Clockwise from top-left: In the Mood for Love, Say Anything…, Titanic, and Rye Lane.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Everett Collection (Merie W. Wallace/20th Century Fox Film ,Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures), 20th Century Fox, Searchlight Pictures
This list was originally published on February 9, 2024, and has been updated with newly available titles.
It’s the most romantic time of the year. Why not make that subscription fee worth the cost this Valentine’s Day with tales of heartbreak, passion, and romance? We’ve scoured (too) many streamers out there for the best flicks to watch this Hallmark holiday — comedies, dramas, international cinema, and widely acknowledged masterpieces. Whether you’re with a special someone or on your own, there’s a movie for you in here. Maybe even two.
Year: 2013
Run time: 2h 3m
Director: Richard Curtis
Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson are impossibly charming in this witty romantic dramedy about a man who discovers that he can manipulate time. If you could go back and say just the right thing to the man or woman of your dreams, would you do so? A surprisingly moving final act makes this one of the more memorable romantic films of its era.
The Half of It.
Photo: Courtesy of the Studio
Year: 2020
Run time: 1h 45m
Director: Alice Wu
An unexpected coming-of-age dramedy, this one became something of a smash when it dropped on Netflix in 2020, spinning the classic Cyrano de Bergerac tale in a modern way. Leah Lewis gives a truly charismatic performance as Ellie Chu, a teenager who is hired by a local jock (Daniel Diemer) to write love letters to the popular girl at school. Ellie doesn’t expect to fall for her too. It’s a tender, genuine piece of romantic storytelling.
Year: 2024
Run time: 1h 55m
Director: Richard Linklater
Remember when movie couples used to have actual sexual chemistry? Revisit those days with one of the sexiest and best films of 2024, this very loose telling of a true story about a normal guy who became an undercover hit man. Glen Powell is fantastic as the ordinary Gary, but the film goes to another level when he meets Adria Arjona’s potential client and the sparks fly.
Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Photo: Polygram/Working Title/Kobal/Shutterstock
Year: 1994
Run time: 1h 53m
Director: Mike Newell
There was a time when a romantic comedy could be so critically acclaimed that it landed an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. That was the case with this smash hit, the movie that turned Hugh Grant into a household name. The rom-com star of his era started here with a fun, witty piece in which he chases the lovely Andie MacDowell — a film that never insults an audience looking for something to make them swoon.
Year: 1988
Run time: 1h 41m
Director: Norman Jewison
The Prime Video synopsis for this one is pretty vague: “A Brooklyn beekeeper falls for her fiancé’s brother.” That doesn’t even hint at the depth of character, humor, and heart in this widely beloved ’80s classic, a movie that won Oscars for both Olympia Dukakis and Cher (along with Best Original Screenplay). It’s held up stunningly well due to its sharp dialogue, relatable characters, and wonderful sense of family. If you haven’t seen it in the near-four decades since it was released, take this holiday to revisit it.
Year: 2024
Run time: 1h 28m
Director: Megan Park
It’s not a traditional rom-com by any stretch, but Megan Park’s acclaimed coming-of-age comedy has just enough love-based beats to qualify for Valentine’s Day viewing. Maisy Stella is spectacular as a young woman who ends up able to speak to an older version of herself, played by Aubrey Plaza. When Plaza warns her teen self not to hook up with the new guy who’s caught her eye, her younger version ignores the advice, leading to a twist that’s romantically powerful. Take the chance to hug someone you love while you watch it, while you can.
Casablanca.
Photo: Warner Bros
Year: 1942
Run time: 1h 43m
Director: Michael Curtiz
It’s on the Mount Rushmore of romantic dramas for a reason. One of the best movies ever made, Casablanca is also a deeply felt film that works for couples too. After all, who isn’t moved by Rick’s (Humphrey Bogart) impossible love for Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman)? People have been watching this movie for generations now, and they will for generations to come. Play it again this Valentine’s Day. (Or any day, really.)
Year: 2024
Run time: 1h 44m
Director: Rose Glass
The director of Saint Maud came to Sundance 2024 with what would end up one of the best films of last year, a romantic thriller like no other. Kristen Stewart plays a small-town gym owner who becomes infatuated with a body builder played by Katy O’Brian. When the pair run afoul of Stewart’s criminal father (played by a sleazy Ed Harris), they have to work together in ways that viewers couldn’t possibly predict. Sexy and sweaty, this is a Valentine’s Day option like no other.
