Valentine’s Day comes and goes every year; it brings a whole collection of complex emotions each time. For some, the holiday is filled with love, hope, and happiness. For others, it may be a more melancholy or stressful time. No matter what anyone’s feeling this Valentine’s Day, watching a fun, romantic movie is a great way to celebrate the holiday of love.
While it would be easy to list dozens of wonderful, powerful romantic films as suggestions for Valentine’s, it can feel overwhelming to narrow it down to just one perfect choice. Some criteria help the search for the perfect movie—the film needs to be full of love and romance. Along with this, however, it should also ideally balance lightheartedness and humor with depth and strong emotions. The perfect Valentine’s Day movie should also end on a happy note, leaving the viewer feeling content and hopeful. Tragic love stories are often beautiful and bittersweet—such as Titanic and La La Land—but they also don’t quite fit the mood for this particular holiday list.
Below is a collection of classic, lighthearted, and love-filled films—of all genres—that would be a great choice to help celebrate this Valentine’s Day.
- When Harry Met Sally
This endearing rom-com stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. The movie follows their friendship through the years and shows how their bond eventually becomes love.
- Dirty Dancing
The music, dancing, and chemistry between characters make Dirty Dancing stand out in the romance genre.
- Pride and Prejudice
A classic film adaptation of Jane Austen’s celebrated novel, Pride and Prejudice, is a visually stunning, slow-burn romance featuring the famous Mr. Darcy.
- Tangled
Tangled follows Rapunzel as she leaves her sheltered life for the first time, with mischievous—but charming—Flynn Rider as her guide.
- 50 First Dates
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore star side by side in a sweet romance about a girl who loses her short-term memories every morning.
- Ten Things I Hate About You
This film is witty, light, and charming. Two bold, slightly abrasive characters—Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona—form an unlikely but adorable pair in this 90s romance.
- The Princess Bride
- Enchanted
The fairy-tale princess, Giselle, gets transported to modern-day New York. Robert and his daughter, Morgan, take her in and the sweet, song-filled romance begins.
- The Princess and the Frog
Tiana is a hard-working New Orleans local trying to achieve her dream of starting and owning her restaurant. But some magic and tricks from Dr. Facilier cause bumps in the road, as she and the visiting Naveen get turned into frogs.
- You’ve Got Mail
In a classic enemies-to-lovers plot-line starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, two pen-pals slowly fall for each other. But the twist: their respective identities in real life hate each other.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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