak again. That is before fate steps in and they bump into each other for the next twelve years. The premise of the movie: can men and women ever just be friends?
Favorite line: “I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
The Proposal (2009)
Starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds with Betty White, the hilarious film follows a Canadian executive (Bullock) who faces deportation after her visa expires. The solution? Convincing her assistant (Reynolds) to pretend to be her fiancé. You can probably guess where this story goes.
Favorite line: “You know, your Grammy wanted me to, you know, chant. Chant from the heart.”
27 Dresses (2008)
The queen of romcoms herself, Katherine Heigl, plays Jane Nichols, a wedding planner, who has always been a bridesmaid, never the bride, 27 times to be exact. Then things get a bit more grey for Jane after her younger sister says she’s engaged to Jane’s boss, who also happens to be the man Jane is in love with. The plot doesn’t stop there, no, because, throughout all this, Jane meets Kevin Doyle (James Marsden), a journalist with a plan to advance his career.
Favorite line: “Love is patient, love is kind, love means slowly losing your mind.”
Love, Rosie (2014)
The cliché trope for romantic films is present in this one starring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin. Two best friends, Rosie (Collins) and Alex (Claflin) have been there for each other, for every up and down, for as long as they could remember. They, of course, think they’ll be best friends forever but then life happens and they each go down separate paths. But then they reunite five years later and lots of things have changed.
Favorite line: “You should be with someone who can make you happy, really happy, dancing on air happy.”
Notting Hill (1999)
After his wife leaves him for another many, William Thacker (Hugh Grant), meets Hollywood actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) when she walks into his travel bookshop. Later in the day, William bumps into Anna and spills his drink on her. Like the gentleman he is, he invites her over to his house to change. The rest, of course, is history.
Favorite line: “I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”
Definitely, Maybe (2008)
After lots of begging, Will (Ryan Reynolds) decides to tell his daughter (Abigail Breslin) the story of how he met her mother, in hopes that it’ll help her understand their pending divorce. As he’s telling the story, he begins to get a new understanding of his past relationships and even makes a new realization.
Favorite line: “So you’re saying, it’s not who, but it’s when?”
Set It Up (2018)
A Netflix original, this film sees two assistants (Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell) try to be matchmakers by setting up their uptight bosses with each other so that they can finally get a break from their assistant duties. Like most things in life, things don’t go as planned for their bosses–and for the assistants as well.
Favorite line: “You like because, and you love despite.”
Life As We Know It (2010)
Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) is an owner of a small bakery and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) is a technical sports director. Their two best friends, Peter and Alison, set them up on a blind date and it goes horribly, which leads to them hating each other. As the years go by, they have to spend time with each other after their best friends marry and have a baby girl, Sophie. The couple asks Holly and Eric to be her godparents and they of course accept. Soon after they have to raise Sophie together after their best friends die in a car accident.
Favorite line: “Having somebody help you doesn’t mean that you failed.”
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
A middle-aged man named Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) finds himself in the dating scene again after his wife of 25 years divorces him when she cheats with a coworker. Cal goes to a bar night after night and loudly talks about his divorce, and every night Jacob (Ryan Gosling) is there ready to take a different woman home, he hears Cal. Jacob decides to take Cal under his wing and help him get back in the field. That is before Jacob ends up falling for Cal’s daughter, Hannah (Emma Stone).
Favorite line: “Will you ask me something personal about myself?”
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
This is really a 3-in-1 special because this film is part of a trilogy (the sequel already available to watch on Netflix and the third being released this Friday) that follows a shy, hopeless romantic high schooler, Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) whose secret love letters to different crushes throughout her life, get mailed out by her little sister. Lara Jean is then forced to confront them all, including Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), who later agree to fake-date and sign a contract to not fall in love with each other.
Favorite line: “You can be mad at someone and still miss them.”
About Time (2013)
This one is definitely a tear-jerker. Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) finds out that the men in his family can time travel so he decides to use to his advantage and travel back in time to try and win over the girl of his dreams, Mary (Rachel McAdams).
Favorite line: “We’re all traveling through time together, every day of your lives. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride.”
Someone Great (2019)
A perfect film for those who are newly single and want to feel some comfort. Someone Great sees Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) learn to be on her own again after her 9-year long relationship ends over her getting a job working for Rolling Stone, which isn’t in New York City. She struggles with heartbreak but her best friends help her get the closure she needs before moving to San Francisco.
Favorite line: “Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t break, they shatter. But when you let the light in, shattered glass will glitter.”
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
An Asian-American NYU economics professor, Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), goes to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) for his best friend’s wedding. While there, Rachel finds out that Nick is part of a really wealthy family, now knowing why Nick’s mother doesn’t approve of their relationship. That doesn’t let Rachel stop her from loving Nick though.
Favorite line: “It was never my job to make you feel like a man. I can’t make you something you’re not.”
Legally Blonde (2001)
A classic. Sorority girl, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) decides to apply to Harvard Law School to try and win back her boyfriend. She then finds out that she’s way better off without him and that she actually makes for a great lawyer.
Favorite line: “You must have faith in people, and you must have faith in yourself.”
Easy A (2010)
This lovely comedy revolves around 17-year-old Olive (Emma Stone) who has to watch a lie she told to her best friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka) snowball into something uncontrollable. Olive lies about losing her virginity and soon her entire school deems her as the new school slut because of what word of mouth does to a story. While Olive embraces her new role, Todd (Penn Badgley) knows who Olive really is and we soon see first love blossom.
Favorite line: “I’m adopted.”