Year: 2004
Run time: 2h 4m
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Arguably the film on this list with the most ardent fan base, The Notebook is a movie that people absolutely love, watching its doomed romance on repeat whenever it lands on a streaming service enough that it regularly pops up into the top-ten films on Netflix and elsewhere. This is the ultimate Nicholas Sparks entry, for sure, but it’s also a film that works because of the insane chemistry between leads Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, both of whom became huge stars after its release.
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Photo: Warner Bros.
Year: 2011
Run time: 1h 58m
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
TikTok seems to have rediscovered this film recently — maybe that’s just our FYP — so take the time to see where all the clips have come from of a young Steve Carell, Emma Stone, and Ryan Gosling in this clever ensemble rom-com. Also starring Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, and Kevin Bacon, this adored film tells interconnected love stories in the City of Angels, ending in one of the genre’s best twists. It’s fun to watch younger audiences discover it over a decade later.
Year: 2023
Run time: 1h 22m
Director: Raine Allen Miller
This is probably the movie on this list that you haven’t seen but you absolutely should. The best rom-com of 2023 was this charming debut from a British director who has made her own variation on the walk-and-talk romance of something like Before Sunrise, but with the flair of the Rye Lane neighborhood. David Jonsson and the incredible Vivian Oparah star as people who meet as strangers but almost instantly become something more. It’s charming, funny, and surprising.
Year: 1989
Run time: 1h 40m
Director: Cameron Crowe
John Cusack was never more charming than in this subversive late ’80s romantic dramedy about a high-school graduate who falls for the smartest girl in school, played by Ione Skye. Crowe takes some of the tropes of ’80s high-school romances that he helped establish and blows them up in a movie that treats its teen characters with respect and admiration. It’s a classic.
Year: 1997
Run time: 3h 10m
Director: James Cameron
They can’t all be comedies. Why not take a chance this holiday to return to what is arguably the most successful romantic film ever made, the doomed love affair between Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet), in a film that made more money than anyone thought was possible at the time? The incredible craftsmanship of James Cameron was the main reason for the record-breaking success of Titanic, but it doesn’t get anywhere near the heights it reached without the stunning chemistry between its impossibly gorgeous leads.
Pride & Prejudice.
Photo: Focus Features
Year: 2005
Run time: 2h 8m
Director: Joe Wright
Want some historical romance? Try this gorgeous adaptation of the beloved 1813 novel by Jane Austen. The breakthrough role for Keira Knightley, Wright’s take on the classic tale also features a charming performance from future Succession star Matthew Macfadyen, who will always be Mr. Darcy to people who fell for him in this swoonworthy drama.
Year: 1987
Run time: 1h 39m
Director: Rob Reiner
The Princess Bride was reasonably well-liked when it was released, but this is a fantasy rom-com that really grew a fanbase on VHS, cable, and subsequent at-home viewings. It’s the rare romantic film that works across wide demographics with kids and their grandparents able to enjoy it in equal measure. In other words, it’s perfect for Disney+.
Year: 1995
Run time: 1h 44m
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Sandra Bullock is at her most charming as a Chicago Transit Authority token collector who saves the life of a man on her track named Peter (Peter Gallagher), being mistaken for his partner by Peter’s brother Jack (Bill Pullman), with whom she then falls in love. This underrated ’90s rom-com is charming, sweet, sexy, and unpredictable. And it’s a great Chicago movie, too.
Year: 1989
Run time: 1h 35m
Director: Rob Reiner
Can men and women be friends without sexual tension getting in the way? It’s the base question for a comedy so beloved that its stars recently returned to spoof it in a new commercial. Said stars are Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, who are both great, but the real star of this film is Nora Ephron, who established herself as the queen of the genre with this sharp, relatable script.
In the Mood for Love.
Photo: USA Films
Year: 2000
Run time: 1h 39m
Director: Wong Kar-wai
And now, the prestige contingent. Two of the best films ever made that could qualify as “romantic” are exclusively on the Criterion Channel. When you’re done with Nicholas Sparks and ABBA, start with Wong Kar-wai’s masterpiece of unrequited love, the story of two people (Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung) who can’t act on their undeniable chemistry. It’s a perfect movie.
Year: 1987
Run time: 2h 10m
Director: Wim Wenders
This movie, also perfect, is another variation on unrequited admiration. Wenders’s best film was remade as City of Angels but sticks to the heartbreaking original tale of an angel (Bruno Ganz) who longs to experience the ups and downs of what it means to be human. When he becomes enraptured with a trapeze artist (Solveig Dommartin), he is forced into making an impossible decision. They don’t get much better made than this one, any time of year.
