The season of love is onto us like it never left, and we, for one, couldn’t be happier about it! While it’s the best week of the year for some people, others aren’t as enthusiastic, which is totally okay! Not everything is everyone’s cup of tea, are we right?
However, in a relationship or a marriage, we don’t have the option to simply “not like” the most romantic week of the year. We’ve got to plan and reciprocate our partner’s efforts because what are relationships based on if not love and unending compromise, right?
If you haven’t planned something for your boo yet and are fresh out of options, don’t worry; we can help! All you need is to set up for a romantic night in, with a delicious dinner, candles, wine glasses, and all of that.
Next, fire up your laptop or projector because today, we’ll talk about eight movies on Netflix that make a perfect set-up for Valentine’s. The best, the classics, and the movies that made you feel lonely are all about you now! Shouldn’t you share this beautiful, nostalgic part of your life with your Valentine?
13 Going on 30 (2004)
13 Going on 30 is based around Jenna Rink, the stereotypical nerd girl who can only wish to be one of the popular girls, aka the Six Chicks.
Her best friend and next-door neighbor Matt secretly loves her and gifts her a handmade dollhouse for her birthday. After being humiliated by the Six Chicks on the said birthday, Matt finds Jenna crying on the floor of her closet, wishing she was “30, flirty, and thriving.”
The next morning, Jenna wakes up as a 30-year-old in her dream Fifth Avenue apartment; she’s now an editor for her favorite fashion magazine, Poise! However, things aren’t how she thought they would. Matt’s not her friend anymore; she’s stopped talking to her parents and has an illicit affair with a married co-worker.
So, how will she fix her life and right her wrongs?
It Valentine’s binge because, firstly, there’s Jennifer Garner in her iconic party dress. But more importantly, it teaches how it’s never too late for love. It’ll also transport you back to your teenage years when you couldn’t wait to get older.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2020)
As a teenager, we all have had that one unrequited crush we couldn’t let go of. Well, Lara Jean Covey had five of those, so don’t you think you’re luckier?
Lara Jean decided to write passion-fuelled letters to these gentlemen and kept them in a box in her room, never to send them. However, her younger sister Kitty didn’t receive the memo, and upon finding the letter, she immediately posted them all!
Three of the guys received and reacted to her letters: Peter Kavinsky, her first kiss; Lucas James, who came out as gay; Josh Sanderson, her older sister’s ex-boyfriend.
As you can guess, things got very, very messy. There’s some fake dating with real jealousy, a party, a seemingly problematic video, and as much teen angst as you can imagine.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a great pick for your Valentine’s binge because it has everything: the cute teenage love, romance, and ups-and-downs with Noah Centineo to make up for it!
The Half of It (2020)
The Half of It revolves around introverted and intelligent Chinese-American teenager Ellie Chu. She lives with her widowed father, who works as a station master and signalman in the small town of Squahamish.
Since her household’s finances aren’t in the best shape, she earns money by writing her classmates’ homework for a fee. However, things get complicated when nerd-jock Paul Munsky approaches her to write letters to his crush, Aster Flores.
Ellie agrees because of the money but soon realizes she likes talking about literature with Aster, even under false pretenses. Aster likes Paul increasingly, thinking he’s the one she’s been talking with all this time.
However, this made a larger mess than any of them anticipated; particularly when Aster and Ellie started developing feelings for each other.
This LGBTQ rom-com is a breath of fresh air above all the other clichéd teenage rom-com dramas. It perfectly captures the anxiety and confusion inside the minds of teenagers when it comes to dating, making it an ideal pick for our teenage readers seeking movies on Netflix to celebrate their Valentine’s.
The Notebook (2004)
Our list of Valentine’s movies you could watch on Netflix would be incomplete without the evergreen classic, The Notebook.
The movie starts in a nursing home with an older man named Duke reading a love story out of a notebook for a female patient.
He tells a story where a poor lumber mill worker Noah, meets 17-year-old heiress Allison, aka Allie, at a carnival. They began dating for the summer since Allie only visits town for vacations.
Noah is invited to a luncheon at the Allie’s, where it becomes apparent that her parents don’t approve of him. As Allie tries to reason with her parents, Noah overhears the insults and storms out.
Allie’s parents decide to leave town, but Allie sends a message through Noah’s best friend, Fin, saying she loves him. By the time the message reached him, it was too late. Allie’s family has left town, and Noah enlists to fight in the Second World War.
So, how will this story end? Will they end up getting separated by the circumstances, or will they find each other?
The Notebook is an unforgettable masterpiece featuring the love we often yearn for but aren’t quite ready to accept: unconditionally fated love. While it might hurt, it’ll be worth it in the end.
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
As a teenager, we all have had the urge to peek into The Forbidden Book of Romance and Other Shameful Things, aka Fifty Shades of Grey. However, it’s not all as bad as it’s made out to be. Of course, you shouldn’t watch it unless you’re under 18, but for the adults looking to pick one of our Valentine’s movies from Netflix, it’s a great choice.
