The 7 Best Movies For Singles To Watch On Valentine’s Day
Like every major holiday on the calendar, Valentine’s Day comes equipped with an unending supply of romantic films and TV specials to mark the special occasion.
From Valentine’s Day-themed episodes of Friends and How I Met Your Mother to soulful romantic comedies like Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally…, audience members have literally dozens of great choices when it comes to Cupid-approved viewing options.
Of course, not everyone enjoys the inherent romanticism that comes with Valentine’s Day-centric movies and TV shows. Fortunately for those viewers, there are plenty of other non-romantic films to watch every time the heart-shaped chocolate boxes arrive in grocery store checkout aisles. From imaginative musical comedies to iconic road films, here are seven excellent movies we’d recommend for singles this coming Valentine’s Day.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Even in the rare instances when you have time to prepare for it, break-ups have a way of flipping our world upside down, upsetting any semblance of balance we’ve worked so hard to achieve. Yet as a film like Forgetting Sarah Marshall so poignantly teaches us, break-ups are an inevitable part of life, affording us a unique opportunity to grow, change, and mature as an individual person. As funny as it is genuinely heartwarming, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is that rare raunchy 2000s-era romcom that leaves you both chuckling and thoughtfully scratching your head throughout.
Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012)
It’s never easy transitioning from a lengthy romantic attachment into the single bachelor lifestyle. Readjusting to the norms that come with a solo life on our own, we’re also forced to come to terms with the end of our previous relationship. Documenting this process with sincere clarity, Celeste and Jesse Forever focuses on a young couple who slowly come to acknowledge that their relationship is truly over, allowing them to move on to the next stage of their lives. Smart, humorous, and endlessly relatable, it’s a criminally underappreciated romantic comedy that deserves far more attention from mainstream viewers (especially all those reeling from a recent break-up).
La La Land (2016)
A crowd-pleasing ode to classic musicals like Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris, La La Land also functions as a first-rate romantic drama centered around Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s star-crossed lovers. Working to achieve their dreams as a jazz musician and a professional actor respectively, La La Land tracks the couple’s evolution from their frosty initial encounters up to their gut-wrenching final goodbye. While it certainly concludes on a bittersweet endnote, La La Land hammers home the profound impact a person can have on our life, encouraging us to pursue our dreams even if they aren’t around to see them become a reality.
Casablanca (1942)
Among the most iconic films of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Casablanca is as much a sweeping romantic drama as it is a rousing World War II epic. Set against the early days of the Second World War, Casablanca seamlessly transports viewers back to the 1940s, complete with the rigid anxiety and desperate paranoia most people felt as the Axis Powers swept across Europe.
Along with its inspirational stance on the Allied effort against the encroaching fascists, Casablanca does a remarkable job showing the one-of-a-kind relationship between Humphrey Bogart’s jaded Rick and Ingrid Bergman’s lovesick Ilsa. In spite of the adverse challenges standing in their way, both Rick and Ilsa find a way to reveal their true feelings for one another, expressing their love even as they acknowledge the futility of their continued relationship. In another life, they might have been perfect for each other; as it is, their only option is to say goodbye, with the only fond memories of Paris to remind them of their time together.
Midsommar (2019)
An unorthodox choice perhaps, but make no mistake: Midsommar might very well be the best break-up film you’ll ever have the chance to see. Directed by the gifted horror director Ari Aster, Midsommar melds folk horror with psychological suspense in the course of its two hour runtime, focusing on four young Americans’ disquieting experiences in a Swedish pagan ritual. Featuring one of the most dysfunctional romantic pairings ever depicted on film, Midsommar delivers a stirring portrayal of a couple gradually falling out of love with another, leading to some truly nightmarish consequences for all parties involved.
Thelma & Louise (1991)
Quite possibly the best Galentine’s Day movie of all time, Thelma & Louise is also a landmark film in the development of feminist cinema. For all its powerful messaging about female strength and inner resilience, Thelma & Louise also succeeds as a powerful illustration of the effects friendship can have on a troubled psyche. Escaping the turmoil of their everyday lives and embarking on an epic adventure abroad, Thelma and Louise uncover some meaningful truths about themselves, thanks in large part to the time spent along one another’s sides.
Little Women (2019)
Years before she brought the hot pink world of Barbie to life, director Greta Gerwig oversaw an equally ambitious adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Little Women. Recreating Alcott’s portrait of 19th century New York City, Gerwig eloquently captures Little Women’s sprawling narrative with tender complexity and heartfelt dedication. Between Jo March’s rigorous attempts to write a novel and Amy’s burgeoning relationship to Laurie, Little Women emphasizes the idea that each of us have a path to follow in life, whether that leads to love, a domestic marriage, or a meaningful career in the arts.