Fifty Shades of Grey revolves around Anastasia Steele, a graduate student who meets Christian Grey, a 27-year-old billionaire, for an interview. Christian is immediately intrigued by her; he visits the hardware shop she works in and offers to do a photo shoot for her friend as well.
However, when Anastasia tells him she’s a hopeless romantic, he leaves abruptly since he believes he isn’t that person. But that’s not where it ends because Christian Grey isn’t just not a romantic person; he’s into sexual BDSM.
So, how will Anastasia Grey, a 21-year-old virgin enamored by this charismatic force of a man, decide?
Well, that’s for you to find out! Fifty Shades of Grey is an erotic drama that explores BDSM relationships, their struggles, and quirks. You can put it on for a guaranteed night of “fun” with your boo, as we like to call it.
Notting Hill (1999)
Notting Hill is one of those stories where it shouldn’t work out, but they somehow make it work.
Will is divorced and owns a bookstore in Notting Hill, London, opposite the apartment he shares with his friend, Spike. One day, no one other than the famous Hollywood actress Anna Scott visits the shop and buys a book.
Through a mysterious turn of events, Will escorts Anna into his apartment for a change of clothes that day. She then impulsively kisses him and leaves. They go on a couple of dates, and everything is going well when one day, Anna’s famous Hollywood boyfriend, Jeff King, shows up in London.
Will storms out, and the couple doesn’t see each other for six months. Anna then shows up out of the blue to avoid a tabloid scandal and apologizes to Will. However, Spiky tips off the paparazzi. Anna furiously blamed him and left.
That’s where it should end, right? Well, no; they meet again, but how does it end? We’ll let you find that out by yourself.
Notting Hill speaks to all those relationships where it takes too much work, it’s too complicated, or it’ll hurt a lot if and when it ends. It’s the perfect watch for a somewhat emotional night with your boo.
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Jane Austen is one of the most sensational authors, and it would’ve been criminal to leave Pride and Prejudice out of this list. All the enemies-to-lovers trope supporters would never let us live it down.
Pride and Prejudice portrays 18th-century rural England in all its glory. The Bennet family, with their five daughters, has always been a rather unruly but loving one. The story revolves around Elizabeth Bennet, the Bennets’ second daughter, who is quick to judge and form opinions.
When she meets Mr. Darcy at a local ball, she immediately thinks of him as snobbish and proud. On the other hand, Mr. Dary also makes some rather dismissive comments about her appearance and her family’s social behavior, which she overhears.
This is where the story could’ve ended, with prejudice and pride overpowering any feelings of attraction, love, or even acquaintance. However, when Lizzie’s older sister Jane is completely taken by Mr. Darcy’s friend Charles Bingley, the protagonists have no option but to tolerate each other.
Somewhere along the way, with the verbal sparring, promenades, unexpected encounters, and reluctant dances, the two finally overcome their fatal flaws.
Do you and your boo have a similar love-hate relationship? Then Pride and Prejudice can be your top pick from our list of Valentine’s movies on Netflix. At least you know they’re in for your personality, right?
La La Land (2016)
Last on our list for today has a bittersweet ending, but the love is just as palpable. La La Land, starring the talented Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, tells the story of two struggling artists in the magical city of Los Angeles.
Mia and Seb meet at the end of one of their bad days, but they hit it off. They go on an unintentional date to the Griffith Observatory, which seals their relationship. Pretty easy, right? Well, unfortunately, things started to go downhill soon.
Seb joins a pop band rather than his genre, Jazz, to appease Mia’s mother and for some financial stability, and the couple moves in together. They soon have an argument where Mia claims he’s forgotten his dreams, while Seb accuses her of not loving him anymore now that he’s successful.
The next day, Seb misses one of Mia’s plays due to a photo shoot he had forgotten about. The play wasn’t very successful, and she couldn’t forgive him for being so petty due to one argument that he missed the play. She breaks up with him and goes back to her hometown.
That doesn’t sound very good. Will that be the end of Seb & Mia, or do they sort it out? Well, only one way to find out!
Bonus Mentions outside of Netflix
Netflix is great, but sometimes, a larger range can get you exactly what you’re looking for. Here are some movies you can check out if these don’t feel like it for you:
- Shotgun Wedding
- 365 Days
- The Hating Game
- Twilight
- The Age of Adeline
- The Beauty and The Beast
- 17 Again
- Love, Actually
- Titanic
- 500 Days of Summer
- Love and Other Drugs
- Me Before You
At the end
We hope our short but sweet list for the best Valentine’s movies on Netflix made your day of love more special. Not that you need the list; clearly, you don’t need any specific movie to light the spark of romance with your partner, do you?
If we’ve missed out on any other Netflix movie that you think would’ve made a perfect Valentine’s watch, hurry and tell us about it in the comments below!